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APEX 2016-17 Annual Report

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Dear Members, I was privileged to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for the year ending 2016-17 which was a pivotal year for the Association. The organization has invested time and energy in establishing strong relationships with the EX community and partners, going from department to department to meet and discuss the priorities of our membership and the broader EX community. Your feedback and suggestions will help shape the Association’s priorities as it develops its next three-year Strategic Plan (2018-21). Throughout fall and winter 2016-17, the Association undertook the necessary planning work to support the spring launch of the APEX 5th Executive Work and Health Survey, the results of which will contribute to a better understanding of the importance of a healthy workplace at both the individual and organizational level and identify areas requiring redress. I personally want to thank all Executives for their participation in this survey, as we have obtained a record participation rate of 48%. The Survey results will provide a portrait of EX health and well-being and guide us in pin-pointing strategic areas for action, and implementing plans to improve our work environments and support and develop our EX community. The health and career of executives continue to be an important element of the Association’s service offerings. The EX Community regular use of the APEX Advisory Service for Executives (ASE) reinforces the need for this service to continue and the Association to broaden its policy interpretation and advice tools. In 2016-17 more than 320 individual Executives (approximately 5%) contacted the APEX Advisory Service, and over 780 individual client sessions were held.

Since its inception, APEX has strived to be the voice of Executives. It is through engagement of the executive community, analysis of trends identified through the Advisory Service, and various surveys that APEX identifies issues, develops advice and tools to support executive leadership, and can continue to play an effective broker role for the executive community with central agencies and the DM community to effect change. I am very proud of the work APEX has accomplished this year, and I am happy that as I end my second term as the Chair of the APEX Board of Directors I do so knowing that the Association is financially sound and well managed; it is engaged with and continues to support the Executive Community; and it has actively invested resources to support its advocacy efforts on behalf of all Executives across the federal public service.

Donna Achimov Chair

DONNA ACHIMOV

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MICHEL G. VERMETTE

Dear members, Since joining APEX in fall 2015 my key priority has been to increase awareness of APEX and its service offerings to better support you. This last year I have personally met with hundreds of executives, in the National Capital Region, and in various regions to take the pulse on issues faced by the Executive Community in order to strengthen our service delivery. In September 2016 APEX began publishing a regular newsletter to better inform Executives about issues of interest to the community and to provide details on APEX events and activities. I am proud to say that APEX membership continues to grow. With 2,545 members as of March 2017, our membership was the highest it has been over the past five years. This past year Executives took advantage of APEX Services in greater numbers with your association having hosted a total of 40 events, attended by over 2,600 executives. The 2016 Symposium was of particular success, with over 700 Executives and many Deputy Heads in attendance.

Engaging and supporting newly appointed Executives is a key part of Public Service renewal. Just over 530 new Executives joined the Federal Public Service from July 2015 to June 2016. 331 of these, along with more than 60 Deputy Heads, attended the APEX annual Recognition of Entry to the Executive Ranks Ceremony. In winter 2016-17 APEX planned its spring Executive community engagement outreach with the goal of connecting with Executives from coast-to-coast-to-coast to explore what support could assist them in developing and applying their leadership skills, managing their career, and maintaining or improving their workplace and personal health. Through the 2016-17 engagement exercises, surveys and feedback received, APEX is now well positioned to refine its service offerings in the coming year, and to develop its upcoming three-year Strategic Plan (2018-21). I thank each of you for your ongoing participation and contributions to your association and I feel privileged to represent your interests at the most senior levels. Michel G. Vermette Chief Executive Officer

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THE APEX AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS OF 2016

JOINED BY MICHEL VERMETTE, CEO OF APEX AND DONNA

ACHIMOV, PSPC AND CHAIR OF THE APEX BOARD OF

DIRECTORS: (FROM L TO R) M ICHEL VERMETTE; AWARD

RECIPIENTS: NORM SHERIDAN; EZIO DIMILLO; JENNIFER

HOLLINGTON; SARA FILBEE; BRENDA BAXTER; DAN COUTURE;

AND DONNA ACHIMOV.

