Chris Bart
Chris Bart is an educator, former university professor, professional speaker, business consultant and author. He is a notable authority on organizational mission and vision statements, and also for his knowledge both on the roles and responsibilities of corporate directors and the strategic governance of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Bart received his PhD from the Richard Ivey School of Business of the University of Western Ontario and his MBA and BA (Hons. Bus.) from the Schulich School of Business, York University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and the  Caribbean Institute of Directors. Academic. After 33 years of service, Bart retired from his position as Professor of Strategy and Governance at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton, Ontario. During his time at McMaster, he founded The Directors College of Canada where, from its inception in 2003 to 2013, he served as its inaugural Principal and Lead Professor and remained the College's top rated instructor. The College is Canada's first university-accredited certification program for corporate directors. He now assists the College as its Lead Faculty. Dr. Bart is currently the Co-founder and Executive  Chairman of the Caribbean Governance Training Institute, and the Caribbean Institute of Directors. He is also Associate Editor of the International Journal of Business Governance & Ethics and a Research Fellow at the Asian Institute of Corporate Governance. He was named "Outstanding Undergraduate Business Professor" in 1982, 1987 and 1996 and "MBA Professor of the Year" in 1984, 1989 and 1991. Bart became DeGroote's most decorated professor in 1995, when he won the school's highest teaching award: The President's Award for Teaching Excellence. In 1993, Bart helped found the Management of Innovation & New Technology Research Center at McMaster  University and was named its first director. The following year, he created the Innovation Management Network, a global association of professionals who collaborate through the Internet on matters of innovation and new technology. Bart retired from the university in 2013 after he and 5 other professors were suspended by a secret university tribunal that found they had pressured other faculty in an effort to deny their faculty's Dean a second term. However, with the moral support and financial backing of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the five professors asked, in 2014, the courts to review the tribunal 's work, conduct and penalties. Commenting on the case, CAUT's representative Jim Turk claimed that the tribunal's process was fatally flawed and added: "This was a staged trial ordered by the university under rules that violated every concept of natural justice in this country…It had some of the character of a show trial, except it was in secret." For instance, none of the three academics on the panel had any training in law and the University's policies allowed no right of appeal, leaving an application for judicial review as the only available response. A decision from  the courts was rendered in 2017 ordering the University into remedial arbitration. Speaker. Bart is a featured speaker of the National Speakers Bureau with two unique presentations: "Sex, Lies and Mission Statements"; and "Achieving Excellence in Customer Service through Leadership & Mission". Among his other popular presentations are: "The Service Mission"; "The Role of the Board in Strategy"; and "Competing in the Experience Economy" (Reference 6). In the past, Bart has lectured at institutions around the world, including the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Cranfield Institute of Technology, the UK, Monash University, Australia, the Czech Management Center and both Fudan  and Tsinghua Universities in China. Consultant. Bart conducts keynote speaking and business consulting through his company, Corporate Missions Inc. He serves as a consultant to many organizations helping them to improve both their mission/vision statements and governance practices. Bart has consulted in numerous industries such as banking, health care, high technology, municipal governance, human resources and manufacturing. Author. Bart has internationally published more than 190 articles, cases and reviews. He is the author of the number 1 bestselling business book of 2010 in Canada, "A Tale of Two Employees and the Person Who Wanted to Lead Them". Among his  other works are the acclaimed CICA publication "20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Strategy: Second Edition". Business publications such as "The New York Times", "The Financial Post", "Profit" magazine, "The Globe and Mail", "Maclean's", and "Canadian Business" have each quoted Bart in their articles. Qualifications. In 2011, Bart was awarded the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Corporate Governance and Strategic Leadership Award. In 2009, his Chartered Accountants designation was elevated to FCA (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants). In the past, Bart has served on a number of organizational Boards and continues to maintain some of those positions. He  is a past director of the Planning Executives Institute and listed in the "Canadian Who's Who".