Leadership and Strategy

GRADUATION SPEECH: 106th DEP GRADUATING CLASS OF THE ICD-ROTMAN DIRECTORS EDUCATION PROGRAM, AT THE ROTMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
 
We celebrate your achievement in successfully completing Canada’s leading program for Board Directors. We thank you for your dedication to outstanding board leadership. You now join peers from across the country who are equally committed to demonstrating the highest standards of excellence.
 
And now, more than ever before, we need our country’s Board Directors to excel.
 
We have more than 8,300 (8,301) graduates in the DEP community across Canada, a significant milestone for the ICD as we work to promote governance excellence across Canada and the globe.
 
This is a tremendous accomplishment and I would like to acknowledge our partners, the Rotman School of Management, program faculty, our graduates, for being valued supporters and contributors to the success of the program.

We are delighted with the overwhelming success of the DEP, as well as with the calibre of directors, senior business leaders and government officials who have participated across the country.
 
As you move forward, you will be navigating a business climate that has been dramatically altered. Evolving roles and expectations of boards, public accountability, and shareholder activism will remain priorities for board directors, investors, employees for the foreseeable future.
 
As graduates of the DEP, you are now ambassadors and important members of this growing community of directors and executives who have demonstrated their commitment to achieving the highest standard of directorship in Canada.
 
Congratulations for making a significant investment in enhancing the quality of governance in Canada. Harnessing this excellence will result in better boards, better businesses and, ultimately, a better Canada.