APEX Board of Directors plays a key role in the Governance of the not-for-profit Association and in providing strategic direction to the Association. APEX Membership rose to 2,545 as of March 31, 2017, including 321 Associate Members. Executives outside the National Capital Region (NCR) (both in Canada and abroad) represent approximately 23% of overall paying membership, with the remaining 77% of members working in the NCR. APEX key stakeholders included Deputy Heads, the Privy Council Office, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer at Treasury Board Secretariat, EX Services teams within departments and agencies, the Human Resources Council, and other member-driven associations. Organizational Representatives provide key liaison points with the executive community across the Public Service, providing valuable insights into the issues of concern to Executives, encouraging their colleagues to take advantage of APEX services, and they assist in building a community network. APEX Learning and Networking events are designed to appeal to the interests of the executive community. Events included: face-to-face discussions with senior Executives; learning opportunities on a variety of practical topics; consultations on current and emerging issues; and onsite visits of locations to see first-hand the work involved in complex projects or operations. Key flagship events include the APEX annual learning Sym-posium, Awards of Excel-lence, and the Recognition of Entry to the Executive Ranks. In 2016-17, APEX hosted or contributed to 40 unique events, with over 2,600 Executives in participation.

Promoting the Health of Executives The Advisory Service for Executives provides confidential support and/or referral services to Executives across the Public Service. Almost 325 Executives took advantage of this service in 2016-17. Throughout 2016-17 APEX worked to develop the 2017 APEX Executive Work and Health Survey for launch spring 2017-18. Survey results will be available fall 2017, at which time APEX will engage the executive community to address opportunities identified. Other Matters 2016-17 experienced a significant financial improvement over the 2015-16 fiscal year as a result of sound financial management practices and improved event attendance. In 2017-18, APEX will continue to engage Executives in a dialogue on their leadership needs, support their personal career management, workplace and personal health, and other areas of importance to them. The Association will continue to provide regular opportunities for members to come together as a community, in person or virtually, and will work with a number of organizations and channels, including the media, to obtain positive coverage of the achievements of APEX and its members. Finally, the Association will

continue to instill pride in the Public Service in a variety of ways, including celebrating excellence of public service Executives through the Annual APEX Awards of Excellence. In closing, APEX thanks its members, the Deputy Head community and its sponsors for their continued support.

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In July 2015 APEX published its Strategic Plan for 2015-18. The plan had been developed incorporating feedback from its members and taking into consideration the federal government operating context, APEX financial and operational position, and emerging issues which were expected to impact the Executive community, the Association and its members during the period. The 2015-18 Strategic Plan set out the organization's priorities, objectives and overall direction. The 2016-17 activities and initiatives highlighted in this report were designed and implemented in response to the Executive community’s needs and reflective of the three strategic objectives identified in the Association’s Strategic Plan:

1. Provide Executives with opportunities to develop a strong community of practice. APEX is the primary forum that brings Executives together to share information and experiences and to learn from one another.

2. Promote the physical and mental health of Executives. APEX is a center of expertise on the health of Executives whose advice on measures to address workplace health issues is sought and valued. APEX is invited to contribute to government-wide initiatives aimed at improving workplace health.

3. Support executive leadership excellence. APEX consults and engages the executive community to identify issues, to develop advice and tools to support executive leadership, and to play an effective broker role between Executives and central agencies and the DM community.

In addition to undertaking initiatives to support the delivery of the Association’s strategic objectives, the organization is also accountable to manage resources: human, financial, and information. In 2016-17 the Association continued its strategic investment in its information management systems (client relationship and financial management platforms). Personnel change within APEX and its governance structure is predictable as only a limited number of permanent staff reside with APEX, while the majority of its human resources are dependent upon Visiting Executives who join APEX for 1, 2 or 3 year Interchange assignments. Additionally, the Association is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, which is composed of 15 members, who are elected by APEX members. In 2016-17 APEX welcomed five new, and one returning, Board members, and it is anticipating up to five new Board members in 2017-18.

APEX 2016-17 Annual Report

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APEX members consist of regular and associate members. Regular members comprise of Executives from within the Federal Public Service and Associate members are comprised of former members of the Executive Group of the Public Service of Canada. Membership stood at 2,545 as of March 31, 2017, including 321 Associate Members. 2016-17 experienced the highest membership level since 2011-12 and was up over 350 members from the previous year. Our retention rate for new Executives is now the highest we have measured, and this bodes well for the future of the Association. Executives outside the National Capital Region (NCR) (both in Canada and abroad) represent approximately 23% of overall paying membership, with the remaining 77% of members working in the NCR. This distribution is fairly consistent with the overall distribution of federal Public Service Executives. Approximately 50 APEX members continue to serve as the liaison point between APEX and the executive community in their respective organizations. These Organizational Representatives provide valuable insights into the issues of concern to Executives within their respective organizations. They encourage their colleagues to take advantage of the services offered by the Association, and they assist the Association in building the Executive Community network. Members of the APEX Board of Directors play a key role in the Governance of the association. APEX wishes to acknowledge these individuals’ important contributions to the executive community. They play an important role in supporting APEX’s ability to keep its finger on the pulse of the executive community and to respond to meet its evolving needs.

