Cassie Campbell-Pascall, a celebrated Olympic gold-winning hockey player turned renowned broadcaster for Sportsnet and ESPN, was one of the keynote speakers at Capacity Canada’s Board Governance BootCamp this year. A trailblazer for women in sports, Cassie was Canada’s longest-serving captain in the history of the Canadian National Women’s Team!
Last year, Cassie joined the board of Hockey Canada – the national governing body for hockey in Canada. It manages everything from minor hockey to Olympic and other professional international competitions. With some exceptions for the Canadian Hockey League and U Sports, most Canadians that have played or been involved with hockey have interacted with Hockey Canada.
As part of the board, Cassie was one of the members of the CEO-hiring committee. Drawing from her personal journey on the board, she shared her experience around the transformative power of embracing governance and leadership.
Cassie candidly admitted that governance was once her least favourite subject. “Within 11 months, board governance remarkably transformed into my most cherished area of interest,” she said. Her reflections on joining the Hockey Canada board revealed the many challenges she faced as a board member. Yet, this journey became a catalyst for immense personal growth and learning.
The first female hockey player inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame or any national hall of fame, Cassie highlighted several fundamental principles crucial for effective board governance, and one of them stood out to her the most. “You have to be humble. Leave your ego at the door, be transparent and work collaboratively with other board members towards your shared objectives,” she said. “If you want to see change, be that one person that takes a negative situation and turns it into a positive one.”
Cassie also highlighted the significance of acknowledging biases and initiating proactive measures to address them. Her talk pivoted around
transformative leadership, urging board members and leaders to embrace humility, transparent communication, and proactive engagement. Her journey with Hockey Canada exemplified the potential for growth and positive change within governance when these principles are upheld.
This year’s BootCamp included speakers such as Susan Radwan, a Capacity Canada Executive-In-Residence, Ameer Abdulla from EY Private, Steven Woods, partner & CTO, Inovia and Eldon Sprickerhoff, founder & strategic advisor, eSentire, among others! Capacity Canada’s Board Governance BootCamp prepares board members with the skills they need to be successful in their roles and for the organization to excel.
To learn more about Capacity Canada’s BootCamp, please visit our website.
