People walk by a Bay Street sign at the financial district in Toronto, October 10, 2008. REUTERS/Mark Blinch© Mark Blinch / Reuters/Reuters
FROM THIS MONTH'S ROB MAGAZINE
Take a look at the person toiling away beside you, or even the one sitting in the corner office. You might not be able to tell, but chances are that they're facing their own personal struggle at home. ROB Magazine talked to five executives who've faced down cancer, lost a spouse or even a child about how they not only survived, but ended up becoming better leaders. Executives in the story include TD Ameritrade CEO Tim Hockey, who was a rising star at TD when his daughter, Rosie, was born with a rare–and fatal–genetic disorder, and Janice Fukakusa, who was CEO Gord Nixon's "rock" at Royal Bank of Canada when she was first diagnosed with cancer and opted to tell virtually no one. Story Carol Toller and Tim Kiladze (all ROB Magazine stories are for subscribers)
BOARD GAMES
For the 16th year in a row, Report on Business has rated the work of Canada's corporate boards using a rigorous set of governance criteria designed to go far beyond minimum mandatory rules imposed by regulators. Story
The comprehensive ranking of Canada's boards Story
The role of the corporate director is shifting. Boards, once chiefly concerned with procedures such as approving financial statements or selecting the chief executive officer, are increasingly looking beyond the boardroom to understand the challenges facing their organizations. Story
Michael Sabia has a message for Canada's corporate directors as he weighs how to deploy one of the biggest pools of investment capital in the country: Climate change is top of mind. Story
Board Games 2017: Additional tables on company and director diversity and a full report card are available for purchase. Globe Data Store
DAILY DEALS
Rockwell Automation Inc on Wednesday rejected rival Emerson Electric Co's sweetened takeover offer, saying the $29-billion (U.S.) bid undervalued the industrial automation company and that a merger would dampen its growth prospects. Story
Hydro One Ltd.'s $3.4-billion (U.S.) deal to purchase Avista Corp. is just the beginning of a strategy that will see the Canadian utility expand into the U.S. market. Story
South African cement producer PPC said on Wednesday its independent board would not recommend Canadian firm Fairfax Africa Investments' partial offer to shareholders, considering it neither "fair" nor "reasonable." Story
Chipmaker Broadcom Ltd is considering raising its offer to buy rival Qualcomm Inc by offering more of its own stock, following consultation with several of Qualcomm's top shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter. Story
As Apple reportedly ramps up work to ship an augmented reality headset in 2020, it has acquired a startup from Montreal, Canada that could help it get there. TechCrunch has learned that Apple has acquired Vrvana, maker of the Totem headset – which had rave reviews but never shipped. The deal was for around $30-million (U.S.), two sources tell TechCrunch. TechCrunch
ELSEWHERE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
China took steps to rein in the rapidly growing and lightly regulated market for online micro-lenders in the government's latest crackdown on internet finance, sending shares of U.S.-listed Chinese financial firms into a tailspin. Story
WHAT WE'RE READING
M&A has been essential to the success of Apple's products over the years, especially its flagship iPhone. Earlier this month, the company's senior VP of hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, said that the tech giant plans to pick up Israel-based chipmaking startups as it continues to develop new processors and sensors. Pitchbook
The big fee mistake institutional investors are making: Investors aggressively negotiate fees when they sign on with a manager – but fully half then fail to track whether the pricing arrangements are working in their favor, a new survey shows. Institutional Investor
The biggest shakeup in financial services in a decade has drawn complaints from bankers and money managers over excessive regulation, compliance costs and risks to their businesses and jobs. Bloomberg
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
It is unusual to see advertising with nothing tangible to sell. But that is just what the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is rolling out with a new campaign that launches on Wednesday. The fund wants to connect with more Canadians, beginning with online ads and establishing a presence on Facebook as the start of a multiyear marketing plan. Story