Corporate Governance 2015


Course Date: November 25, 2015

Total: 5h 37min
Course Agenda ▼

Welcome and Introduction

Joseph A. Garcia — Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP,  Vancouver

General Role of the Board

  • a refresher of the general duties of directors
  • the role of the board and how the board should use different lines of sight to perform effectively
  • the importance of and how to ensure the right management team and proper incentives
  • the board’s role in compliance, oversight, and strategy, and where to focus energy and effort
  • how to improve board effectiveness

Iain Mant — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Catherine E. Wade — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

Designing and Electing an Effective Board

  • overview of regulatory requirements
  • challenges—compliance with the law is not enough
  • process and suggested practices

Teresa Budd — Governance Consultant and Lawyer, Watson Advisors Inc., Vancouver
Gordon R. Chambers — Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Vancouver

Current Trends from a Policy Perspective

  • US trends
    • compensation clawbacks
    • pay ratio disclosure
    • shareholder proposals/proxy access
    • independent chair
  • Canadian trends
    • shareholder proxy access
    • universal proxies
    • OSC whistleblower policy
    • board diversity update
    • say-on-pay update

Adam M. Givertz — Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Toronto
Robin Mahood — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver

Networking Lunch

When Interests Collide—What Every Director Need to Know about Conflicts of Interest

  • what are they?
  • why do they matter?
  • how should they be dealt with?
  • what are the consequences?
  • case studies—shareholder nominee director/corporate opportunities
  • best practices

Kathleen Keilty — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Troy J.A. Lehman — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver

Social Responsibility and the Board

  • what does social responsibility mean in the context of corporations
  • review of the obligations of directors
  • can directors steer a company to a path of social responsibility

Leo Raffin — McMillan LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

Risk Management, Mitigation, and Litigation Issues

  • managing the risks of corporate use of social media
  • managing cybersecurity risks
  • managing the risks of subsidiary operations in foreign jurisdictions
  • what do you do when things go wrong?

Corey M. Dean — DuMoulin Black LLP, Vancouver
Paul L. Goldman — MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP, Vancouver
Mark L. Skwarok — McMillan LLP, Vancouver
Michael G. Urbani — Stikeman Elliott LLP, Vancouver

Closing Questions and Comments

Joseph A. Garcia — Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP, Vancouver