Board of Directors
MANDATE:
The members of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) have the duty to supervise the management of the business and affairs of The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (the “Company”). The Board, directly and through its committees, the Chair of the Board and the Lead Director, as applicable, shall provide direction to senior management, generally through the Chief Executive Officer, to pursue the best interests of the Company. In fulfilling its mandate, the Board of Directors, among other matters, is responsible for:
• Reviewing, at the beginning of each fiscal year, the business plan and financial goals of the Company as well as longer term strategic plans prepared and elaborated by Management and, throughout the year, monitoring the achievement of the objectives set;
• Ensuring that it is properly informed, on a timely basis, of all important issues and developments involving the Company and its business environment;
• Ensuring the implementation of appropriate systems or plans to manage the important issues and developments involving the Company;
• Overseeing the Company’s strategic direction; and
• Appointing senior Management and monitoring key executive performance and business results.
Read the full Mandate of the Board of Directors here.
Eric Demirian, B.BM., C.G.A., C.A.
Mr. Demirian is a Chartered Accountant and Certified General Accountant. Mr. Demirian is president of Parklea Capital, Inc., an investment banking and corporate finance firm providing services to small- and mid-market public and private companies. Prior to Mr. Demirian's position at Parklea, he held the position of executive vice president of Group Telecom, Inc. ("GT Inc.") from 2000 to 2003. From 1983 to 2000, Mr. Demirian was with Price Waterhouse Coopers LLP where he was a partner and head of Information and Communication Practice. Mr. Demirian serves on the board and is chair of the audit committee of Enghouse Systems Ltd. (TSX:ESL), and is a director of Imax Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) (TSX:IMX). Mr. Demirian is a former director and chair of the audit committee of a number of public companies, including Menu Foods Income Fund (2005-2010) and Keystone North America Inc. (2007-2010).
Mr. Demirian serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Corporate Governance Committee.
Chris Hewat, LL.B., M.B.A.
Mr. Hewat is a partner in the law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, having joined the firm in 1987. Mr. Hewat's practice consists of advising companies and investment dealers with respect to securities and business law matters, with particular focus on private and public offerings of securities, mergers and acquisitions, and securities regulatory requirements. Mr. Hewat has served as a director of a number of private and public companies, and is a director of The Arthritis Society, Ontario Division. Mr. Hewat has been a member of the Board of Directors at Descartes since 2000.
Mr. Hewat serves as a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.
David Anderson, B.A., Ph.D.
Mr. Anderson is managing director of Supply Chain Ventures, LLC, a venture capital and consulting company specializing in marketing, sales and operations software investing. Prior to founding Supply Chain Ventures, from 1990 to 2002, Mr. Anderson was a managing partner at Accenture, where he was instrumental in building Accenture's supply chain management practice in North America, Asia and Europe. Before joining Accenture, Mr. Anderson previously served as a vice president in charge of logistics consulting of Temple, Barker & Sloane, Inc. (now Oliver Wyman) and a vice president of Data Resources, Inc. (now part of IHS/Global Insights, Inc.). Mr. Anderson is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the United Kingdom and a Member of the Supply Chain Management Professionals in the United States. Mr. Anderson has been awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in econometrics and finance from Boston College.
Mr. Anderson serves as Chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Nominating Committee.
David I. Beatson
Mr. Beatson is currently the CEO of GlobalWare Solutions, a full-service provider of supply chain management solutions with operations in North America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Beatson has over 30 years of senior executive experience in the global supply chain, logistics and transportation industry with Panalpina North America Inc., Emery Worldwide, Circle International Group Inc., American Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Most recently, he served as the Principal and Founder of Ascent Advisors, LLC – a strategic advisory firm that provides industry consulting and M&A advice to private equity and venture capital firms, and strategic advisory services to corporations in the transportation, logistics and supply chain industry. Mr. David Beatson earned his B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from the University of Cincinnati. He joined Descartes' Board of Directors in March, 2006.
Mr. Beatson serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Edward J. Ryan
Mr. Ryan is currently CEO of Descartes and is responsible for guiding Descartes' executive management team and providing strategic direction for the company.
As part of the Descartes team since 2000, his keen understanding of logistics has played a key role in the expansion of Descartes’ Global Logistics Network. As Chief Commercial Officer, he led Descartes’ customer facing operations and helped the Company to connect over 200,000 trading partners worldwide, increasing transaction volumes by more than 70% over the past few years.
Prior to joining Descartes, Mr. Ryan directed the global Marketing and Field operations areas for E-Transport and, as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, successfully grew the business from its early start-up days to the successful ocean network acquired by Descartes in March 2000.
Jane O’Hagan
Ms. O’Hagan was most recently the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (“CP Rail”), where she held a number of senior roles from 2002 through 2014. Prior to CP Rail, Ms. O’Hagan was the principal health care consultant for Organomics, Inc. (2001-2002). Prior Organomics, Ms. O’Hagan was a consultant and Vice President, Strategy & Business Development at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (1995-2001). Ms. O’Hagan has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) and a Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario. In December 2012, Ms. O’Hagan was named one of Canada’s 2012 Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women Executive Network, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of women who hold senior positions in Canada’s corporate community. Ms. O’Hagan was elected to the Board of Directors on May 29, 2014.
John. J. Walker, C.P.A.
John J. Walker is a Certified Public Accountant with twenty-one years of experience as a Chief Financial Officer with public companies. Mr. Walker served as Chief Financial Officer, and Senior Vice President of Bowne & Company, a New York Stock Exchange-listed provider of services to help companies produce and manage their investor and business communications, from 2006 until its acquisition by R.R. Donnelley & Sons in 2010. Prior to Bowne, Mr. Walker was an executive with Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation, then the fouth largest motion picture theatre exhibition chain in the world, including 16 years as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Loews, Mr. Walker served as Controller of Corporate Property Investors, then one of the largest REITs in the United States. Mr. Walker started his career in the New York office of Price Waterhouse and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Mr. Walker serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Nominating Committee.
Stephen Watt, PhD, DSc h.c., ICD.D
Dr. Watt is a professor of Computer Science at Western University and an expert in mathematical modeling. He currently serves on the board of Waste Diversion Ontario, a special act corporation that oversees Ontario's recycling programs, and has been a member of the research staff at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center at Yorktown Heights, New York. He has also spent considerable time in France, as a professor at the University of Nice and at INRIA, the French national institute for research in computer science and control. Dr. Watt's research is focused on mathematical software, for which he has received numerous awards. He has served on the Descartes board since 2001.
Dr. Watt serves as the Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee, the Chair of Nominating Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee.
