Education
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
York University, 2003
Dissertation title: “Boards of Directors: An Inside View”
LLM Master of Laws
York University, 1997
Thesis title: “The Stakeholder Debate”
LLB Bachelor of Laws
University of Windsor, 1994
JD Juris Doctor
University of Detroit, 1994
MBA Master of Business Administration
University of Toronto, 1991
BSc Bachelor of Science
University of Toronto, 1989
Professional Development
National Association of Corporate Directors webinars (2010 onward):
- The Year Ahead in Cybersecurity: Key Issues for Directors;
- Beyond 2020: Effective Shareholder Engagement in a Challenged World;
- The “S” in ESG: What Does the Data Say About Diversity and Inclusion in Executive Compensation?;
- Re-evaluating Short- and Long-Term Incentive Plans During a Crisis;
- The Good, the Bad, and the Unbelievable: Effective Shareholder Engagement During a Worldwide Pandemic;
- Conducting Business Under Lockdown: Do Your Executive and Director Compensation Programs Need to Change?;
- Oversight of Corporate Culture: A Core Asset in Driving Performance and Deterring Fraud;
- Blockchain and the Age of Digital Currency;
- Director Compensation: A Hot-Button Issue in 2016;
- What is Compensation’s Role in Value Creation?;
- Diversity in the Boardroom;
- The Age of Alignment Part II: Getting Strategy-Driven Performance Measurement Right;
- Shareholder Activism;
- Board Preview: What’s Next for Director Compensation?;
- Boardroom Excellence: A Preview of the Regulatory Environment in 2015;
- Board Composition: Finding and Leveraging Talent to Drive Shareholder Results;
- Compliance and Communication: The Dynamic Duo of Disclosure;
- Why Peer Group Construction is More Important Than Ever;
- How Prepared is Your Board for a CEO Transition?;
- Performance vs. Retention: Do You Really Have to Chose?;
- KPMG/NACD Quarterly Audit Committee Webcast - 2013 Economic Outlook & Year-End Considerations;
- What the Second Generation of Say on Pay Proxies Tells Us;
- Capitalism, Transparency and Ethics;
- Emerging Technologies for Board-Shareholder Communication;
- Putting the Final Touches on Your CD&A;
- Technology, Innovation, and Strategy;
- Evolving Role of the Lead Director;
- Pay-for-Performance: Bridging the Board/Management Gap;
- How Does Your Board Compare on Leadership and Compensation?;
- How Does Your Board Compare on Leadership and Compensation?;
- Balancing Short- and Long-Term Performance-Based Incentives;
- New Standards and Credentials for Director Professionalism;
- CEO Succession Planning: Ready, Set… Pay!;
- Balancing Short- and Long-Term Performance-Based Incentives;
- Boards and CEOs: Trust, Transparency and Constructive Tension;
- Pay-for-Performance Alignment: Tools and Techniques;
- Board/C-Suite Interaction: The Importance of Brand;
- Board/C-Suite Interaction: Best Thinking;
- Board/C-Suite Interaction: Knowing Your Customer;
- Board/C-Suite Interaction: The Well-Informed Board;
- Board Processes for a New Era;
- Board/Shareholder Relationships;
- Board Compositions and Evaluations;
- Dodd-Frank and the New Regulatory Environment - Implications and Practical Insights for Audit Committee/Board Oversight;
- Building the Right Board;
- Risk Governance;
- The Roles of the Lead Director and Chairman; The Current Environment: Executive Compensation;
- The Board's Role in Developing Corporate Strategy;
- Rethinking What Committees Need to Know Most About Executive Pay;
- What's New in 2010 Proxy Disclosures;
- Corporate Crisis: The Board's Role;
- Tone at the Top;
- The Dodd/Frank Act (Parts I and II);
- Rethinking Priorities for Executive Pay - The Impact of the Dodd/Frank Act (Part III);
- DC in the Boardroom: A Board Level Briefing on Proxy Access;
- Proxy Plumbing: A Board-Level Briefing on Potential Changes;
- The Strategic Asset: General Counsel;
“Preparing Your Audit Committee for an Unexpected Investigation,” PwC, August 30, 2022.
