REPORT OF VICE-PRESIDENT GARY CORBETT
Presented to the 101st Annual General Meeting
Fellow Members,
I am pleased to have this opportunity to report of my activities of the past 11 months to the 2020 AGM.
It goes without saying that this year has been a year unlike any other in our history. Earlier in the year, like other organizations, the Institute was ill affected by Covid. To that end, Face to face meetings were cancelled hindering our ability to conduct business as usual. Fortunately, some meetings continued virtually including the Professional Qualifications and Recognitions committee (PRQC) on which I serve as liaison to the Board.
The PRQC committee plays an important role in PIPSC. It works to define the meaning of a professional and professional Integrity, develops strategies to advocate against de-professionalization of our member’s roles in the public service, and it seeks to strengthen our linkages with External professional organizations to which our members belong. I am very proud and pleased to serve on this committee. And, while the committee meetings were initially set back because of the pandemic, meetings have once again resumed and I look forward to communicating more about our work as we come up to speed once again.
A key function for me over the past year has been my ongoing participation in Board Meetings and Executive Committee meetings. As you can well imagine, I bring more than 20 years of Board experience to the table and Board members rely on my knowledge of the organization and its history. Because many members know of me and my past experience, a great deal of my time has been spent communicating with members directly by phone or email on issues that are important to them. Most of the time, this takes the form of explaining the thinking behind decisions of the Board and the Institute’s management basically helping members to understand the reasons for such decisions and any resulting impact. I consider this work invaluable as I’m always busy keeping an open channel with members.
In addition to my participation at regular Board meetings and Executive Committee meetings, I have been tasked by the Board to lead the Task Force on Governance. This task force consisting of 4 Directors of the Board will work to review the Governance of the Professional Institute.
Governance of the Professional Institute’s Board has always been tricky because, unlike for-profit Boards, PIPSC Directors are all elected by members. Furthermore, there is always push-pull with respect to the function, responsibilities, and accountabilities of elected Board members versus staff-managers. Indeed, this area has seen vast changes since my time as President. The Task Force on Governance will continue to work to develop and support implementation of strategies and tools to address and improve board culture and function. It also plays an important role in reviewing and updating Board policies, processes and terms of reference so that Board meeting functionality is improved. New director orientation, ongoing learning, annual Board assessment & board meeting assessments will also be undertaken in the interests of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Board meetings.
In closing, I would like to say that I have been very happy to return to the Professional Institute as a Part Time Vice President. I remain ready and able to undertake assignments given to me by the President and as always, I am proud to serve the interests of the membership.
Gary Corbett