1. The GPC Education Program (GPC-EP) has officially launched! 

We unveiled one of the most important initiatives that GPC has worked on to date in 2017, our new certification program, the GPC-EP. The first of the three modules were held this November in Toronto and Vancouver, and it was a very successful launch of the program. Corporate secretaries and governance professionals in Canada had expressed their desire to have a focused education program that would equip them with the insights and practical tools to become more effective and up to date in their profession. GPC answered and created a program developed BY governance professionals and subject matter experts intimately familiar with the role. GPC's new certification program provides the key missing piece for so many new and seasoned professionals in governance, to gain and/or refine the skillset they need to take their organization's governance to new levels of excellence.

2. GPC's Expanded Local Engagement 

You asked, we listened! GPC continues to expand its presence locally, in order to provide important face to face events, networking and learning opportunities for our members. Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto boast local chapter committees who are working away on creating local engagement opportunities for our members. This year and next year, one of the top strategic imperatives for GPC is to continue focus on adding value to the membership and to look for new ways to engage, retain and recruit members. We look forward to adding new local groups in Saskatchewan and in other regions where our members can gather to learn and network with their local colleagues.

3. Professional Development

In addition to growing our presence and events in key local member hubs and our new certification course, we will continue to offer national professional development and webinar sessions in 2018, to ensure that even those in more remote areas can still access important GPC programming. Watch for new and noteworthy sessions in the new year covering topics such as: Board and Organization Culture, Cybersecurity Preparedness, ESG Reporting, Minutes, Meetings and More, Subsidiary Governance, Board Succession, CEO Succession, Diversity and more!

4. 2018 Annual Conference - Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Conference, to be held August 19-22, 2018 in Victoria B.C.!  

GPC's Annual Conference is the only event in Canada that gathers governance professionals, which offers important learning, networking, exchanging of ideas and allows participants to plug into the latest best practices and issues that they need to succeed. Watch your inbox in early 2018 for the first peek at the draft agenda and mark your calendars now! Why not plan your summer holiday around the conference in 2018 and bring your family to enjoy the beauty of Victoria and Vancouver Island at the best time in August, and take in its many fun activities, sights and great dining.

5. 2018 Excellence in Governance Awards - Mark your calendars for the 6th annual ceremony and gala, to be held on October 25, 2018 at the Carlu in Toronto! 

This event has become a very important event for the governance community in Canada as a whole. The calibre and quality of award submissions, winners, sponsors and attendees keeps rising year over year as demonstrated by the success of the 2017 event in November in Toronto at the Carlu, with over 300 attendees to cheer and support the shortlisted companies and winners. Plan to join us at this event on October 25, 2018 and more importantly, watch for the announcement for the call for nominations and make sure you enter for your chance to be recognized for the great work you and your organization do! For more details on the awards program, the categories, judges and criteria, Click here.