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Gerald Ross, Dean of McGill's Faculty of Management, last night received the initial Excellence Award in Corporate Governance from the Federated Press. The award ceremony was part of the Montreal Directors' Summit, attended by prominent speakers, executives and board members.

Dean Ross was awarded this recognition thanks to his outstanding contribution to the advancement of corporate governance. In 2002, he was the first president — and is still a member — of the Korn/Ferry Revue Commerce Excellence Awards in Corporate Governance's jury. In this capacity, he scrutinized the boards of key corporations in Quebec to determine best practices in corporate governance.

Ross sits on the advisory board of the Quebec Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors, whose purpose is to ensure that directors are well prepared to deal effectively with the responsibilities of their positions, and are informed about the ever-changing demands of corporate governance. The ICD acts as a resource to all corporate directors by providing information, education, advocacy and networking.

Ross is also a board and audit committee member of Gildan Activewear, a fast-growing company in the apparel industry. In February 2003, the Minister for International Cooperation announced that Gildan Activewear had won one of the Canadian Awards for International Cooperation. These awards pay tribute to Canadian businesses and organizations that have directly helped developing countries to progress socially and economically.

"Corporate governance has to reinvent itself entirely," says Ross. "Directors need to be prepared to deal with crises like SARS, terrorism, and corporate scandals. Being a board member is a much more serious commitment today than it has ever been, and keeping up is a growing challenge. Corporate governance demands more accountability, and more specialized knowledge. McGill, as an innovative hub, is there to support directors in their life-long learning process."

As dean of a leading international business school, Ross is developing an innovative approach to address the changing needs of corporate governance, recognizing that successful directors learn more about how to be an effective board member from their peers than from professors.

Working with a group of senior directors, McGill's Faculty of Management is working on a new learning process tailored to the way directors learn. As part of this process, McGill is developing a new Forum on Board Leadership, where directors would learn from each other in a format that suits their highly charged agendas.

Federated Press is an independent research-based organization in the professional information and education market.

McGill's Faculty of Management stands at the forefront of international management education, taking its lead from the business community. Widely recognized as Canada's leading international business school, it boasts a worldwide reputation that attracts top students and faculty members from every continent.

Photos of the award ceremony are available upon request.