To support learning and networking APEX has established a series of events to appeal to the interests of the executive community. Events included: face-to-face discussions with senior Executives on a variety of subjects that matter to the community (ConnEXions); learning opportunities on a variety of practical topics impacting Executives’ day-to-day jobs (Executive Toolbox); consultations with Executives on current and emerging issues of concern to them (EXpressions); and onsite visits of locations where Executives have an opportunity to see first-hand the work involved in complex projects or operations as well as the partnerships and collaborations they require (EXploration).

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Key flagship events include the APEX annual learning Symposium, Awards of Excellence, and the Recognition of Entry to the Executive Ranks Ceremony. While APEX events are primarily marketed to its membership, non-member Executives also attend events such as the annual Symposium. Frequency of and participation in APEX events have continued to increase over the last five years. Additionally, event participants consistently report that they will recommend APEX event participation to their colleagues.

EVENTS 2012-

13 2013-

14 2014-

15 2015-

16 2016-

17

Total # Events 3 3 13 24 40

APEX annual learning Symposium

635 497 548 485 708

Awards of Excellence Ceremony 90 78 58 60 440

Recognition of Entry to EX Ranks Ceremony

180 150 221 279 331

Attendance at other events 0 0 528 973 1168

Total participants at all APEX events

905 725 1355 1797 2647

Note: Other events include: ConnEXions; EXpressions; EXplorations

Every fall, APEX welcomes new leaders into the executive community on behalf of the Clerk of the Privy Council, departments and agencies. A total of 534 public servants joined the executive ranks in 2016-17. Of these, APEX welcomed 331 new Executives from 48 organizations at the Recognition of Entry to the Executive Ranks Ceremony. This was the largest such ceremony since APEX began hosting the Ceremony more than 20 years ago, even exceeding the 2015-16 record of 279 participants across 42 organizations. We are also pleased to report that new Executives from every region in Canada attended. All of the 534 new Executives received a free one-year membership to APEX. The Recognition of Entry to the Executive Ranks includes a half-day learning event focused on the roles, responsibilities and key challenges facing new Executives. It is followed by a reception and dinner which is attended by the Clerk of the Privy Council and a large number of Deputy Heads and Associate Deputy Ministers. The event not only marks an important milestone in a leader’s career but serves to reinforce pride in the Public Service.

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Highlights of the 2016 program included a session on Being an Executive: The Unique and Vital Role of Executives in the Public Service with Anne Marie Smart, Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat; an interactive discussion on “The Leadership Contract”: exploring leadership skills and trade-offs; and an “Ask A Deputy” discussion with Yaprak Baltacioğlu, Secretary of the Treasury Board, and Daniel Jean, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister on what it takes to be a stellar leader. Inductees also heard from the Clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick, and from Donna Achimov, the Chair of the APEX Board of Directors. Forty-one percent of event participants completed a post-event survey, with eighty-eight (88%) of those responding indicating that they were very satisfied with the event.

Feedback from participants reflected upon the event and its significance to them.

APEX, working in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer, undertook a survey of the new Executives who joined the Federal Public Service from July 2015 to June 2016. The objective of the survey was to better understand individuals’ motivations for joining the executive ranks, the challenges they faced in their new executive role, and to identify opportunities to improve the onboarding experience of future Executives. Of the 530 Executives surveyed, 43% responded. What we learned was that the vast majority of new Executives indicate they are satisfied with their job. However, their capacity to complete their work during normal work hours and to maintain work-life balance, and the orientation to their new positions could be improved. Additionally, each of us can do a better job to prepare the next generation of leaders by being available to them, providing them access to acting opportunities and stretch assignments, and exposing them to senior management dialogue and decision-making. Once appointed, new Executives should be provided with orientation appropriate to their new job, with training and development, and greater access to flexible work arrangements to allow them to maintain work-life balance. For more detail please see: 2016 Cohort Survey results.

“Well organized, well run, valuable event!”

“…a very positive combination of practical and inspiring. The information provided by the Deputies was very helpful.”

