TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2023 /CNW/ - Today at the members' meeting Keith Jansa, CEO and Chair Jim Balsillie announced the launch of the Digital Governance Council (DGC). Formerly the CIO Strategy Council, the DGC convenes executives across sectors to act on critical digital governance challenges and opportunities with the aim of strengthening the trust and confidence in Canada's digital economy for communities, businesses and governments.

"Our members identified the pressing need to better govern how organizations use emerging technologies including how data are used, managed and governed," said Keith Jansa, CEO of the Digital Governance Council. "Our new name and identity reflect our members call to expand the mandate of the Council as a national forum that share best practices, designs technology governance standards and certifies organizations to protect Canadians participating in the digital economy."

Digital Governance Council Chair, Jim Balsillie said "a coordinated national approach is a precondition to good digital governance.  Safe and secure digital infrastructure will also help Canadian businesses attract and retain talent so they can compete and succeed in global markets."

As part of the Council's expanded mandate, the organization is establishing the Digital Governance Standards Institute. The Institute is Canada's only accredited standards development body focused exclusively on setting digital technology governance standards and management.

Chair of the Institute, Vanessa Vermette, Vice-President of Innovation and Skills Development at the Canada School of Public Service said: "Bringing diverse stakeholders together to tackle digital governance issues is essential. The Digital Governance Standards Institute collaboratively works with all stakeholders to ensure standards are set objectively and with the input of all perspectives, inclusive and responsive to the needs of all involved. By setting and promoting best practices in digital governance, we aim to define the standard of excellence for trust and confidence in Canada's digital economy and ensure that it benefits all Canadians."

The Digital Governance Council works with private, public and nonprofit sector leaders and its expanded mandate has four streams of activity:

• Convening an executive forum for members to share best practices, identify digital governance gaps and prioritize collective action.
• Partnering to test new technologies and deliver proofs of concept and common building blocks to manage risks and opportunities associated with the use of digital technologies.
• Establishing the Council's Digital Governance Standards Institute, independent of the Council, to develop technology governance standards. 
• Certifying organizations against digital governance standards.

About the Digital Governance Council

The Digital Governance Council is a member-driven organization that acts as a cross-sector neutral convener for Canada's executive leaders to identify, prioritize and act on digital governance opportunities and challenges. The Council leads an Executive Forum for council members, sets technology governance standards through the Digital Governance Standards Institute and certifies the compliance of Canadian organizations in the management of the effective and efficient use of digital technologies.  To learn more about the organization and its initiatives, visit www.dgc-cgn.org or contact info@dgc-cgn.org

About the Digital Governance Standards Institute

The Digital Governance Standards Institute develops digital technology governance standards fit for global use. The Institute works with experts, as well as national and global partners and the public to develop national standards that reduce risk to Canadians and Canadian organizations adopting and using innovative digital technologies in today's digital economy.  The Institute is an independent division of the Digital Governance Council. To learn more about the organization and its initiatives, visit www.dgc-cgn.org or contact info@dgc-cgn.org

SOURCE Digital Governance Council

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2023/30/c0312.html