Program Overview

Better your skills. BETTER YOUR BOARD.

The Directors Education Program (DEP), jointly developed by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management is offered nationally at Canada's top business schools.

The Saskatchewan DEP is being coordinated provincially by the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan and offered in collaboration with the Levene Graduate School of Business, University of Regina. The continued growth of Saskatchewan's diverse economic and business landscape highlights the importance of this partnership and offering.

Complemented by some of Canada's most accomplished and highly respected directors-in-residence, this 12-day course is taught by leading governance experts delivered in four three-day modules. The program offers experiential learning through breakouts and board simulations tailored to meet the unique needs of Saskatchewan directors of corporate, Crown, co-operative and large not-for-profit organizations. DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Module Descriptions

The Directors Education Program is delivered in four three-day modules in cities across Canada. Modules are taught by leading faculty of prominent business schools, some of Canada’s most experienced directors, and leading governance experts.

• Module 1
• Module 2
• Module 3
• Module 4

• Why take the Directors Education Program

  Directors are continually challenged by information gaps, time squeezes and the behavioural dynamics that can be encountered in the boardroom. The ICD-Rotman DEP has been specifically designed to help directors overcome these challenges by introducing activities and processes that assist them in fulfilling their role.

  • The DEP is the only program of its kind in Canada that bears the seal of the director community itself.
  • DEP Alumni are part of a national network of 6,200 directors (including many from Saskatchewan) and almost 16,000 ICD members across Canada.
  • A dynamic learning environment rich with peer-to-peer insights, director dilemmas, board and committee simulations, and case studies.
  • Acclaimed faculty - Taught by national and local academics, seasoned directors and leading governance experts.
  • First step towards the ICD.D designation upon completion of a written examination and a board meeting simulation chaired and vice-chaired by some of Canada's most senior directors.
• Eligibility Criteria

  DEP Focus:  The DEP is not an entry-level director education course. It has been developed for experienced directors who wish to hone their skills and be more effective. The course itself is focused primarily on for-profit governance with an emphasis on the governance of publicly-traded corporations. As such, the course is most appropriate for directors with for-profit governance experience or those directors and professionals with near-term opportunity to serve on for-profit boards.
   
  DEP Eligibility: Admission into the DEP is granted to those applicants who meet the minimum national experience standard (the ‘bar’). The bar reflects the focus of the DEP on for-profit director effectiveness. The bar represents a combination of business acumen and professional experience, board service and director experience, and other factors such as education and honours, supported by appropriate references. Your application will be reviewed by an admissions committee and it is, therefore, important that you provide as much detail as necessary within this online application form. If you have any questions about your eligibility for the DEP please contact Hadi Hassani at education@icd.ca or 416-593-3348.
  
  Board Experience: Except in exceptional situations all admitted participants will have appropriate experience as a director. Preference is given to DEP applicants who have experience on for-profit boards. Preference is also generally given to those who have held independent board positions, as opposed to executive or ex-officio positions. Crown corporation boards and large non-profit boards that act as oversight boards are preferred over management boards or boards focused primarily on singular activities such as fundraising. While some consideration may also be given to applicants who have not served directly on boards but have extensive experience advising or otherwise working with boards (e.g. professionals who may have been prohibited from serving on boards by virtue of their professional capacity but advise and serve boards extensively), it should be noted that the DEP Admissions Committee does not consider this to be a substitute for experience as a sitting director, but rather as a complementary piece.
   
  Executive Experience: In addition to board experience, DEP applicants should also have a highly successful track record of senior executive or professional experience and be able to demonstrate significant business acumen. The DEP Admissions Committee is looking for individuals that have shown an ability to lead, innovate and inspire success at the highest professional levels, and have developed both a breadth and depth of experience as a result – the same qualities that will, in turn, serve them well as directors of for-profit corporations and complex organizations.
   
  References:  The DEP Admissions Committee considers references to be an important part of the applicant’s overall admissions package and encourages appropriate referees. Applicants are encouraged to provide references from fellow directors, professional peers or superiors, or other senior leaders who can comment on the applicant’s experience, character, and suitability for the program. Preference is given to references from DEP graduates, members of the ICD, and sitting directors who are familiar with the DEP focus and the DEP learning environment. Referees should be free of any material conflict with the applicant and applicants should avoid references from direct reports (which would include, for example, a CEO serving as a referee for a member of his/her board) and suppliers (including a service provider to the applicant - or to the organization of the applicant - serving as a reference, such as lawyers, accountants, auditors, etc.) who may feel encumbered due to the nature of the relationship.

