COURSE  OVERVIEW

This course will be held over 3 Tuesday afternoons (May 7, 14 and 21) from 10 am - 1 pm EST virtually. In this course, participants will gain basic exposure to the subject matter of governance.

The ideal audience for this course includes the following:

• Individuals who are new to their role
• People with junior positions in their organizations with some governance functions
• Individuals in administrative positions attending to governance processes
• Boards or more senior governance professionals may also not have had a proper introduction to the subject matter

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the course are as follows:

1.      Focus on individuals who have little or no knowledge of governance but could be:  

• Joining a NFP board for the first time
• Executive assistant being asked to take notes at board or management meetings
• In process of accepting or moving into a position related to organizational governance
• Individuals wanting to position themselves for a position related to governance

2.     Provide access to a training program that is financially accessible

3.     Provide an intensive 2-day session that fulfills knowledge requirements in a brief time.

4.      To be a critical component of a planned ‘Governance in a Box’ concept which will consist of the 2-day workshop, a Glossary of Terms, and an on-line tool to provide access to the documents, forms, templates and best practices needed for establishing an effective governance framework for various kinds of organizations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Understand what governance means, and how it looks the same and different for various kinds of organizations
2. Understand the key principles of governance: accountability, transparency, independence, participation and predictability
3. Learn about the different structures that underpin the governance of an organization: by-laws, board of directors, committees,
4. Learn about the decision-making process for organizations through meetings, resolutions, minutes, board/management relationships
5. Understand the nature of the organization’s relationships with various stakeholders: the difference between shareholders and members; why understanding stakeholder needs is a key governance function.

Registration Fee:

• GPC Members:   $1,950 + HST
• Non-Members:   $2,350 + HST

We provide a 15% discount for teams of 3 or more along with GPC membership for ongoing support and learning.

Faculty:

Janis Riven, BCL, LLB, MBA, FCIS,
Acc. Dir., Principal
Governance & Compliance Solutions

Ms. Riven, based in Montreal, has an established consulting practice on governance and compliance matters with clients encompassing publicly listed and closely held companies, as well as various types of not-for-profits, and is currently Adjunct Professor at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, where she teaches Corporate Governance. She is a well- known speaker both in Canada and abroad at conferences on corporate governance and has acted as a facilitator for boards and board committees of a number of different organizations seeking to improve their governance effectiveness.

As well, she is an experienced board member, having participated on dozens of boards, including most recently, the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) the Facility Association and the McGill University Health Centre. Ms. Riven was formerly Vice President, Compliance and Secretary for the Canadian and global operations of RBC Insurance. She is a member of the Quebec Bar, a Fellow of the ICSA, and currently serves on the boards of Elixir Technology Inc. and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries (ICSA) Quebec.;