Some Recent Words of Appreciation
As Chair of the Steering Committee that developed a new governance and business model for what is now Parkinson Canada, I was impressed many times and in many ways by the professionalism that Dr. Jane Cooke-Lauder brought to the process. Her depth and breadth of education and experience give her the background and expertise to guide a very complex process with ease. Her temperament and thoughtful demeanor make it a pleasure to work with her. Rarely have I seen anyone as capable at delivering clear results in a timely manner.
In the complex minefield of developing a new national business model, she was able to bring the best ideas out of a large and diverse group of people. As the Vice-Chair of the new Parkinson Canada, I have had the pleasure of working with the new model that she played a key role in developing. It has indeed been a pleasure, resolving a myriad of problems that used to be encountered as part of the Federation way of doing business. I look forward to working with Jane again and would highly recommend her to others.
Marlin Stangeland, Senior Director, Wescap Mgt. Ltd; Vice-Chair Parkinson Society Canada
I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Jane Cooke-Lauder when she was retained as the facilitator/consultant for a strategic governance project for the Alzheimer Societies in Ontario. In addition to her role as facilitator & consultant, Jane added significant value as a subject matter expert, which was critical. Jane took it upon herself to be informed about the key issues and best practices. Jane uses a variety of techniques and approaches, taking time to understand all of the underlying concerns and stakeholders, and how to utilize individual strengths. One thing that amazed me was her ability to provide detailed summaries of our forums, with most of it coming from memory! Jane holds very high standards of professionalism and has such a calm demeanour, a quality much needed during some of the rather difficult discussions that occurred.
I would highly recommend Jane as a facilitator/consultant. Her passion and dedication make it an absolute pleasure to work with her.
Kathy Lockwood, CPCC, ACC, Leadership Coach, Blue Water Leadership Coaching Chair, Alzheimer Society of Toronto
Dr Jane Cooke-Lauder was retained by the Alzheimer Societies in Ontario to lead a Steering Committee (SC) of 7 volunteer Board Members to review and recommend a revised Governance structure for our organization. Jane's contributions were as a facilitator, project manager and as a subject matter expert. Jane demonstrated significant expertise and added tremendous value in all capacities. She was able to quickly research and present viable options for potential solutions to a complex problem, and also bring out the strengths and encourage contribution and engagement from all SC members. The work was completed on time and within budget. We would highly recommend Jane for future projects.
Claire Foster and Gaston Franklyn: ASiO Steering Committee Co-Chairs
CACDS (Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores - now the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association on Canada) began to work with Jane Cooke Lauder as she supported a group of three national pharmacy organizations in an unprecedented initiative: exploring possibilities for greater collaboration and integration up to and including organizational unification. She guided a group of individuals with diverse perspectives and mandates through a challenging process - providing support, relevant knowledge and advice that maintained our strategic focus and fostered decisions marked by transparency and integrity. At the conclusion of that project, CACDS engaged Jane in the next critical undertaking: a complete restructuring of our organization from mission to governance and membership structure. Her detailed understanding of organizational governance and ethical leadership practices served as a critical resource through a complex two-year process involving dozens of association staff, members and stakeholders, resulting in a renewed organization positioned for future success.
Sandra Aylward: Chair CACDS 2011-2012; Formerly Vice-President, Professional and Regulatory Affairs, Sobeys
I had the pleasure of working with Bataleur Enterprises and specifically Jane Cooke-Lauder during a recent industry association governance review. During the process, I found her work to be very thoughtful, organized and Jane had the strength, skill and stamina to get the group to the finish line. Through Jane’s guidance we restructured our Board to be a more strategic and to ensure that we were able to have the right people around the Board table to become a strategic and high functioning Board. During our restructuring as the Chair of the newly formed Governance Committee, I personally relied on Jane to guide us through the process of setting the Terms of Reference for all new committees and building consensus from the members to support the new structure and to navigate any politically sensitive areas. I would highly recommend Jane for her work especially in governance and group strategy facilitation. Her professionalism and attention to detail were second to none.
Rita Winn RPh COO and General Manager, Lovell Drugs
I’m delighted to discuss my experience working with Jane Cooke-Lauder. Jane is the epitome of “wise counsel” and has provided invaluable assistance in very complex governance situations. Her extensive knowledge of best practice around change management, strategy development and governance structure and organization is just a starting point - the real and unique element she brings is the ability to take that background and develop customized options based on our very specific needs. And because she really cares about ensuring our success and the cause we represent, she brings a warm, empathetic and human face to the table creating a trusting dialogue that makes it easy for a wide variety of people to work effectively with her. I can't recommend Jane highly enough.
Michele Buchignani, Chair, Alzheimer Society of British Columbia (2014-2015); Director, Alzheimer Society of Canada
Jane communicates quickly and effectively via email, teleconference and in-person meetings. She is highly responsive and is deeply engaged and committed to the success of our Strategic Plan. Her insight and expertise have consistently and reliably proven useful at each stage of the strategic renewal process.
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Chief, Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Jane recently facilitated our Strategic Plan Year 1 brainstorming retreat. With her guidance throughout the planning and execution of this retreat, we achieved a high level of engagement and insight from our front-line staff.
Sophie Foxcroft, Director of Operations, Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Jane’s expertise took our strategic planning to the next level. She contributed direction instrumentally at every stage, including facilitation of a ‘Taking Stock’ retreat, development of our Strategic Roadmap to 2020, launch of the strategic plan, and throughout the first phase of implementation.
Elen Moyo, Director of Radiation Therapy, Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Research Canada, a national voluntary organization dedicated to advancing health research in Canada, engaged Jane Cooke-Lauder, shortly after we incorporated, to develop the organization's governance model. Dr. Cooke-Lauder made what seemed to be a daunting task, one that was carried out with great ease, primarily because of her knowledge and skills in governance. Dr. Cooke-Lauder brought a broad array of skills to the table including technical, strategic and analytical skills in governance as well as exceptional organizational, facilitation and communication skills. She was also the ultimate professional, responsive to the organization’s needs and extremely adept at working with senior volunteers in an inclusive and effective way.
A decade later, I can attest to the tremendous success we have enjoyed as an organization based on a strong, flexible and responsive governance model which guides and supports the organization’s Board and President and CEO in everything that we do. We are better together because Dr. Cooke-Lauder gave us the governance structure and policies that are integral to a well-functioning entity. We cannot thank Dr. Cooke-Lauder enough for her contribution to our success as an organization.”
Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, President and CEO, Research Canada