Election

Being a board member at UNI is a significant responsibility that requires, among other things, rigour, dedication, a meaningful investment of time, as well as relevant skills. As a financial institution, UNI must act to maintain the trust of its members, as well as its reputation and image, elements that are shaped directly within the board of directors.

The Board embraces a people-centred approach that combines diversity and competence. It adopts best practices to attract qualified board members who reflect UNI's membership, the cooperative sector, and the broader Canadian financial and business communities. Accordingly, it encourages individuals of varied identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, perspectives and experiences to put their name forward for consideration.

To bring together the skills required to fulfill all its roles and responsibilities, the Board of Directors oversees two processes with the support of the Election Committee. The first is a call for nominations, supported by a communications strategy primarily targeting members. The second is a recruitment process led by the Election Committee, in collaboration with an expert in corporate director recruitment. In the first process, nominations are submitted to a member vote, which is taken into account by the board of directors in its recommendations at the annual general meeting. In the second process, nominations are submitted directly to that meeting.

Members are therefore invited to participate in two ways:

• By being nominated to become a member of the Board of Directors
• By voting for candidates to represent them as members of the Board of Directors

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors

The Board's role is not to oversee UNI's day-to-day management, but rather to provide guidance and ensure that appropriate organizational structures, policies and controls are in place. Therefore, the primary objective is to promote the development of the institution within a regulatory framework, using all means to support its mission and long-term sustainability.

Responsibilities of a Director

The role of a director is to contribute actively to strategic direction and oversight of the management of activities and ensure quality service to members and UNI's long-term sustainability. Also, the people who form the board also serves as ambassadors in their communities and ensure that the image projected to the general public reflects a strong and reputable institution, whose practices align with its values and cooperative principles. They must demonstrate professionalism, exemplary integrity and independence of thought.

Documentation supporting the election and recruitment processes is available at www.uni.ca/en/election/call-for-candidates.