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APEX works closely with a broad range of stakeholders inside and outside the Public Service. This includes Deputy Heads, the Privy Council Office, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer at Treasury Board, EX Services teams within departments and agencies and departmental networks within federal bodies, the Human Resources Council, and other member-driven associations. During the year, the APEX CEO met regularly with Deputy Heads, Heads of Agencies and key central agency officials at Treasury Board Secretariat, the Privy Council Office and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) to highlight and discuss issues of importance to the federal executive cadre. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, APEX relies heavily on the support of Deputy Heads and sponsors. Departments and agencies cover the salary of the Visiting Executives who come to APEX on interchange assignment. The funding provided by sponsors, although reasonably modest in context of the overall APEX budget, helps the association cover some of its costs, particularly for the APEX Symposium. We invite you to review the 2016-2017 financial statements which are posted on our member-only site and provide additional information about our sources of income and our expenditures. We thank the Deputy Head community and our sponsors for their continued support, without which APEX would not be financially viable.

The Advisory Service for Executives provides confidential support and/or referral services to Executives across the Public Service, including those outside the National Capital Region. This service was established in 2003 with the generous support of the Deputy Head community. Three hundred and twenty-four (324) Executives made use of the ASE service in 2016-17, while the total number of client interactions reached 785, as a number of Executives took advantage of multiple contacts with the office. This represents a slight increase of 3% of Executives who sought advice (316 clients in 2015-16) and a 4% decrease in the number of repeat visits compared to last year (820 visits).

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The top eight reasons why Executives sought advice and support from the ASE during 2016-17 are the same as last year, although in a different order. In order of frequency, the top reasons were: 1) Career Management; 2) relationship with superior; 3) Health; 4) Retirement; 5) Terms and Conditions of Employment; 6) Performance Management; 7) Harassment; and 8) Dismissal. For a more detailed account of the ASE, please refer to the 2016-17 Annual Report, Advisory Service for Executives, which is available on our website.

The Association continues to be an important contributor to the body of research on workplace health, especially as it relates to Executives. Its advice on measures to address workplace health issues is sought and valued. Since 1997 through the conduct of the APEX Executive Work and Health survey every five years, as well as presentations, focus groups and other initiatives, APEX has been a driving force for better workplaces that improve individual health outcomes and maximize organizational performance. The results of past work and health surveys have influenced discussions on mental health, engagement and respectful workplaces across the Federal Public Service. Following the 2012 survey, APEX commissioned two white papers that continue to impact workplaces: Civility Matters! - An evidence-based review on how to cultivate a respectful public service; and Maximizing employee engagement within the federal-public service - An evidence-based perspective. Published in summer 2015, the white papers on civility and employee engagement address two of the 13 factors that define a ‘’psychologically healthy workplace’’, as identified in the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) National Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard). These two papers were shared with Executives across the Public Service. Throughout the fall/winter 2016-17 the Association worked to develop the 2017 APEX Executive Work and Health Survey which was launched in the spring 2017. Appreciating that Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was introducing a new Public Service Employee Annual Survey (PSEAS) of all employees in winter 2017, and planning to undertake the larger 3-year survey in early fall 2017, APEX made efforts to streamline and focus its 2017 survey to remove redundancy while keeping salient reference points from previous surveys.

Executives play a crucial role in shaping workplace performance and culture: they need to be self-aware, and model the culture and practices they want to see in the workplace. They also need to take immediate action when witnessing disrespectful behavior.

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The inclusion of workplace health among the executive performance agreement expectations for the second year in a row in 2016-17 underscores the importance of building and sustaining a respectful Canadian Public Service.

APEX has been an active contributor to the Joint Task Force to address mental health in the workplace established in March 2015. In May 2016 the Mental Health Task Force released its second report that provides specific direction to advance the mental health within the federal public service. APEX is proud to have contributed to this important work on behalf of its members and applauds the Government's ongoing commitment to this important issue. We continue to be a member of the Technical Committee of the Joint Task Force on Mental health. The mental health and well-being of employees are key contributing factors to the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service. Healthy Executives have a positive impact on the health of organizations and employees. This translates into higher productivity, engagement and, ultimately, better results for Canadians and Canada. As part of its ongoing engagement to support the executive community, APEX delivered many presentations to Executives related to civility in the workplace during the year, and dialogues with participants in the Canada School of Public Service’s New Directors Program, and the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada’s Aspiring Leaders Program. APEX has actively participated in the Joint Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion established in fall 2016 with the objective of establishing a case for diversity and inclusion in the public service, and recommending a framework and action plan. Over the course of 2016-17 the Task Force undertook an environmental scan of policies and practices, and launched consultation to identify key barriers to diversity and inclusion to guide future recommendations intended to influence practices and culture to make the public service more representative and inclusive. The Task Force is expected to table its final report in the fall of 2017.

