Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members Training Course

Participants can assess whether board composition and committee arrangements support effective oversight.

• Board skills matrix tied to strategy, risks, and succession needs
• Independence criteria, tenure, relationships, and materiality considerations assessed
• Chair, lead independent director, executive, and non-executive roles compared
• Committee charters for audit, risk, remuneration, and nominations
• Director appointment, induction, development, and removal processes documented
• Succession plans addressing emergency vacancies and planned leadership transitions

Participants can establish governance structures, information flows and annual board work plans.

• Delegations of authority translated into approval limits and escalation routes
• Board charter provisions covering purpose, membership, conduct, and evaluation
• Annual governance calendar aligned with statutory filings and decision cycles
• Information rights, board papers, and management reporting protocols defined
• Entity governance maps for subsidiaries, joint ventures, and controlled affiliates
• ISO 37000 guidance applied to governing body responsibilities

Participants can challenge strategy and monitor execution without assuming management responsibilities.

• Strategy oversight cycle linking purpose, choices, performance, and resource allocation
• Board challenge using scenario planning, assumptions testing, and strategic options
• Strategic dashboards separating leading indicators from lagging financial measures
• Capital allocation decisions tested against risk appetite and investment criteria
• Market entry, acquisition, and transformation proposals subjected to board scrutiny
• Management accountability established through milestones, benefits, and corrective actions

Participants can interpret financial information and question significant financial decisions.

• Reading income statements, balance sheets, cash flows, and management accounts
• Financial ratio analysis covering liquidity, profitability, gearing, and working capital
• Budget approval challenged through drivers, sensitivities, contingencies, and forecast variance
• Capital expenditure cases assessed using NPV, IRR, payback, and hurdle rates
• Going-concern assessments, covenant headroom, and liquidity scenarios reviewed
• Dividend, solvency, and capital maintenance decisions considered within legal constraints

Participants can oversee risk appetite, internal controls and assurance accountabilities.

• Risk appetite statements linked to strategic objectives, limits, and tolerances
• Risk registers tested for ownership, velocity, controls, and residual exposure
• COSO Internal Control components used to assess control design
• Three Lines Model clarifies governing body, management, and assurance accountabilities
• Cybersecurity, third-party, conduct, and operational resilience risks examined
• Risk reporting escalates threshold breaches, emerging risks, and control failures

Participants can fulfil board and audit committee responsibilities for assurance and reporting.

• Audit committee mandate, financial reporting duties, and independence requirements
• External auditor appointment, scope, fees, independence, and findings reviewed
• Internal audit plans aligned with risk assessments and assurance gaps
• Material misstatements, fraud indicators, and management bias challenged effectively
• Whistleblowing arrangements tested for confidentiality, investigation, and board reporting
• Year-end reporting timetable covers audit clearance, approvals, and disclosures

Participants can govern conflicts, conduct expectations and stakeholder accountability.

• Conflict-of-interest registers, declarations, recusals, and related-party transactions managed
• Code of conduct oversight addresses bribery, harassment, and retaliation
• Stakeholder mapping identifies affected parties, influence, expectations, and engagement methods
• ESG claims tested against evidence, governance, targets, and reporting controls
• Remuneration policies connect incentives, conduct expectations, risk, and performance
• Crisis communications define spokesperson authority, disclosure thresholds, and stakeholder messages

Participants can organise disciplined meetings and maintain defensible decision records.

• Chair agendas distinguish decision items, discussion items, and information items
• Board papers use decision requests, evidence, options, risks, and recommendations
• Constructive challenge techniques test assumptions without displacing management accountability
• Minutes record decisions, dissent, actions, owners, deadlines, and rationale
• Confidentiality protocols govern access, retention, secure channels, and privileged advice
• Virtual meeting controls address attendance, identity, voting, and recordkeeping

Participants can evaluate board effectiveness and create targeted governance improvement plans.

• Board evaluation criteria assess composition, behaviours, information, committees, and outcomes
• Individual director self-assessments identify development priorities and contribution gaps
• External evaluation scopes, interviewer protocols, and report follow-up considered
• Action trackers assign governance improvements, owners, milestones, and evidence
• Annual board development plans combine training, mentoring, and succession actions
• Personal director action plan addresses first ninety days and priorities