Strategic Leadership and Governance Masterclass Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Board Directors, Chief Executives and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CG-066

Before you join: Participants should have substantial management, advisory or governance experience and familiarity with how boards, executive teams and committees operate.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Senior leaders and governance professionals must make sound decisions when board authority, strategic ambition, risk exposure, shareholder expectations and public scrutiny collide. Weak governance often appears as unclear reserved matters, ineffective challenge, poor-quality board information, unmanaged conflicts, inadequate assurance or delayed escalation. These weaknesses can damage value, impair regulatory confidence and leave directors exposed when a crisis, control failure or contested decision occurs.

This masterclass examines governance as a decision system rather than a set of policies. Participants assess governance architectures, define board and committee accountabilities, strengthen strategic oversight, set risk appetite, evaluate assurance arrangements and scrutinise financial, conduct and culture risks. The course addresses board composition, director independence, audit committee effectiveness, executive remuneration, stakeholder engagement, disclosure, crisis governance and governance reform. Participants use OECD G20 Principles of Corporate Governance, ISO 37000, COSO ERM and the IIA Three Lines Model to assess common governance challenges.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings, boardroom cases, document reviews, facilitated group analysis, decision simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect issues faced by listed companies, financial institutions, public bodies, family-owned groups, NGOs and regulated enterprises: related-party transactions, whistleblowing allegations, cyber incidents, financial reporting concerns, activist shareholders and succession failures. Participants leave with a governance diagnostic, board effectiveness improvement plan, risk appetite and assurance-map templates, and a practical implementation roadmap. The five-day instructor-led course is available in classroom locations in more than 50 cities or live online, with a certificate of completion.

The course is best suited to experienced executives, directors, governance leaders, risk and compliance professionals, internal audit leaders and senior advisers who contribute to board-level decisions or governance reform.

What you will be able to do

  • Evaluate governance architectures against OECD G20 Principles and ISO 37000.
  • Design board and committee mandates with clear reserved matters and delegations.
  • Apply scenario planning and Balanced Scorecard measures to strategic oversight.
  • Construct risk appetite statements and assurance maps using the Three Lines Model.
  • Challenge financial reporting, internal control and external audit assurance evidence.
  • Assess conduct, conflicts of interest and whistleblowing arrangements for board oversight.
  • Conduct board effectiveness and governance maturity assessments using defined criteria.
  • Produce a governance improvement roadmap with accountable sponsors and milestones.

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence challenging board papers, assumptions and management recommendations
  • A repeatable method for assessing board and committee effectiveness
  • Stronger judgement on director independence, conflicts and related-party decisions
  • Practical language for presenting risk, assurance and control issues to boards
  • A personal action plan for improving governance influence and boardroom contribution

For your organisation

  • Clearer board, committee and management decision rights
  • More effective challenge of strategy, risk and capital allocation
  • Earlier identification of control failures, conduct risks and escalation gaps
  • Improved audit committee oversight of reporting and assurance
  • A prioritised governance reform roadmap with accountable implementation owners

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess whether a governance architecture supports accountable decision-making and stakeholder confidence.

  • Agency theory, stewardship theory and stakeholder primacy in board decisions
  • OECD G20 Principles mapped to shareholder rights and disclosure
  • ISO 37000 governance principles translated into accountabilities and oversight
  • Board purpose distinguished from management authority and operational control
  • Governance architecture aligned with ownership structure and legal form
  • Material stakeholders prioritised through power, legitimacy and urgency analysis

Participants can design board and committee structures with clear authority, composition and reporting arrangements.

  • Board mandates specify reserved matters, delegations and escalation thresholds
  • Chair, chief executive and senior independent director roles separated
  • Skills matrices expose capability gaps, tenure risks and succession needs
  • Director independence assessed against financial, familial and advisory relationships
  • Committee charters define authority, membership, reporting and annual evaluation
  • Board calendars sequence strategy, risk, capital and performance decisions

Participants can distinguish strategic oversight from executive management while improving board challenge of strategy.

  • Strategy oversight distinguishes board challenge from management strategy formulation
  • Scenario planning tests strategic assumptions, uncertainties and response options
  • Balanced Scorecard links strategic objectives, measures, targets and initiatives
  • Capital allocation decisions tested against risk appetite and return thresholds
  • Strategic dashboards separate leading indicators from lagging financial results
  • Board papers frame choices, trade-offs, recommendations and decision rights

Participants can establish board-level risk oversight using risk appetite, assurance and escalation mechanisms.

  • Risk appetite statements connect objectives, limits, indicators and escalation
  • COSO ERM components applied to strategic and operational risk oversight
  • Risk registers distinguish inherent risk, residual risk, controls and owners
  • Assurance maps coordinate management controls, internal audit and external assurance
  • Emerging-risk sensing uses horizon scanning, triggers and scenario indicators
  • Committee reporting identifies limit breaches, trend changes and decisions required

Participants can challenge financial reporting, audit evidence and internal control weaknesses at committee level.

  • Audit committee agendas address reporting judgments, controls and auditor independence
  • Three Lines Model clarifies management, risk functions and internal audit
  • Financial statement red flags prompt challenge of estimates and revenue recognition
  • Internal control deficiencies assessed by likelihood, impact and remediation ownership
  • External auditor appointments consider competence, fees, tenure and non-audit services
  • Whistleblowing arrangements protect confidentiality, investigation independence and retaliation safeguards

Participants can assess conduct governance arrangements and respond appropriately to ethical and misconduct concerns.