Since 1988, APEX has hosted an annual Symposium to examine timely issues and topics of interest to the leadership of the Public Service. Year after year, the first class reputation of the Symposium has allowed APEX to attract high quality speakers from the worlds of academia, for profit and not-for-profit enterprises as well as internationally recognized Canadians.

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Under the theme Leadership Action for Excellence, Innovation and Health, the 2016 Symposium showcased global leaders as keynote speakers: Rohinton Medhora, President of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Vijay Govindarajan the innovation guru and business professor from Tuck and Harvard, Bill Wilkerson of Mental Health International and the Honorable Michael Wilson (University of Toronto Chancellor, Barclay's Chairman, former Ambassador to the US and federal Minister) who is Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Our concurrent sessions featured practitioners who addressed workplace issues around health and wellbeing, policy innovation and collaboration, and leadership gaps. Seven hundred and eight (708) Executives, from more than 50 federal organizations attended the 2016 Symposium. Overall attendance represents almost 11% of the federal public service executive. Executives from the regions accounted for 16% of participants, with representation from every province. Approximately 70% of attendees were members of APEX. The overall good and excellent rating for the symposium was 88%, that of the 2015 Symposium, and surpassed the 76% rating received in 2014.

The 2016 Symposium co-chairs, Marie Lemay, Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada and Justice William Pentney, were described by participants as inspiring and engaged leaders. Over and above the content and important ideas on which the Symposium focused, participants consistently emphasized the importance of networking at the only annual event which focuses entirely on the executive community. Here is a glimpse of what Symposium 2016 participants had to say about the event.

A key change for the APEX 2016 Symposium was the use of social media to promote the learning event and the APEX Awards of Excellence. In addition, twelve articles were published in media outlets or blogs. Further 2016 saw a major increase in Twitter use by participants at the Symposium: approximately 1,050 unique tweets used #APEXSympo2016

“Extremely well organized with high quality presenters. Absolutely worth the investment of 2 days to attend with a good range of topics of interest.”

“An amazing learning event that stimulates reflection!”

“I left feeling inspired to be bold, take risks and do what I need to do achieve my org's objectives, so in that way the conference was a success.”

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over both days, with over 31,000 impressions (how many times APEX or Symposium related tweets reached Twitter accounts) over the course of the event. On the first day alone, #APEXSympo2016 was the number one hashtag in Ottawa for most of the day. Learning from the 2016 Symposium experience and participant feedback received significant planning efforts were undertaken during 2016-17 to ensure a successful 2017 Symposium: Celebrating Leadership, Innovation and Diversity.

APEX works to develop a strong community of practice; promote the physical and mental health of Executives; and support executive leadership excellence. In addition to these strategic objectives, the Association also fosters efforts to improve the level of pride and morale among public service Executives, a key factor in improving overall health in the workplace. In support of this, every year, APEX highlights the leadership excellence of federal Public Service Executives through its Awards of Excellence Program that recognizes the exceptional contributions of federal public service Executives in the areas of: Leadership; Career Contribution; Partnership; Innovative Team; Healthy Workplace, Community Contribution as well as a Public Service Citation. New for the 2016 Symposium was the inclusion of the 2016 APEX Awards of Excellence at the end of Day 1. This change in approach provided a greater number of Executives the opportunity to join with their peers in celebrating the contributions of the award winners. A complete list of the 2016 APEX Award of Excellence winners is available.

In September 2016, the Association entered its 33rd year of operation. APEX has a long history of providing learning and development offerings, guidance and advice, and networking opportunities in support of developing a strong Executive community. The Association prides itself on being able to develop and deliver tailored, relevant offerings in a timely manner. In 2016-17, APEX hosted or contributed to 40 unique events, with over 2,600 Executives participating. The Executive ConnEXions Series, provide for informal discussions with senior Executives on subjects that matter to the community, e.g. major government initiatives, leadership competencies, the work of Agents of Parliament, etc. Our aim for this series is to provide Executives an opportunity to participate in a conversation with senior Executives sharing their practical experience.