   

   

• What Is Included
  • 90 CPHR Saskatchewan Continued Professional Development (CPD) Hours

   

   

ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program (DEP) Diversity Scholarship

The ICD-Rotman DEP Diversity Scholarship aims to facilitate the development of a diverse representation in boardrooms across all sectors of the Canadian economy by providing access to governance education, to advance and strengthen directors' contributions to Canada's boardrooms and beyond.

This scholarship program allows underrepresented individuals to gain a strong governance education through Canada's leading director education program, the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program (DEP). Preference is given to those who demonstrate a financial need and belong to one of the following groups: women, Indigenous Peoples, people with visible or invisible/episodic disabilities, members of racialized communities, and those who identify as 2SLGBTQI+ .

Click here for additional information on the scholarship, application, and review process. 

The scholarship program has been made possible by the Institute of Corporate Directors, Rotman School of Management, and its network of partner business schools across Canada.

Academic Directors

	Dr. Norman Sheehan, MBA, FCPA, FCMA, CGA, ICD.D Professor, Edwards School of Business CPA Scholar; Saskatchewan Co-Academic Director Norman Sheehan has been a divisional controller for a junior gold exploration company, a corporate controller for an offshore oil exploration firm, and a financial analyst for a coal company. He currently sits on the board of Affinity Credit Union, where he has been a board member for over five years. While on Affinity’s board, he has chaired the Audit and Risk Committee, and currently sits on its HR Committee. After working as a professional accountant for 10 years, Norman earned his PhD in strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, and is currently a Professor in Strategy and Management Accounting and CPA Scholar at the Edwards School of Business. In this role, he teaches, researches, and facilitates in the areas of strategy, performance measurement, governance and risk management. Norman was recognized as a Master Teacher at the University of Saskatchewan in 2013 and is also involved in developing and presenting education materials for the CPA Canada Professional Education Program.
	Sandra L. Steen Sandra teaches in the Paul J. Hill School of Business and the Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business at the University of Regina. Sandra also provides advisory services serving as principal consultant. Sandra has an integrated education and background in both Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour. She received her MBA from the University of Regina and has more than 25 years of leading, managing, teaching, and consulting across a wide range of organizations in the private, public, and not-for profit sectors. Sandra is the co-author of HR and OB higher education textbooks published by McGraw-Hill. She holds the Chartered Human Resources Professional (CPHR) designation. Sandra is a former Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission, the central human resource agency for the provincial government.
	Richard Powers, MBA, LL.B; National Academic Director After receiving his MBA and LLB from Queen’s University, Rick worked as a corporate lawyer for a national Canadian law firm.  He later served as Corporate Counsel for Honda Canada Inc., before joining the University of Toronto.  After teaching and serving in several administrative roles at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, Rick joined the Rotman School of Management in 2005.  He has recently completed a 5-Year term as the Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Rotman MBA and Master of Finance Programs. Rick’s areas of expertise include corporate governance, ethics, business and corporate law and sports marketing.  A recipient of numerous teaching and student awards, Rick received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Rotman School of Management in January, 2013. An internationally recognized expert in both corporate and not-for-profit governance, Rick is the National Academic Director of The Directors Education Program and the Not-For-Profit Governance Essentials Program (in partnership with the Institute of Corporate Directors – ICD).  He also teaches in Rotman’s Executive MBA, OMNIUM, MBA and Executive Education Programs.  He is a director of several not-for-profit organizations and frequently comments on legal and governance issues in various media across Canada.

PLUS Hear from leading governance experts, key local academics and Canada's most accomplished and highly respected directors-in-residence.

Partnership Program

	Together with our partners, we continue to add value and enhance our educational experiences to our community through professional development and training in a supportive and welcoming environment. This Edwards Executive Education program was jointly developed by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. .
	This program is offered in collaboration with the Levene Graduate School of Business, University of Regina. Making the Director's Education Program in Saskatchewan the first jointly-delivered, two city DEP in Canada.