International Directors Programme

The International Directors Programme is our flagship course in corporate governance and is a unique educational experience that aims to develop effective directors for the global business scene. Today’s supervisory boards have to contend with a host of new pressures, challenges and risks in addition to evaluating the performance of the CEO and senior executives. They must therefore set the company’s strategic direction, often across diverse product markets and geographies, and monitor the firm’s risk profile.

Set within an international context that is unique in director education, this programme offers practical and tested frameworks and tools to sharpen judgment and decision-making skills. It also augments the oversight abilities of directors seeking to boost their existing competencies or to be better prepared for new board mandates. In three focused modules, you will master strategies for the following fundamental areas: board effectiveness and dynamics; board decision-making and oversight; and director effectiveness and development.

How you benefit

• Board operations: Understand the broader context in which boards operate and the responsibilities that come with a board mandate.​
• Knowledge and competencies: Gain an overview of the knowledge and competencies expected from directors in today’s environment.
• Director-specific skills: Develop the specialised skills that contribue to the creation of an effectively performing board culture.
• Ability to challenge executives: Enhance your ability to challenge executives through positive exchanges focused on the key issues that underpin corporate performance.

Content Overview

The International Directors Programme consists of three modules: board effectiveness and dynamics; board decision-making and oversight; and director effectiveness and development. Together, these represent the knowledge base that trained directors are expected to master – and form the basis of effective board membership.

Within each module, the programme will focus on three fundamental questions:

• What do directors need to know in order to set the direction of the company?
• What are the proper boundaries within which the company should operate?
• How best can directors exercise their responsibilities to get things done in the boardroom?

Board fundamentals: responsibility, effectiveness, decision making, and strategy

• Fundamentals of director and board effectiveness
• Fiduciary duty and shareholder supremacy
• The main governance challenges
• Effective decision making in the board room
• The Strategy imperative
• Value Creation at board level

Board dynamics, efficiency and the role of committees

• CEO-Board dynamics and conflicts
• The Director as political actor & the question of power
• Fair Process Leadership – a model for the board
• CEO selection, oversight, evaluation, and succession
• CEO Remuneration
• Financial statements and red flags in reporting

Developing directors and their boards

• Boards and Organisations in Crisis
• Fraud as a consequence of poor governance
• The challenge and opportunity of board diversity
• Putting it all together through a board simulation
• 360 evaluation of director strengths and development opportunities
• Group coaching techniques for director improvement
• Reflecting on roles and commitments