2017 Annual Report

CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Arnold (Arnie) Strub
Chair, Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has a continued focus on ensuring the success, sustainability and best interests
of OECM’s customers and are committed to supporting the strategic planning and performance of the
organization. As a result, OECM exceeded its goals for growth and institutional spend in 2017.
To ensure continued growth and sustainability, the Board endorsed and guided the implementation
of a number of successful initiatives in 2017, including the establishment of a Customer Council
Committee (CCC) to represent the communities OECM serves. To date, we sanctioned the selection of
12 representatives from the education sector, to serve as a direct conduit for customer engagement at
the executive level. The CCC will act as the voice of our customers, while providing their subject matter
expertise in the development and implementation of various strategic plans, including collaborative
sourcing opportunities for our customers.
To further embed customer-centricity on an organizational level, the Board, and particularly, the
Governance and Human Resources Committee, successfully completed the strategic review and
development of OECM’s new, formalized “People Strategy” framework. The new strategy includes the
revitalization of OECM’s rewards and compensation strategy, new staff training and development plans,
talent management programs, and more.
In 2018, the Board will continue the robust governance required to meet our goals and objectives.
With our newly-appointed Customer Council Committee ready to swing into action, we’ll focus on
strengthening our customer-centric service delivery framework, while overseeing the implementation of
OECM’s business priorities, to help maintain financial self-sufficiency and shape a promising future for
our customers.
I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their ongoing support and confidence in me. Together,
we continue to serve the best interest of Ontario’s education sector, and the broader public sector.
6 | 2017 OECM Annual Report