Heather Osler to Retire as President and CEO of CMC-Canada

June 27, 2008 - On June 30, 2008, Heather Osler, CAE, will step down as President and CEO of CMC-Canada after spending 23 years advancing the management consulting profession in Canada.

Since joining the management consulting professional organization in 1985, Heather has worked tirelessly to progress the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation and our Association. She has elevated the status of the designation in the public sector procurement process most recently, assisting CMC-Ontario in its successful effort to have the CMC designation included on all management consulting-related Government of Ontario RFPs. She's given credibility to the profession on the federal and public stages through advocacy initiatives.

Heather introduced a variety of programs to enhance CMC-Canada members' skills, practices and profiles - the Management Advisory Service (MAS) program (funded by the Canadian Governments National Research Council-Industrial Research Assistance Program) is just one example. Through Heather, focused research on the profession in Canada - the only one of its kind - was developed and continues to be delivered to members, government, the general public and media. CMC-Canada's industry study (undertaken by Kennedy Information, Inc.) achieved coverage in more than 40 media sources this year.

Heather also played a key role in the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) since its inception in 1987. She managed a marathon of ICMCI meetings in Toronto in 1989, which eventually led to the first international reciprocity agreement for the profession, signed in 1991 between the UK, USA, and Canada. Today, 27 countries enjoy reciprocity with one another.

Throughout her career, Heather also assisted with the creation of consulting associations in other regions of the world, including the Caribbean and Kazakhstan. Thanks to her efforts, a memorandum of understanding was signed last year with a business school in India, providing for the export of CMC-Canada's Essentials of Management Consulting Course, and CMC trainers to deliver the course.

According to Ken Davies, FCMC, CMC-Canada Chair, "Heather has seen CMC-Canada grow from 1,200 members in 1985 to more than 3,000 members today. Over the years, members, volunteers and staff alike have been inspired by her leadership style, which places relationships, growth and respect front and centre. She will be missed by all those involved with this Association."

Effective July 1, 2008, Mary Blair, CAE, will become CMC-Canada's Managing Director, focusing on running all aspects of the CMC-Canada office. Mary has more than 14 years experience in association management, until 2007 with the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI). Membership numbers more than tripled during her tenure at CIRI, where she was responsible for the Association's operations.

More Information

Audrey Hoddinott, Marketing and Communications, CMC-Canada

Email: ahoddinott@cmc-canada.ca

Tel: 416-860-1515 / 1-800-268-1148 ext. 5