Board of Directors Skills Matrix

Directors should ideally possess all of the skills and attributes noted in Table 1 below.  Table 2 outlines the types of skills necessary for the Board of Directors to hold collectively. It is not necessary for a director to possess all of the skills and experience noted on Table 2. Holding any of the skills in Table 2 would be desirable for a Director.

Table 1: Summary of Skills and Attributes all Directors should Possess

 

Individual Director Skills

Mature leadership

  • Speaks mind honestly on all issues.
  • Committed to the role of the board as a whole, works to resolve issues, treats others in a respectful and supportive manner.

Integrity and Ethical Standards           

  • Able to act consistently in accordance with the values of the organization and duties of board member.

Good communicator

  • Expresses thoughts and ideas clearly and with respect for the views of others; listens actively.
  • Demonstrated skill in all forms of communication and ability to interpret business information efficiently and effectively. 

Active participant        

  • Comes to meetings fully prepared, listens and speaks up. 

Collaborative/ Teamwork

  • Critical and creative thinking; ability to hold competing ideas.
  • Able to work well with others, constructively challenge, and provide critique in respectful manner.
  • Ability to assimilate different perspectives and assist in achieving common ground. 
  • Flexible in arriving at solutions. 

Independent

  • Character and judgment are independent; no circumstances which are likely to, or could appear to affect, a director’s judgement. 

Business acumen        

  • Core competencies in reading, writing, numeracy, and comprehension of electrical utility business
  • Demonstrated skill in exercising wise business judgement. 

Table 2: Summary of Technical Skills the Board of Directors as a Whole Should Possess

 

Strategy development              

  • Demonstrated ability to think innovatively and critically about systemic issues in the regulated electricity market.
  • Ability to generate and apply unique business insights to challenges and opportunities.

Utility experience

  • Regulatory/ legal 
  • Large capital projects
  • Executive leadership 
  • Operations               
  • Served on the Board or in a senior management/executive position of an electric utility in Canada (preferably Crown utility).
  • Experience working in regulated industry.
  • Understands the implications of investment, in and maintenance of, long-lived assets.

Lived experience in NWT communities, including Indigenous knowledge and experience

  • Knowledge and lived experience in communities;
  • Indigenous knowledge/experience/ worldviews
  • Regional representation  
  • Can represent views/ experience of different utility rate zones/ communities served by utility.
  • Direct experience with Indigenous communities through First Nation, Metis, and Inuit membership, involvement with Chiefs and Councils or regional/territorial Indigenous bodies or economic development bodies, preferable with focus on energy matters.
  • Willingness to represent the best interest of all stakeholders. 

Financial Experience

  • Financial literacy
  • Risk management
  • Technology/IT
  • HR and compensation  
  • Experience with fundamentals of risk management (identify, assess, define mitigation strategy, follow up).
  • Ability to read and understand financial statements.
  • Experience in the preparation, analysis and evaluation of financial information including complex accounting issues comparable to a regulated Canadian company.

Governance and Committee Experience

  • Public sector knowledge
  • Civic Literacy        
  • Previous board experience; accreditation Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).
  • Demonstrated understanding of public sector involvement in the industry; understands the role of government and the differences between a Crown Corporation and a government department.