"I truly enjoyed the course and took away valuable insights that help me both as CEO interacting with and leveraging the board and as a board member.

I learned much through the diversity session. I’ve wrestled with the concept of ‘hiring the best person for the job’ vs ‘make sure you have a blend of X, Y, and Z characteristics’. I like the way you describe the benefits of cognitive diversity and your observation that there is good correlation between cognitive and demographic diversity. It’s not a given, but it’s a good place to look. I also think there’s room for a business focused on optimizing outcomes for all stakeholders, not just the shareholders, to invest in a diverse team even if it’s not clear that it will maximize short term outcomes for the business. Depending on the beliefs and values of the business, there could even be room to help an underprivileged individual develop their capabilities for no other reason than enabling them to fulfill their potential. The economic value might be realized by someone else, but the world is a better place.

Your succession planning perspective was incredibly helpful. It’s prompted me to take specific action in describing the characteristics, knowledge, experience, and skills for my own successor. This brings a particular focus to the development process that’s already underway, but less focused than it could be.

Thanks so much for putting together an excellent development program!"

Testimonial
Dan Shute, President & CEO Volant Products Inc.

"I found the High-Performing Boards course to be incredibly valuable. It offered a thoughtful blend of governance theory and real-world application, facilitated by Mary Cameron, Darren Rawson, and the Ozone team, who brought their deep boardroom experience and insights.

The program challenged how I think about board contributions—especially around strategy, risk, and the evolving role of directors—and gave me practical tools I’ve applied right away as a director. What stood out was how relevant and adaptable the content was across different contexts—whether you're on a small, large, private, non-profit, or even municipal board. It also created space for rich conversation and connection with peers across sectors, which was a real highlight for me."

Testimonial
Catherine Sparks, Director Vanderwell Contractors

"An excellent investment for anyone interested in joining a board of directors or executives striving to support high performing boards. The content was expertly curated and included creative case studies to put the learnings into action. I was highly impressed by the breadth of experience of the other attendees—it really contributed to a thoughtful cohort led by board veterans Mary and Darren. Their years of collective board experience from both US and Canadian boards— helped bring real examples to the curriculum making this course truly unique!"

Testimonial
Chief Growth & Strategy Officer

"More then anything, the High Performing Board course provided me a framework to think about and approach the role of a director or chairperson and appreciate all the aspects it entails. From an applied aspect, I found myself asking more insightful questions in my mentoring roles which is a key skill the course emphasizes. While I was a bit skeptical when I signed up, I found the course to be extremely valuable and really enjoyed the interactive sessions."

Testimonial
Patrick Elliot, COO Carbon Alpha; Associate Creative Destruction Lab