“Cybersecurity: Board Actions to Emerge Stronger From the Pandemic,” PwC, September 22, 2020.
“Designing a Curriculum for Online and Hybrid Courses,” Harvard University, July 8, 2020.
“Executive Pay: Reframing for the Long-Term,” ICGN, June 18, 2020.
“Countering COVID Criminality,” Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2020.
“COVID-19: What Boards Need to Consider,” PWC, March 20, 2020.
“Preparing for and Responding to Activist Investors,” Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, December 6, 2017.
“New Research Webinar: Board Refreshment Trends at S&P 1500 Firms: 2008 to 2016,” IRRC Institute, January 24, 2017.
“Sneak Preview At How Shareholder Activism Is Affecting The 2016 Proxy Season,” CommPRO.biz Webinars, March 3, 2016.
“New Report: Does CEO Succession Planning Matter,” IRRC Institute, March 3, 2016.
“Current Issues Related to Board Composition,” PWC and University of Delaware, June 15, 2015.
“Shareholder Activism: How the Lack of Attention to Board Composition Issues Can Make a Company Vulnerable to an Activist Investor,” Georgeson and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, March 30, 2015.
“The Rising Tide of Shareholder Activism at Large-Cap Companies,” Morgan Lewis, December 15, 2014.
“The Alignment Gap Between Creating Value, Performance Measurement and Long Term Incentive Design,” IRRC Institute, November 24, 2014.
“Beyond Borders,” National Association of Corporate Directors, Board Leadership Conference, October 12-14, 2014.
"Shareholder Activism: Short vs. Long-Termism," Institute of Corporate Directors National Conference, May 22, 2013.
"The Value Add of Female Board Members," Conference Board of Canada, April 29, 2013.
"15th Executive Compensation Course," Federated Press, April 16-17, 2013.
"Enhancing Audit Effectiveness," Institute of Corporate Directors, CPAB and CICA, February 26, 2013.
2013 Proxy Season Outlook, Alston & Bird LLP, January 17, 2013.
Conference Board webinar, “Governance Watch: Social Technology in the Boardroom,” December 5, 2012.
NYSE/Equilar webinar, “Turnover at the Top: Planning for Your Next CEO,” September 25, 2012.
Winston & Strawn LLP eLunch, “Clawbacks and Litigation Over Executive Compensation: Strategies to Reduce Your Risk,” June 21, 2012.
Directors & Boards, webinar, “The Paperless Boardroom is Here - No More Excuses” May 22, 2012.
Directors & Boards, webinar, “The Dynamic General Counsel Office: How Technology is Re-Shaping Best Practices in the Boardroom” December 14, 2011.
Equilar, webinar, “2012 Proxy Season Webinar: Pay for Performance, Say on Pay, and ISS,” December 14, 2011.
Law Society of Upper Canada, webinar, “Ethical Red Flags for Estates and Trust Lawyers,” December 13, 2011.
Law Society of Upper Canada, webinar, “Professionalism and Practice Management for Business Lawyers,” December 12, 2011.
Continewity LLC, webinar, “Disgruntled Employees, Greedy Managers, and SEC Cover Ups,” December 6, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “Progressive Shareholder Engagement,” November 16, 2011.
National Association of Corporate Directors, D100 Conference, and part of Social Media Team, New York City, November 8-9, 2011.
University of Toronto Rotman School of Management Executive Programs, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Board Effectiveness Program, Toronto, October 17-19, 2011.
Blank & Rome LLP and Laurel Hill Advisory Group, webinar, “More on the Sitting Duck Syndrome: How to Prepare for the “Private Ordering” of Proxy Access Under the Amended Provisions of Rule 14A-8” October 18, 2011.
