President and Chief Executive Officer

Overview

Established in 1954, The Conference Board of Canada (hereafter "CBoC") is Canada's foremost private, independent, not-for-profit applied research organization. Objective and non-partisan, it does not lobby for specific interests. It is funded exclusively through the fees charged for services to the private and public sectors.

The Conference Board of Canada’s mission is to build leadership capacity by creating and sharing insights on economic trends, public policy, and organizational performance. It conducts research and offers a web based library with over 3,000 reports and webinars; it runs executive networks for leaders, offers leadership development courses, and runs hundreds of meetings annually.

CBoC is on solid financial footing with revenues for the year ending May 31, 2011 of approximately $35 million. CBoC derives its revenues from a range of services provided on a fee-for-service basis.

The Conference Board of Canada is independent from, but affiliated with, the Conference Board, Inc. of New York, which serves nearly 2000 companies in 60 nations and has offices in Brussels and Hong Kong. For more information about The Conference Board of Canada, please see www.conferenceboard.ca

The Opportunity

After more than a decade of leadership, The Conference Board of Canada’s President and CEO, Anne Golden, recently announced her decision to step down in June 2012. The Board now seeks an accomplished executive with the intellectual breadth, appreciation for public policy, research excellence and business acumen to both develop and lead the CBoC’s next phase of growth. Key priorities include working with the Board to further crystallize the 5-year strategic plan, ensuring that the right team is in place to support the direction of the CBoC’s work, and championing the work of the CBoC externally with stakeholders as the passionate face of the organization. Building on the CBoC’s excellent reputation, the role will appeal to a visionary leader who appreciates how the thought leadership of the CBoC, and its unparalleled convener ability can help build Canada’s leadership capacity in all sectors.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer (hereafter “CEO") is the intellectual and operational leader of The Conference Board. The CEO is responsible for developing and implementing a market-driven strategy; building a strong national brand; prioritizing the research, programmatic, and product and service development agendas; expanding organizational capacity; leading and motivating the staff; and overseeing the financial health of the organization. In addition, the CEO will be the principal spokesperson for the CBoC.

The ideal candidate will possess a challenging combination of credibility in research, public policy and Canadian business at the highest levels. The next CEO will be a visionary and strategist but also will be able to galvanize support through new revenue streams and partnerships and build the right team to get things done. He/she will lead through influence, not hierarchy, and will apply a business-minded approach to a not-for-profit enterprise. Above all, the successful candidate must be ambitious for the institution and articulate a compelling value proposition for the CBoC to a variety of audiences. He/she will bring an enthusiasm, energy, and appetite for engagement with a variety of stakeholders in what is a highly unique and entrepreneurial leadership role.

The position of CEO, and the primary location of the CBoC, is in Ottawa, Ontario.

Key Relationships

Reports to:

• Board of Directors

Direct reports:

• Senior Vice President and Chief Economist
• Vice-President Organizational Effectiveness and Learning
• Vice-President Leadership and Human Resources Research
• Vice-President Public Policy
• Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer
• Vice-President Marketing, Sales, and IT
• Executive Director Human Resources

Other key relationships:

• Customers
• Staff
• Media
• Current and potential partners

Major Responsibilities

• Implement a strategic plan based on growth in a time of government constraint, business uncertainty and changing customer needs.
• Build and maintain relationships at the highest levels in the private sector and
  government.
• Raise funds through ensuring an appropriate mix of products and services to meet the changing needs of customers, and securing multi-year projects and partnerships.
• Maintain and motivate a top calibre executive team.
• Ensure quality in an organization that produces 250 reports a year and, as such, have knowledge of the major economic and public policy issues facing Canada and organizations.
• Sustain and continue to enhance the brand profile and reputation of the Conference Board across Canada.

Ideal Experience

The successful candidate will be an accomplished leader with notable executive achievement in the private, public or academic sectors and a track record that includes:

• Experience developing and executing a long term vision;
• Providing strong and inspiring leadership to a customer dedicated enterprise;
• Creating a market-driven organization that is responsive to the competitive environment and the dynamic needs of customers;
• Creating and building a compelling brand position and serving as the ambassador for that brand;
• Developing and delivering knowledge-based, research-driven products and services;
• Ensuring that the right team is in place to execute the strategic plan;
• Building mutually beneficial partnerships with other organizations; and
• Working closely with a Board of Directors;

The ability to communicate in both official languages is highly desired.

Critical Competencies for Success

Strategic Leadership: In a rapidly changing environment, where customers’ needs are evolving quickly and competitors are proliferating, build on the CBoC’s strong reputation and quality of convening and reporting, to lead the development and implementation of a long term strategy to ensure the CBoC’s continued vitality and relevance in the years to come. Accomplish this by engaging staff in a data-driven analysis of the market, the competition and the capabilities of the CBoC, resulting in a specific set of investment priorities and implementation objectives. Drive the successful execution of the strategy, setting clear milestones and performance expectations.

Organizational Capacity Building: In a highly knowledge-dependent business, build on the current strengths of the CBoC to create a consistently high-performance organization. Work to ensure collaborative team work, independent and creative idea generation, high quality and consistency of execution. Accomplish this by providing hands-on leadership, aligning the organization with the strategy, creating clear expectations and a culture of accountability and transparency. Attract top talent to CBoC, mentor and develop senior staff and build bench strength throughout the organization. Create an organization capable of competing successfully for mind share in the global business community.

External Engagement/Relationship Cultivation: In an organization highly respected as the "go-to" source on economics, policy, and organizational effectiveness, he/she will bring a personal presence, intellectual capacity and professional stature that is commensurate with that aspiration and will command the respect of various constituents. The CEO will be someone who moves comfortably in high circles and can leverage this network and reputation in support of CBoC's mission. He or she will serve as the chief communications and marketing officer, representing CBoC nationally to current and potential customers.

Other Personal Characteristics

• Commitment to the highest standards of professional ethics and best business and governance processes.
• Belief that businesses can and should be a major force for economic and social improvement.
• High energy, analytical with an understanding of research methodology and an appreciation of macro- and micro-economics.
• Superb communication skills including public speaking.

Interested candidates should forward their résumé in confidence as soon as possible to:

We thank all candidates who wish to apply; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.