Clarica Life Insurance Co., the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Easter Seal Society of Ontario are the winners of the 2002 National Awards in Governance, announced today by The Conference Board of Canada and Spencer Stuart.

The private sector winner, Clarica, led the pack among demutualized life insurers, having no benchmarks or guidelines for many of its governance challenges. A comprehensive review helped the organization develop a systematic approach to board governance. The resulting changes brought about an independent, contributory board, actively engaged in strategic leadership and aligned with key stakeholder interests.

The CPP Investment Board won the public sector award winner for its innovative approach to the board nomination process. This is a big challenge in the public sector, where board members are typically selected based on political, geographic, cultural and gender considerations – with little meaningful consultation with the board or corporation. The CPP Investment Board undertook a rigourous search for qualified, independent, non-political appointments.

Easter Seals Society of Ontario is the not-for-profit sector winner for its top-to-bottom transformation of the organization.

The winner of the Overall National Award will be announced and the winners will be recognized at a gala ceremony and reception on January 30 at the Hilton Toronto.

“These organizations show us that excellence in governance embraces two simple concepts – finding the right people to sit on the board, people who will be engaged, committed and independent, and then empowering them with strategic oversight of the organization,” said Anne Golden, president of The Conference Board of Canada and co-chair of the awards program. “These organizations are an example to Canada’s boards at a time when governance will be severely tested.”