National Association of Corporate Directors, Compensation Committee Forum and Corporate Governance Conference, Washington, DC, October 2-4, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “Say on Pay Votes: Was it a Big Deal, and What’s Next for Executive Compensation,” September 15, 2011.
Blank & Rome LLP and Mackenzie Partners Inc., “How Your Board’s Composition, Leadership, Governance And Compensation Can Cause Your Company To Be Unduly Vulnerable To An Activist Investor and Mark Your Company A “Sitting Duck”” August 23, 2011.
Directors & Boards, “Technology Disruption Hits the Boardroom: How Directors Can Harness Opportunities and Avoid Pitfalls” August 18, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “The Future of the Proxy Advisory Business,” August 5, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “Corporate Governance Roundtable: Punting Peer Groups: Resolving the Compensation Conundrum,” August 5, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “Dodd-Frank Executive Compensation Changes: What’s Next After Say-on-Pay?,” June 8, 2011.
Institute for Corporate Directors, “ICD Board Diversity Town Hall,” Toronto, ON, April 20, 2011.
Institute for Corporate Directors, “The Role of the Board in Corporate Risk Oversight,” Toronto, ON, January 18, 2011.
American Bar Association, Corporate Governance Section Webinars, “Hot Issues for the 2011 Proxy Season,” February 23, 2011; and “Say on Pay Votes for 2011 Annual Shareholder Meetings: Will it be a Big Deal?,” January 12, 2011.
Institute for Corporate Directors, “Exploring the Quality of the Shareholder Vote in Canada,” Toronto, ON, January 12, 2011.
Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, Workshop: CSR Governance: Assessing Ownership and Accountability of Sustainability at Your Organization, Toronto, ON, October 22, 2010.
Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, 8th Annual Summit, Collaborating for Sustainable Change, Toronto, ON, October 21, 2010.
National Association of Corporate Directors, Corporate Governance Conference, Washington, DC, October 18-19, 2010 - 2011.
CompensationStandards.com and TheCorporateCounsel.net, “Tackling Your 2011 Compensation Disclosures: The 5th Annual Proxy Disclosure Conference” and “7th Annual Executive Compensation Conference” (webinars), September 20-21, 2010.
Shareholder Association for Research & Education and the Hennick Centre for Business Law, “Sustainability in the Financial Markets and Canadian Regulatory Reform,” presentation by Ed Waitzer, September 16, 2010.
CA Directors Source webinar, Governance Committees:
Performance Catalyst for the Board, August 18, 2010.
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Curriculum Design Institute, June 17, 2010
Rotman School of Management
Making Better Decisions, 12th annual Rotman Life-Long Learning Conference, May 27, 2010
Rotman School of Management
Integrating Financial and Nonfinancial Results To A Single Report for a Sustainable Strategy, Sustainability Experts Speaker Series, May 12, 2010
Schulich School of Business
Developments in digital technology presentation by Jean Adams and Ron McClean, March 10, 2010
Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics' Introductory Tutorial for the Tri-Council Policy Statement:
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) Certificate (2009)
University of Toronto
Certificate in Carbon Finance (2009)
National Association of Corporate Directors
Certificate of Director Education
Audit Committee Effectiveness (2008, 2006, 2004)
Compensation Committee Effectiveness (2005, 2004)
Governance Committee Effectiveness (2004)
CFO; General Counsel & Corporate Secretary (2004)
Corporate Board Member and New York Stock Exchange
Conference (2008)
CompensationStandards.com and TheCorporateCounsel.net
Executive Compensation Conference (2008, 2006)
Proxy Disclosure Conference (2008)
Risk and Insurance Management Society
Conference (2008)
Rutgers Business School
Intl. Journal of Disclosure & Governance Conference (2007)
York University
Institute for Social Research Workshops (2007)
Kellogg School of Management
Effectiveness and Accountability in the Boardroom (2005)
Chicago Graduate School of Business, Stanford Law School and The Wharton School
The Directors’ Consortium (2005)
Australian Institute of Company Directors
International Company Directors Course (2005)
Stanford Law School
Directors College (2002)