OTTAWA — Communication skill and media savvy are modern-day prerequisites for the job of governor general in an age when Canadian unity is threatened and the public demands accountability, experts say.

Given their experience and talent, it should be no surprise two television journalists in a row - Adrienne Clarkson and now Michaelle Jean - have been appointed Canada's ceremonial head of state, say corporate head-hunters.

"There are skills inherent in broadcast journalism that are really transferable and an obvious match," said Judith Wightman of Wightman and Associates, an Ottawa-based executive search firm.

"You don't want somebody with a really narrow or industry-specific focus that may not be as relatable to the rest of the Canadian public. You want to see somebody who's very sensitive to regional and pan-Canadian issues."

The role of governor general - the Queen's representative, head of state and military commander in chief - is largely ceremonial and symbolic. But, as Clarkson showed, it can be an important voice in issues of Canadian unity, culture and equality.

Empathy, said Wightman, is a key attribute, along with an understanding of the domestic and international political climates.

"Broadcast journalism and that whole industry lends itself to that. On top of that, I would expect to see people with good presentation skills and good representational skills. Right away, they have a natural credibility as a source of information."

If the job is to continue to carry weight and credibility with Canadians, it has to change with the times, the experts say. And change is what the Clarkson and Jean appointments suggest, said John Aimers, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada.

With the growth of 24-hour television news and the Internet, scrutiny of public offices has increased. Communications skills and the ability to handle or deflect criticism are more important than ever.

Vincent Massey, Georges Vanier and Roland Michener were all good communicators, said Aimers, but they lived in a vastly different Canada served by a "supine and respectful press corps" and populated by a deferential society that treated them like royalty.

"Their characters carried their communication for them," Aimers said.

He added that Jules Leger, Ed Schreyer, Jeanne Sauve, Ray Hnatyshyn and Romeo LeBlanc were not such good communicators and failed to understand or exploit the changing media environment.

"Rideau Hall somewhat slumbered. I don't think there was any vestige of communication apparatus."

Clarkson, who had a long career as a broadcaster and journalist, changed all that.

"She chose certain areas and used her talents and modern communications techniques to focus the attentions of the country," said Aimers.

"I suspect that Madame Jean - in a different way but no less focused and probably no less capable - will do the same."

Many were disdainful of the political nature of a string of appointments - Schreyer, Sauve, Hnatyshyn and LeBlanc were all MPs.

Clarkson and Jean could signal that future appointees will come from a more diverse pool of talent.

Peter Zukow, general manager of Lock and Associates, said some business executives - especially ones who've worked for larger international corporations - could make great governors general.

"Typically, it's not about one specific experience an individual has had," said Zukow, a Toronto-based headhunter with offices in 11 cities.

"What makes a person at this level the right person for the job is a culmination of experiences - life experience, business experience, personal experience. If it's done properly, the governor general should . . . reflect the people of the country."

Wightman said many careers are potentially suited to the post - especially senior people who have had a public role either professionally or privately.

Historian Jack Granatstein dismisses any suggestion the governor general can influence anything. He says such appointments are indicative of "the unimportance of the job."

Granatstein, a self-professed republican, said the governor general's role is to ease the prime minister's public relations burden while being "innocuous" and recognizable at the same time.

"It isn't something that requires a great deal of people other than the willingness to eat rubber chicken and watch endless Ukrainian and Indian dance groups and that sort of stuff."