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The Executive ConnEXions series events in 2016-17 were based on the following themes: Managing Complex Projects; Talent Management; Public Service Pride; Collaboration; Service to Canadians; Crisis Management; Are Competencies Enough; and our Agent of Parliament Series with: the Commissioner of Lobbying; Official Languages Commissioner: and the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The EXecutive Toolbox events are designed to provide Executives with practical learning opportunities on a variety of topics impacting their day-to-day job, e.g. management of financial and human resources, career management, etc. Our aim through this series is to help Executives enhance their abilities and skills in practical ways. 2016 events were based on the following themes: Performance Management Process; Chairing Bilingual Meetings; PSC New Directions in Staffing; and an overview of the Positive Space initiatives underway across government. The EXploration was a new addition to APEX calendar of events for 2016. Through this series Executives were provided an opportunity to visits locations where they could see first-hand the work involved in complex projects or operations as well as the partnerships and collaborations they required. Each visit was preceded by a background briefing, usually led by a senior executive, and included questions and answers. 2016 Site visits included: Irving Shipyards – Halifax; Ottawa Light Rail Transit; West Block Construction Site; Library and Archives Preservation Centre; and SitCen – Transport Canada. The EXpressions series were introduced to support periodic consultations with Executives on current and emerging issues that are of concern to them. The intent of these informal discussions was to provide valuable input, to complement the Association’s research, formal consultation, and analysis, to guide its representations to senior Executives and advisory committees on behalf of APEX members. Specific 2016 dialogues included: Healthy Workplaces; Official Languages; Professional Development; and Terms and Conditions of Employment (salary and non-salary). APEX also held targeted learning events focused on helping the 2016 cohort of new Executives navigate the performance management process in areas such as setting performance objectives, competencies, learning plans and feedback, led by former Assistant Deputy Minister Ross MacLeod, a retired Assistant Deputy Minister from Treasury Board Secretariat. Other events that supported APEX executive outreach included meetings with Executives of: the Ontario Region - Service Canada, the Ontario Regional Federal Council and the Canada School of Public Service New Directors’ Program participants. In addition, APEX participated in several organizational town halls, executive retreats and targeted discussions on the health of Executives. APEX also held its annual Holiday Party, and in honor of Canada celebrating 150 years since Confederation together with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada it hosted a Canada 150 Trivia Night.

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The 15 members of the APEX Board of Directors are elected by APEX members at the Annual General Meeting. The Board includes nine Regular members from the National Capital Region, one Regular member from each of the five regions and one Associate member.The full Board met eight times in 2016-17.

The APEX AGM was held on September 27, 2016. A slate of candidates for the board of director vacancies was nominated and adopted during this meeting. The candidates elected to the Board by vote at the AGM were Indira Persaud (Ontario Region); Maxime Garon (Quebec and Nunavut Region); Nicolino Frate (National Capital Region); Johanne Bélisle (National Capital Region); Michael Whittaker (National Capital Region); and Charlotte Stewart (Associate Member). The Chair thanked departing Board members, Natasha Alimohamed, Mary Crescenzi, Michaela Huard, and Matthew Symonds, for their significant roles as Board members. The Chair noted that in 2016-17 APEX was continuing its efforts to engage Executives and collaborate with departments, agencies and central agencies to support development of a strong executive community. A motion to approve the Audited Financial Statements for the period ending March 31, 2016 was moved, seconded and unanimously carried. A motion to re-appoint the auditors from Marcil Lavallée for the 2016-17 fiscal year was also unanimously carried. The Audited Financial Statements for 2015-16 were made available to all APEX members as part of the Annual General Meeting materials.

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APEX will continue to promote executive and organizational well-being as a key factor to its success. APEX will continue to raise awareness of executive and workplace health through the annual APEX Symposium, the 2017 Executive Work and Health Survey results and its ongoing support to Executives who are dealing with workplace related issues. The Association looks forward to working collaboratively with departments, agencies and central agencies to develop innovative approaches that will enable the Public Service Executives to meet the challenges of the year to come in areas like corporate commitments, leadership renewal, performance agreements, and results and delivery. In 2017-18, APEX will continue to engage Executives in dialogue of their leadership needs, supports to their personal career management, workplace and personal health, and other areas of importance to them, to guide future APEX priorities and its service offerings going forward. The Association will also provide regular opportunities for members to come together as a community, in person or virtually, and will work with a number of organizations to obtain positive visibility of the achievements of APEX and its members. Additionally, the Association will continue to instill pride in the Public Service in a variety of ways, including celebrating excellence of public service Executives through the Annual APEX Awards of Excellence. In closing, the Association thanks its members, the Clerk, the Deputy Head community and its sponsors for their continued support, and look forward to working with you in the years to come.

To learn more about the Association's current priorities and activities please

consult our website and newsletters.

http://www.apex.gc.ca/