The High Performing Board of Directors and Members Training Certification Program

Why select this training course?

Members of corporate boards play crucial roles in today’s disruptive and evolving business landscape. They provide guidance and oversight on critical issues facing the company’s administration, such as business strategy, risk management, compliance, and sustainability. If you are a senior-level executive serving on a corporate board or aspiring to such a position, this course is for you.

What are the characteristics of a high-performing board? 

The board of directors is a committee of individuals selected or elected to represent the interests of shareholders. The board is responsible for setting up policies for management, performing oversight functions, making important decisions on behalf of the company, and protecting shareholders’ interests. The board acts as a fiduciary on the company’s and its shareholders’ behalf. Some characteristics of a high-performing board include effective communication, inclusiveness of ideas and talents, fast response to organizational needs, result-oriented, participative leadership, shareholder satisfaction, and explicit commitment to a culture of excellence.

Who are the members of the board of directors?

A board member is an individual with a seat on the organization’s board of directors. Members of the board are typically elected by a company’s shareholder and the board as a whole help in developing the policies and objectives of an organization. By law, every public company must have a board of directors; however, non-profit and private organizations can also establish a board. Together, the board oversees the management of an organization and its different activities. Recognizing the different members of the board and their respective roles helps in understanding how the board of directors functions. The composition of a board depends on different factors, such as the organization’s size, shareholders, industry, and country. Below are some of the members of the board of directors:

• Chair of the board
• Vice-chair
• Board secretaries
• Treasurers
• Executive directors
• Lead directors
• Independent directors
• Members (directors)

The Rcademy High Performing Board of Directors and Members Training Certification Program is designed to provide members of the board of directors with the tools and skills needed to amplify your organization’s impacts and secure its future. Participants will learn, in great detail, the roles and responsibilities of members of the board of directors. Focus is also given to the importance of boardroom dynamics and risk management procedures. The course covers the board’s effectiveness and challenges, board structure and operations, selecting and evaluating the Chief Executive Officer, and the board’s role in protecting shareholders’ rights.

Who should attend?

The Rcademy High Performing Board of Directors and Members Training Certification Program is ideal for directors, managers, and professionals managing companies and other ventures. The following persons should undertake the Rcademy High Performing Board of Directors and Members Training Certification Program:

• C-Suite executives are charged with making wide-ranging decisions on the operations of a company, overseeing entire business units and departments
• Stakeholders responsible for offering guidance and supervising the administration of the company
• Commercial managers are charged with boosting a company’s sales and managing client/customer relationships
• Directors of companies tasked with supervising the administration of a company’s financial performances, operations, ventures, and investments
• Finance managers are responsible for managing the financial operations of a firm, advising stakeholders on investment plans, and supervising the firm’s finances
• Risks managers are charged with overseeing the risks of a company, its customers, assets, employees, and stakeholders’ interests
• Board members are tasked with overseeing and managing business operations, approving business decisions, executing fiduciary duties, and evaluating executive performances
• IT managers are responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the firm’s technology, providing VPN assess to workers, and coordinating with other units
• Account managers are responsible for ensuring every department meets the expectation of the customers and clients, handling customers’ complaints, and designing solutions for them
• Business managers tasked with monitoring and heading operations of business enterprise, developing and implementing business strategies, and evaluating business performances
• Anyone interested in learning about the roles and responsibilities of board members

What are the course objectives?

This training course is designed to help participants attain the following objectives:

• Understand the procedures, protocols, and core principles of board activity
• Identify the various roles and responsibilities of board members
• Learn about the composition of the board and the primary tenets of board procedures
• Recognize and critically analyze the major weaknesses of board protocols and procedures
• Learn how to run an effective and efficient board meeting
• Master feedback and stakeholder engagement
• Learn about the board governance framework and the tools used in the administration of a board
• Recognize the key competencies used in building strategic partnerships between board members and senior management personnel
• Understand how to identify and avoid common mistakes in organizational strategy relating to market penetration and retention

How will this course be presented?

This certification program is curated to meet participants’ expectations while improving their knowledge and skill; it is purely participant-oriented. Different practical approaches to ensure active and constant learning by the attendees will be utilized to deliver the course. Experts will teach the course within this field that has gathered numerous experiences and practice. The course modules are curated from extensive and in-depth research on the subject matter.

The Rcademy High Performing Board of Directors and Members Training Certification Program includes theoretical and practical learning by providing slides on the concept, case studies, real-life scenarios, and lecture notes. Participants will be able to partake in seminar workshops, quizzes, presentations, and regular feedback on lessons learned to confirm their optimum satisfaction.

What are the topics covered in this course?

Module 1: Overview and Introduction to the Board of Directors

• Definition of terms
• Types of board
• The duties of the board
• Board involvement models
• The position of the board within the hierarchy of power
• The board and shareholders

Module 2: Board Composition and Structure

• The general board structures
• Finding the correct number of directors
• The members of the board
• Structuring the duties of the chairman/chief executive officer
• Structuring board committees
• Evaluating independent and non-executive directors
• The responsibilities and duties of independent and non-executive directors
• Determining the correct mix of skills
• The various duties of the CEO and chairman

Module 3: The Board of Directors and Risk Management

• Overview of the risk management framework
• Risk and control self-assessment
• The board and risk management
• Overview of the ERM system
• Benefits of the ERM in company administration
• The chief risk officer
• The lines of defense framework and risk governance
• Establishing risk management in the organization

Module 4: The Role of the Board in Shareholders’ Rights Protection

• Types of shareholder rights
• Specific shareholder rights
• Ensuring company practices do not violate shareholders’ rights
• Pre-emptive rights
• Tag-along rights
• The importance of protecting shareholders’ rights
• Evaluating shareholders’ rights under the OECD principles of corporate governance

Module 5: Choosing and Evaluating the Chief Executive Officer

• The board and the CEO
• Preparing for CEO hiring
• The qualifications of a CEO
• The CEO’s expectations vs the board
• The CEO hiring process
• Evaluating the Performance of the CEO
• Firing the CEO

Module 6: Board Effectiveness Challenges

• The board’s fiduciary roles
• The board effectiveness framework
• Board culture
• The duty of the board in establishing the company’s strategic plans
• Factors affecting the board’s capacity to implement its roles and responsibilities
• The Impact of informal board culture

Module 7: Board Structures and Operations

• Historical evolution of board governance
• Board meetings
• Board governance framework
• Board structure
• Governance challenges
• Characteristics of a High-Performance Board (HPB)
• Board instruments and tools
• Good governance and High-Performance Board (HPB)

Module 8: The Role of the Board in Establishing the Organisation’s Strategy

• Types of board strategy
• Tasks and Roles of corporate strategy
• Board and management dynamics
• The strategic decision-making process
• The board’s role in strategic management
• Best practices in emerging markets
• Corporate governance and strategic decision planning
• Impediments to effective strategy development

Module 9: Preparing and Conducting the Annual General Meeting

• The general provisions of the AGM
• The AGM and the company’s constitution
• Preparations for the AGM
• Conducting the annual general meeting
• Board members and voting rights
• Cumulative voting
• Standing orders

Module 10: Board Evaluation

• The pillars of board effectiveness
• Board failure
• Techniques for board evaluation
• Board evaluation
• Top the commandments for a great board
• The board evaluation framework
• Grounds for suspension and firing of board members

Module 11: Managing Corporate Conflicts

• The concept of corporate conflict
• Arbitration and mediation
• Types of corporate conflicts
• The merits and demerits of internal and external mechanisms of corporate conflict resolution
• Litigation as a final recourse