Chartered Director (C.Dir.) Program

Discover Effective Governance Principles 

Unlock the secrets to effective governance with our comprehensive module. You’ll delve into the definition of governance, explore essential rules and practices, and uncover the traits of successful directors and high-performing boards. Enhance your communication skills for group interactions through engaging case studies and role-play simulations with professional actors, designed to help you navigate challenging board scenarios. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Roles and Responsibilities: Gain a clear understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities of the board, including the chairperson, management, and committees. 

• Governance Models: Learn about various models, theories, and governance principles. 

• Legal and Fiduciary Duties: Understand boards and directors’ legal and fiduciary responsibilities and learn to identify signs of fraudulent activities. 

• Effective Dialogue: Discover how to foster independent thought and engage in effective dialogue. 

Elevate Your Strategic Leadership 

Transform your strategic thinking with our specialized module. You’ll master the distinction between strategic and operational effectiveness and cultivate a leadership style emphasizing planning, measurement, accountability, and communication. Gain insights into setting board and director expectations, planning CEO succession, and balancing stakeholder relationships. Additionally, you’ll explore strategic planning for risk governance and compensation committees. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Collaborative Strategy: Learn to work with management to establish a clear, actionable corporate strategy that guides all board decisions. 

• Risk Management: Understand the information boards need to identify, control, mitigate, or turn corporate risks into opportunities. 

• Board Composition: Discover how to select the optimal mix of board members who grasp the scope and requirements of their roles. 

• Design Thinking: Introduce design thinking into the boardroom and apply the principles learned throughout the module. 

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Enhance Your Proficiency in Financial Oversight and Performance Measurement 

Enhance your ability to measure performance and align strategic objectives with financial results and overall success through our comprehensive module. You’ll delve into board performance scorecards, internal audits, and the intricate relationships between the audit committee, internal auditor, and management team. Additionally, you’ll gain insights into risk oversight, learn from past governance failures, and anticipate future governance challenges. Discover how board directors can effectively oversee the performance of the corporation and its management team. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Financial Literacy: Directors will gain a deep understanding of financial literacy, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to effectively contribute to discussions on financial performance and risk oversight. 

• Roles and Relationships: Clear insights into the roles, responsibilities, and relationships between the board, audit committee, internal audit, and external auditor will be provided. 

• Risk Management: Directors will learn to ask critical questions about risk management, enhancing their oversight capabilities. 

• Performance Measurement: The module will cover measuring performance and aligning strategic objectives with financial results, ensuring overall success. 

Overcoming the “Knowing-Doing” Gap in Board Performance 

Discover how to bridge the gap between knowing best practices and implementing them effectively with our specialized module. You’ll explore trending governance challenges in areas such as environmental, social governance (ESG), innovation governance, and ethical decision-making. Reflect on your emotional intelligence as you tackle governance cases involving reputation and crisis management. 

 Key Takeaways: 

• Emotional Intelligence: Develop crucial emotional intelligence skills for effective governance in the boardroom. 

• Ethical Decision-Making: Enhance your ability to navigate complex ethical dilemmas and make sound decisions. 

• ESG and Innovation Governance: Understand the link between governance and ESG and learn about innovation governance. 

• Crisis and Reputation Management: Gain insights into crisis identification and reputation management to safeguard your organization. 

Experience Realistic Board Situations 

Unique to The Directors College, this final module immerses you in realistic board scenarios brought to life by the simulation team. Rated as the program’s highlight by our alumni, this dynamic module allows you to integrate all the lessons and behavioural strategies from the previous four modules. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Practical Application: Apply all your experiences and lessons from the previous modules in a realistic setting. 

• Board Simulation: Participate as a board member in board and committee meetings, experiencing a “day on the board” of our simulated corporation. 

• Personal Insight: Gain valuable insights into how your behaviour, and that of others, impacts board processes and productivity. 

• Peer Evaluation: Evaluate other participants and provide constructive feedback. 

Below are the key details regarding CPD obligations:

• CPD is required only for Chartered Director Program graduates
• Chartered Directors must complete a minimum of 15 hours per year, totaling 50 hours within three years
• CPD requirements begin one year after successfully passing the final exam
• Directors College will notify Chartered Directors who fail to meet requirements after one year of non-adherence
• The Chartered Director Certificate (and the right to use the designation) may be suspended if a director:
  • Fails to provide evidence of meeting CPD requirements
  • Does not report CPD activities
  • Submits fraudulent CPD activity reports
  • Fails to comply with remedial plans set by the Education Committee

• Relevant to enhancing governance skills and competencies
  • Quantifiable (i.e., must be specifically identifiable and expressed time allocated)
  • Directly related competencies needed to carry on directorship/governance activities
  • Relevant to current governance professional needs and/or longer-term interest of their governance/directorship career
  • Contain significant intellectual or practical governance content
  • Enhance their knowledge of boardroom and governance best practices.
• Offered through a credible learning institution
• CPD activities can include courses, seminars, workshops, conferences, postsecondary classes, structured self-study programs, guest speaking, reading, and research, and on-the-job governance training.
• Current CPD exemptions include:
  • Retired Chartered Directors who no longer carry out board service
  • Retired Chartered Directors must submit a request for exemption with The Directors College.
  • Additional requests for exemption would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Directors College Education Committee.