  • Code of conduct provisions connect values, decisions and accountable behaviours
  • Conflict-of-interest registers capture disclosures, recusals and related-party transactions
  • Anti-bribery controls address third parties, gifts, facilitation payments and approvals
  • Speak-up culture assessed through reporting data, surveys and case outcomes
  • Ethical dilemmas analysed using stakeholder impact, duties and consequences
  • Misconduct investigations preserve evidence, due process and board reporting

Participants can manage governance obligations arising from shareholder, stakeholder and disclosure expectations.

  • Materiality assessments rank economic, social and environmental governance priorities
  • Shareholder engagement plans address activism, voting and contested resolutions
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, interests, dependencies and engagement approaches
  • Related-party transaction protocols protect minority shareholders and decision integrity
  • Disclosure committees validate timeliness, consistency and market-sensitive information
  • Annual report narratives connect strategy, risks, performance and governance

Participants can define board and executive responsibilities during crises, incidents and recovery decisions.

  • Crisis governance establishes authority, decision cadence and information escalation
  • Incident playbooks coordinate legal, operational, communications and board responses
  • Business continuity oversight tests recovery priorities, dependencies and resilience
  • Cybersecurity reporting translates technical exposure into board-level risk decisions
  • Post-incident reviews separate accountability, learning actions and control redesign
  • Reputation risk scenarios prepare stakeholder messages and spokesperson authority

Participants can evaluate board performance, executive incentives and governance maturity using evidence-based criteria.

  • Board evaluations assess composition, behaviours, information quality and decision effectiveness
  • Director feedback combines peer review, observation and development priorities
  • Chief executive performance criteria link strategy, culture and risk outcomes
  • Executive remuneration structures test alignment, malus, clawback and disclosure
  • Succession plans cover emergency replacement, pipelines and transition governance
  • Governance maturity assessments prioritise reforms by risk and implementation effort

Participants can prepare a prioritised governance improvement plan for implementation within their organisation.

  • Governance diagnostics identify priority gaps across structure, process and behaviour
  • Action plans assign sponsors, milestones, resources and success measures
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence quick controls, policy revisions and board decisions
  • Change resistance addressed through sponsorship, communication and accountability mechanisms
  • Progress reviews use evidence, exception reporting and corrective actions
  • Personal governance commitments translate learning into first-quarter actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Board and committee mandate template
  2. Governance architecture diagnostic
  3. Risk appetite statement template
  4. Board assurance map
  5. Board effectiveness assessment checklist
  6. Governance improvement roadmap

Who should attend

  • Board Directors — strengthen oversight, challenge and decision discipline
  • Chief Executives — clarify the boundary between leadership and board authority
  • Company Secretaries — improve board processes, committee mandates and governance reporting
  • Chief Risk Officers — connect enterprise risk management with board risk oversight
  • Heads of Internal Audit — position assurance evidence for effective audit committee challenge
  • General Counsel and Compliance Leaders — manage conduct, conflicts, disclosure and accountability

Skills and tools covered

Board effectivenessGovernance architectureRisk appetiteAssurance mappingEthical oversightGovernance reform

Tools and standards

OECD G20 Principles of Corporate Governance, ISO 37000 Governance of Organizations, COSO Enterprise Risk Management Framework, IIA Three Lines Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short expert briefings to introduce governance principles, followed by boardroom case work, document analysis, facilitated group exercises and decision simulations. Participants assess sample board mandates, committee charters, risk reports, assurance maps, remuneration proposals and crisis papers. Scenarios require directors and senior executives to weigh competing stakeholder interests, incomplete information and escalation choices. Instructor feedback connects each activity to recognised frameworks and governance standards. The final sessions focus on application planning for participants' own governance responsibilities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have substantial management, advisory or governance experience and familiarity with how boards, executive teams and committees operate. They should be comfortable reading board papers, risk reports, financial summaries and policy documents. Prior involvement in strategic planning, risk, audit, compliance, legal, finance, company secretarial work or executive leadership is useful. The course does not require previous director experience, an accounting qualification, legal qualification or prior use of OECD, ISO or COSO frameworks. It is not designed as an introductory corporate governance course.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

This is an advanced course for experienced managers, advisers and governance professionals who work with boards, committees or senior leadership teams. Participants should understand basic organisational structures and be comfortable discussing strategy, risk, controls and accountability.

Bring examples of non-confidential governance challenges, such as unclear authority, board reporting concerns, committee effectiveness or risk escalation issues. Course materials are provided, and participants should not bring confidential board papers or restricted information.

It suits directors, chief executives, company secretaries, risk leaders, internal audit heads, general counsel and senior compliance professionals. It is also relevant to senior advisers supporting governance reviews, board evaluations or organisational reform.

General leadership courses focus primarily on leading people, teams and organisational change. This masterclass concentrates on governance structures, board authority, strategic oversight, assurance, ethical accountability and the evidence required for sound board decisions.

Participants can use the diagnostic, mandate, assurance-map and action-planning materials to assess a current governance issue. The methods can support board calendar reviews, committee charter updates, risk reporting improvements and governance reform proposals.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. The programme is delivered through ten connected modules covering governance foundations, board oversight, risk, assurance, conduct, crisis response, evaluation and implementation planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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