CFSL- Centre for Supply Chain Leadership - Value Proposition ...

The Conference Board of Canada | 1
Centre for Supply Leadership
2008-09
Are you interested in a frank discussion with fellow procurement leaders Do you want to know how your
peers demonstrate value within their organizations Is your organization aware of the best practices for
taking steps to sustainability Do you want to enhance your organization’s management of risk Are you
up to speed on the latest economic drivers that impact your organization Are you interested in
brainstorming with fellow executives about the future of procurement and supply chain management Do
you wish to escalate the level of the discussion amongst senior Canadian leaders about issues, opportunities
and challenges related to strategic aspects of procurement If so, participation in the Centre for Supply
Leadership (CFSL) is a must for you.
OVERVIEW
The Conference Board of Canada will launch the
CFSL in winter 2009. CFSL is a unique and
exclusive peer community in Canada where a
maximum of 30 senior procurement executives
can share experiences, engage with leading
thinkers and innovators, build relationships, and
gain access to relevant and timely research.
In this increasingly complex and turbulent
business environment, procurement leaders
currently face intense forces of change,
competitive pressures and diverse challenges.
Organizations are devising more complex
models and strategies that require more strategic
innovation from procurement leaders. The
evolving role of the chief procurement officer
combines strategist, business process owner,
relationship builder and decision-maker.
CFSL is a timely offering as it addresses the
current needs and challenges of procurement
leaders in transforming to a true strategic driver
of value within the organization. Indeed, CFSL
has emerged in response to this need expressed
by senior procurement leaders who are seeking a
seat at the strategy table and working to increase
coordination and engagement with the C-suite,
the wider organization, and suppliers.
For more than 5 decades the Conference Board
of Canada has convened executives from a broad
spectrum of sectors to address top-line
challenges facing Canadian leaders. Through a
variety of networking, economic forecasting,
research, and conference facilitation, the Board
continues to create and share insights on
economic drivers and global supply chain
management, organizational performance and
public policy. As a result, the Board is
recognized for its leadership and cutting-edge
insight. All of these strengths are brought to bear
on your CFSL experience.
Senior procurement leaders will have access to a
“one stop shop”: getting information and
networking from a primary and reliable source.
The Conference Board has the ability and
capacity to facilitate the creation and
dissemination of new knowledge and insight that
will help you and your organization.
©The Conference Board of Canada, 2008.

Centre for Supply Leadership | 2
Our approach brings together key stakeholders,
resources and experts:
• senior procurement leaders from diverse
sectors within Canada;
• global procurement leaders via
Conference Board Inc whose member
rosters include Exxon Mobil, Proctor &
Gamble, Motorola, Pfizer, The Dow
Chemical Company, Boeing, Colgate-
Palmolive, McDonald’s, Hilton Hotels
and Nestle;
• C-suite and other executives from the
Conference Board’s executive networks
including marketing, risk, sustainability,
and security; and
• Conference Board economic and
research teams, independent experts,
technology providers and many others
that will contribute to this centre.
FEATURES AND OUTCOMES
LEARNING EVENTS
CFSL membership includes the following
principal services:
• Members meet twice a year for a day and a
half, usually in spring and fall.
Professionally managed meetings provide
discrete opportunities for members to
discuss in-depth, confidential issues,
challenges, and innovative approaches and
solutions;
• Members access, through each other as well
as external experts, leading-edge knowledge
on the most critical topics including risk,
sustainability, economic drivers, commodity
strategies, sourcing strategy, business
continuity, promoting the strategic role of
procurement and organizational design of
the function;
• Webinars and knowledge sharing conference
calls are regularly scheduled in between
meetings;
• Our agenda and topics are driven by the
general membership with guidance from a
member-constituted advisory board; and
• Members access C-suite executives and
peers in the U.S. and globally through the
Board’s proven model for joint events with
other Councils in Canada and abroad.
RESEARCH
• Members will get benchmarking information
required to conduct their business.
Conference Board research is conducted by
our high-calibre staff of researchers who
study and present leading insights based on
case studies from leading organizations.
Our objective and evidence-based approach
gives leaders the insights and confidence
they need to address the issues they are
facing.
JUST IN TIME INFORMATION
• Access customized information services. As
part of the Centre’s membership, members
can request information at any time and will
have a virtual research support staff at their
fingertips. This custom research capacity
provides you with relevant, top of mind
issues and enables you to identify current
trends in Canada and globally.
ONLINE TOOLS
• Access an information portal whereby
members receive regular updates on
procurement resources such as articles, case
studies, books, research reports and more.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE
CENTRE
• CFSL is for chief procurement officers
and senior supply chain executives
• The target audience is cross functional
and cross industry. Members are drawn
from a number of sectors including
manufacturing, defence, electronics,
utility, energy, pharmaceutical, service
and retail. Membership is by invitation
only.
©The Conference Board of Canada, 2008.

