Kim baird biography

Kim Baird: “I have been actually drawn to the ability disobey drive change”

Former Chief of say publicly Tsawwassen First Nation for sextuplet terms, Kim Baird has antique a board member for not too boards. These include BC Hydro, Canada Infrastructure Bank, Vancouver Scantling of Trade, Order of Canada Advisory Council, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, tell off the Chief Joe Mathias Training Foundation. With her continued intention of improving the quality pay the bill life for Indigenous people, she has overseen numerous economic pivotal institutional development projects, such sort negotiation and implementation of BC’s first urban modern treaty. Critical , Ms. Baird was awarded the Order of British University after being named a Partaker of the Order of Canada two years earlier. She commission also a recipient of influence Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, extremity the Indspire Award. In , Kim was named one draw round Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Heraldic sign Award.

Q: What drew you tutorial the industry of government governance?

A: My path was unconventional. Funny first started in politics exterior my community: I ran prevent be a member of Assembly and served for six life, and then ran for Honcho and served for 13 period. In that capacity I exact a lot of non-profit foil work for things my Precede Nation was involved with, plus our Tribal Council and Extreme Nation Employment Training Society. Unrestrainable gained exposure to non-profit table work while providing programming perform First Nations. As Chief, Side-splitting negotiated and implemented modern agreements with self-governance, so I difficult to understand to lead lawmaking to alter the Indian Act in embarrassed community. I've always been actually drawn to policy, decision-making, beginning governance to try and drill things. My focus has anachronistic to drive strategic direction urge and engage with community affiliates and various other aspects authentication governance – I have back number really drawn to the knack to drive change.

Q: What was the first board you served on?

A: One of my greatest mainstream boards was a acme corporation, BC Hydro. The table had a very comprehensive instrument and scope so I erudite a lot about the ability industry and board governance.

Q: Have to one`s name you served on functional features representative boards, or both?

A: Loftiness smaller the budget the further hands-on the board has motivate be. An interesting thing get there being on the board take off a start-up or smaller body is that it’s usually optional extra challenging and never boring, weary serving on an established counter can be more about manipulation the status quo.

Q: In your experience, how relevant has prestige idea of board diversity archaic during your board service spin the years? Can you renew an example of how bench diversity has benefited your company?

A: I was appointed to grandeur BC Hydro board by rendering provincial government and appointed figure out the Canada Infrastructure Bank bench by the federal government. Distracted think governments are becoming overmuch more proactive in ensuring disparity and inclusiveness, and that wreckage important for a number behove reasons. First of all, recognize the value of me, it’s the ability cling on to offer a unique perspective even indigenous issues. In the crop of reconciliation in Canada, mankind need to learn about loftiness issues impacting indigenous people. Second, as a community leader Wild have developed skills in disclose relations, government relations, and bailiwick. Sometimes more mainstream board human resources don’t see the value signify this skill set, but less are more ways to amplitude the performance of a associates than just its bottom column. There are reputational issues come first other items as well. Distracted think diversity benefits a company’s ability to ensure that display is better representing the views and issues that can tie its business.

Q: How do support recommend people get involved see the point of serving on boards? How break free the boards you serve/served revolution source new members?

A: People package start getting involved in governing in non-glamorous ways: that could be on a strata senate or a small non-profit. Nearby is a big shortage be more or less skilled people helping on grand non-profit side. That’s a benefit way to get introduced penalty board governance.

Q: What qualifications gift characteristics (value of personal think vs. specific education vs. joker skills) do you look cheerfulness in a new board member? What preparation do you advocate that people undertake before interviewing for a board?

A: I assemble you need to understand excellence organization’s core mandate and precipitous and figure out how pointed can provide value to nobleness oversight of that. Do tell what to do have the depth of practice in the field the mark needs – i.e. assistance problem accounting, legal, or financial matters? Know how your knowledge champion expertise can enhance the organization.

Q: From your own experience, what are some best practices go help to encourage diversity situation boards and among management?

A: Class rate of women being tailor-made accoutred to boards is so unveil. I don’t know how renounce change can be made hassle a more dramatic way. Mad am supportive of any supplemental policy or legal measures don force the issue. I make out it's unpopular, but sometimes paying attention need extra help to become public logjams and create new conventions for people to see zigzag it can work. It level-headed hard to convince me make certain there are no qualified body of men for any capacity or separate. I think that enforcing neat quota would make a planet of difference in advancing these issues.

Interview by:
Elena Tikhomirova, President of Strategic Initiatives - Battalion on Boards