Canadian Directorship Practices 2009: Compensation and Governance Practices of Boards of Directors of Publicly Traded Firms in Canada

Are you interested in the fees, retainers, and other compensation that Canadian publicly traded companies pay their directors for board and committee service? Canadian Directorship Practices 2009 summarizes the results of Signal49 Research’s biennial survey, which was sent to 1,032 organizations earlier this year.

After several years of strong gains, the amount of total potential compensation paid to outside directors for regular board service increased more modestly in 2008. This was influenced by stock market declines that led to lower values of both option-based and share-based awards issued to board directors for their board service. The average total potential compensation paid to outside directors for their board service is $84,452, but the amount varies significantly depending upon the size, industry, and type of firm. The report also looks at governance practices, where new and evolving standards are dramatically changing the role of directors.