Centre for Supply Leadership | 3
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Mary Hemmingsen
Chief Procurement
Officer
BC Hydro
Don Hnatyshin
Corporate
Vice-President
Future Electronics
Jacques Landry
Vice-President, Global
Procurement
SNC-Lavalin Inc.
Darcy Fedorchuk
Vice-President,
Procurement
TransAlta
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Improve your effectiveness and the effectiveness of your organization
• Build trusted relationships with peers (and other executives via the Conference Board’s other
Executive Councils) in highly interactive workshops to find practical, actionable solutions to
organizational challenges.
• Benchmark your organization’s performance and discover next practices.
• Hear from well known thought leaders in the field to gain a thorough understanding and
knowledge of best strategies and practices.
• Access leading edge research and customized information services provided by the Conference
Board of Canada’s research resources to find answers to particular questions you and your
organization have.
• Gain a unique cross-industry, strategic perspective and understand the business drivers and
demands through access to a wide range of senior procurement and supply chain leaders.
• Stay on top of trends, issues, competitive forces and supply risks.
Save Money
• Identify opportunities for becoming an integral part of the business, demonstrating value to the
organization, containing risk, cutting cost, improving processes, and increasing competitive
advantage.
• Avoid or shorten lengthy consulting engagements.
• Replace the expense of one-off executive education and professional development events.
Save Time
• Save time by gaining access to a valuable network and dedicated research resources.
• Save time by consulting, when issues and challenges arise, with an outstanding peer community,
reviewing best practices, benchmarking organization performance, and accessing leading edge
research.
• Share your insights gained through your network membership with others in your organization
2008-2009 Meeting Calendar
February 19-20, 2009 – Ottawa, On
June 2-3, 2009 – Toronto, On
Annual Membership Fee: $10 950
©The Conference Board of Canada, 2008.

Centre for Supply Leadership | 4
TO JOIN CONTACT
Rhonda St.Croix
Senior Manager, Executive Networks
Tel: 613-526-3090, ext. 467
Email: stcroix@conferenceboard.ca
Amanda Pelkola
Administrative and Meetings Coordinator
Tel: 613-526-3090, ext. 463
Email: pelkola@conferenceboard.ca
About The Conference Board of Canada
We are:
• A not-for-profit Canadian Organization that takes a business-like approach to its operations.
• Objective and non-partisan. We do not lobby for specific interests.
• Funded exclusively through the fees we charge for services to the private and public sectors.
• Experts in running conferences but also at conducting, publishing and disseminating research,
helping people network, developing individual leadership skills and building organizational
capacity.
• Specialists in economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues.
• Not a government department or agency, although we are often hired to provide services for all
levels of government.
• Independent from, but affiliated with, The Conference Board, Inc. of New York, which serves
nearly 2,000 companies in 60 nations and has offices in Brussels and Hong Kong.
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©2008 The Conference Board of Canada*
Printed in Canada • All rights reserved.
*Incorporated as AERIC Inc.
For more information about this Case Study,
please contact us at the numbers listed above.
Case Studies summarize the key findings
of Conference Board research and outline the
implications for member organizations.
Forecasts and research often involve numerous
assumptions and data sources, and are subject
to inherent risks and uncertainties. This
information is not intended as specific
investment, accounting, legal or tax advice.
©The Conference Board of Canada, 2008.
www.conferenceboard.ca