News Releases Directors College Release

Andy Poprawa Wins Gold Standard Award In Governance

Ottawa, February 10 — Andy Poprawa, President and CEO of the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario (DICO), is the 2009 winner of the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award awarded by The Directors College, Canada’s leading university-accredited director education program.

“Andy is the governance champion at the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario. His keen interest in corporate governance has assisted the DICO board of directors in developing and implementing those innovative governance practices which help improve an organization’s effectiveness,” said Dr. Chris Bart, Principal & Lead Professor, The Directors College.

Founded by The Conference Board of Canada and the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, The Directors College is Canada’s gold standard in director education. It is the first and only university-accredited director education program in the country that leads to the internationally recognized Chartered Director* (C.Dir*) professional designation.

The Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario is the provincial agency whose mandate is to protect funds placed on deposit with Ontario’s 200 credit unions and caisses populaires. In 2001, the organization was awarded the inaugural Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart National Awards in Governance in the public sector category for its innovation in director recruitment and selection. Mr. Poprawa currently sits on the adjudication board for the National Awards in Governance.

Mr. Poprawa received the award at The Directors College graduation ceremony held today in conjunction with The Conference Board of Canada/ Spencer Stuart 2009 National Awards in Governance.

Named in honour of former Canadian Tire chairman Gil Bennett, the Gold Standard Award has been presented annually since 2006 to a graduate of The Directors College who demonstrates dedication to raising the bar for professional standards in corporate governance, both through their progress in the Chartered Director program and in their experience as directors. Previous winners include Don McCreesh, Michael MacBean, and Adam Cooper.