Our Board has nine directors and each year, three seats are up for election.
As a Calgary Co-op member, you may vote for up to three candidates each year. We all play an important role in electing members to our Board because a great Board is needed to oversee our growing $1.2 billion co-operative. Together as members, we make the final decision about who is elected.
Why does the Board recommend certain candidates?
The Calgary Co-op Board wants to ensure its directors have the competencies required to provide effective oversight of our complex co-operative. Therefore, the Board reviews its skills and identifies areas where knowledge gaps exist. The Board uses the gaps as a foundation for the skills it seeks from candidates running in the election. Those candidates whose skills best align are then recommended to the membership.
Required competencies as approved by the Board:
Competencies in one or more of the following areas: Senior Executive Leadership; Grocery Retail Experience and Leadership; Calgary Co-op
Leadership; Board Governance Experience; Financial Literacy; Human Resources; Digital Economy/Technology; Real Estate; and Social Responsibility.
“Recommended” candidates are those individuals who, after a thorough and independent review process, were assessed as having the best match of competencies that will further strengthen our Board. We use an independent consultant to create a fair and objective process.
Each year, Calgary Co-op asks its member-owners to nominate fellow member-owners to stand for election to the Board of Directors. All who meet the minimum qualifying criteria may go forward on the election ballot.
The nomination and election process helps our Calgary Co-op achieve strong and balanced leadership with the right mix of skills, experience and attributes.
The areas of knowledge and expertise that Calgary Co-op is looking for this year are:
This includes: executive retail leadership; other retail sector industry experience; grocery retailing; and private label experience.
This includes: municipal and/or civic committees; charity or not-for-profit organizations.
This includes: Co-operatives that are of a size and complexity similar to Calgary Co-op.
This includes: board oversight experience and executive leadership experience in sizable private or public companies not necessarily in retail (covered separately above).
This includes financial literacy and/or oversight, investment analysis, audit committee/Internal controls, corporate development or growth transactions; and corporate finance.
This includes: management or board level experience in these areas in an entity of similar size or complexity as Calgary Co-op.
This includes people, culture and employee engagement, change management, executive compensation/incentive plans/performance management, succession planning and talent development.
This is a broad category and includes: corporate strategy / strategic planning; branding, communications, social media and media; consumer marketing; consumer packaged goods / food manufacturing & processing; e-commerce, digitization and technology; artificial intelligence; enterprise risk management; cyber security; commercial real estate; government relations; business and corporate development; logistics & supply chain and purchasing; and environmental, health & safety.