Global Executive Education programme to provide corporate directors with a roadmap to navigate today’s complex governance landscape
INSEAD, the leading international business school, has announced the launch of its International Directors Programme as part of its latest venture to extend the school’s world-renowned Executive Education portfolio to a new target population, that of board members. The programme, launching on 6 July 2011 on INSEAD’s campus in Fontainebleau, France, will sharpen the skills, knowledge and mindset of corporate directors as they navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
‘Today’s corporate boards have to contend with a host of new pressures, challenges and risks, which have been well described in the recently issued EU Green Paper on Corporate Governance’ said Professor Ludo Van der Heyden, Co-Director of the Programme and Mubadala Chaired Professor in Corporate Governance and Strategy at INSEAD. ‘Held ever more accountable for their organisation’s performance and vitality, directors must also set the company’s strategic direction, often across diverse product markets and geographies, while evaluating the performance of the CEO and senior executives, as well as monitoring the firm’s risk profile.’
Van der Heyden continued: ‘INSEAD’s International Directors Programme will provide a unique educational experience for current and prospective directors to master the knowledge, competences and skills that are necessary for board members to effectively exercise their responsibilities in today’s marketplace.’
The International Directors Programme builds on the school’s capabilities in the field of corporate governance, encompassed through the INSEAD Corporate Governance Initiative. It provides a global educational offering for directors to understand the broader context in which boards operate and the responsibilities that come with a board mandate. Additionally, the Programme will help directors develop the skills that contribute to the creation of an effective board culture and performance.
‘As a result of the financial crisis, society expects more responsibility and accountability from corporate directors,’ said Timothy J. Rowley, Co-Director of the Programme and Governance Programs Director, Clarkson Centre for Board Effectiveness, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. ‘INSEAD’s International Directors Programme will allow directors to hone their skills as they face increased regulation and the prospect of even greater shareholder scrutiny and power. Demands on directors are increasing and their task can regarded as nearly impossible. The programme aims at helping directors do their job more effectively, a demand strongly voiced by the EU’s recently issued Green Paper on Corporate Governance.’
‘The global financial crisis has led to much closer scrutiny of the contribution of the board to the overall strategic direction and oversight of an organisation. The INSEAD education programme for board directors will put the role of board directors into an international context, not only in terms of best practice corporate governance but also in detailing how board members should contribute to a high-performing board. We are delighted to be associated with this truly international programme for current and potential board members of large global organisations’, says Harm van Esch, co-head of the European board practice at Russell Reynolds Associates.
‘Today, expectations run high concerning the performance of Boards. Society as well as the business world have demanding requirements and Board members are expected to meet the highest standards. Furthermore the ongoing internationalisation of business requires new internationally experienced directors. Board members nowadays need experience as well as training, the required skills are not easily mastered. Therefore, there is great demand for excellent education, especially in an international context. Being an international accountancy and consulting organisation, PwC is proud and delighted to be a partner of the International Directors Programme,’ says Ruud Kok, corporate governance leader in the Netherlands and member of the Programme’s Advisory Committee.
The Programme consists of three modules – creating and safeguarding value (6-9 July 2011), implementing effective board processes (15-17 September 2011), and managing critical events (24-26 November 2011) – which represent the knowledge base that trained directors are expected to master. Within each module, the Programme will focus on the following: educating directors on what they need to know in order to set the direction of the company; understanding the proper boundaries within which the company should operate; and exercising their responsibilities to get things done in the boardroom.
Participants who successfully complete the three modules may apply for the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance. To demonstrate mastery of the skills and competences expected of board members and to obtain INSEAD's certification, participants will complete a formal examination based on Programme material.
‘We are delighted and proud to act as a founding member to INSEAD's new International Directors Programme. This perfectly matches our ambitious objectives to offer to our members a top notch international training programme and, as such, make significant contributions to the Luxembourg market place's efforts to continue to guarantee a 'best practices' governance environment to its present and future business actors and partners,’ says Raymond Schadeck who as a member of the Board of the Institut Luxembourgeios des Administrateurs (ILA) and as a Chairman of the 'Training and Certification' Working Group of ILA has been invited to sit on the Programme's Advisory Committee.
The International Directors Programme is co-directed by Professor Van der Heyden and Professor Timothy J. Rowley, National Director of Governance Programs at the Rotman School of the University of Toronto, and run in association with three founding partners: PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Russell Reynolds Associates, and the Institut Luxembourgeois des Administrateurs (ILA).
For more information please visit the International Directors Programme pages.
