Who We Are
Fiercely Practical Corporate Governance Tailored To Your Organization
Sylvia Groves, FCG, Acc.Dir.
President, Governance Studio
“If your organization seeks to apply effective governance as a fundamental way to add value, Governance Studio may be a great fit for you.”
Private, public, co-operative, crown, charitable and not-for-profit boards appreciate working with Sylvia to enhance their governance programs for the benefit of their key stakeholders. Sylvia listens to each client’s unique needs and applies her decades of expertise to build the right systems and processes for each individual organization.
“There is no one size fits all here – to be effective, governance has to fit the specific company and its particular culture and operations,” notes Sylvia.
As a self-proclaimed “governance nerd” who believes in the power of transparency, ethics, and continuous improvement to add value, Sylvia has spent decades honing her craft.
She has a special affinity for helping governance professionals, who are often the unsung heroes of good governance. Governance Studio focusses on practical governance solutions:
- developing and implementing governance programming that adds value for each unique organization
- working with boards to find new members with the right skills profiles
- building programs to orient new directors so they can hit the ground running
- confidentially evaluating boards and providing concrete recommendations for improvement
- auditing entire governance programs to streamline processes and enhance practices
- picking out the right-fit best practices for an organization and implementing them
- teaching staff the fundamentals of great minute writing and the role of the corporate secretary
Sylvia consults, facilitates, and speaks professionally. She created Governance Studio from her award-winning work with one of Canada’s foremost governance leaders. Her no-nonsense practical advice has helped thousands of directors and corporate secretaries enhance the effectiveness of their boards and their organizations.
Sylvia is a fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and an Accredited Director. In 2014, she received the Excellence in Governance Distinguished Contribution Award from the Governance Professionals of Canada.
Sylvia is the author of the highly acclaimed book: AAA+ Minutes™ – The Three Must-Do Fundamentals And 100s Of Practice Tips For Writing Minutes That Protect Your Organization And Its Directors.
She is a regular speaker at national conferences in Canada, the US, and internationally and facilitates governance events, workshops, and board discussion sessions.
Why Choose Us
Does your Corporate Governance?
- Provide systems and structures that clarify the roles of the board and management
- Give comfort to your board of directors that their oversight duties are well-covered so they can spend their time and energy adding value
- Reduce the time your directors spends on corporate governance so they can focus on the urgent matters
Good Corporate Governance
- Fits the organization-both culturally and in its level of complexity
- Uses resources wisely to add value for the board of directors and the organization
- Clarifies the roles of the board of directors and management
- Builds trust with stakeholders
- Attracts qualified directors
Testimonials
“It was time for Canexus to move to an independent review for our board evaluation questionnaire. Now directors can make their comments with greater confidentiality, we get a detailed report that includes strategic governance advice and the workload for me (the Committee Chair) is eased so that I can focus on the broader mandate of the Committee.”
– Lyall C. Work
Committee Chair, Canexus
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome. Governance Studio built an orientation process that fits our organization, adapts to the needs of the incoming director, and ensures that person quickly becomes an engaged and high-contributing member of the board.”
– Barbara Burley, Governance Committee Chair
Canadian Council for the Arts