5 May 2014 | Comments
St Helena Government, working with the UK Institute of Directors (IoD), recently hosted an intensive six day programme (23-29 April 2014) to provide a development opportunity for existing and aspiring Directors of companies, NGOs and charities on St Helena.
The training was delivered by David Buckle from the IoD (photo attached) and covered the Nature of Corporate Entities, the Role of the Board, Corporate Governance and Tools and Techniques for Directors.
41 people enrolled on the programme and comments received highlighted the impact of the training: “Excellent course – clearly delivered in plain English”, “Great overview to Directorship. I leave the course with valuable theoretical and practical pointers”, “Empowered me to undertake my responsibilities with a sense of purpose for the company”, “…dispelled a number of myths about Boards and Board roles.”
During the training, using case studies and open discussions, attendees were able to see some of the key corporate governance concepts in action and think about how these might be applied in their own organisations on St Helena.
Boards of Directors in public, private and third sector organisations on the Island will be at the forefront of change when the Airport is operational.
Director of Enterprise St Helena, Rob Midwinter, a participant of the programme, commented:
“It is vital that those serving on Boards and Committees (both private and public sector) have a better understanding of what their corporate responsibilities are and how these should be delivered.”
CEO of Connect Saint Helena, Barry Hubbard said:
“All of Connect Saint Helena’s Board attended the recent training event. Having relevant training is essential in any job and as a Board we recognised the value in receiving this training to help us run the business more effectively. The IoD is internationally recognised for its professional standards and David Buckle proved to be a knowledgeable and very experienced tutor who was able to deliver relevant training to the variety of businesses in attendance.”
Solomon’s Chief Executive, Mandy Peters added:
“Brilliant two-day course – refreshing approach to covering a range of complex issues in a condensed timeframe and excellent use of case studies help illustrate in a very practical way.”
David Buckle summed up:
“Not surprisingly, some of the concepts surrounding the role of Boards – especially the interaction between Boards and management on the one hand and Boards and shareholders/stakeholders on the other, have not, as yet, been well developed on the Island.
“I was impressed by the willingness of participants to engage with the subject matter and get the maximum benefit from it – we worked long hours but everyone was still going right up to the last!
“This was just a starting point to show how Boards can provide entrepreneurial leadership to businesses on the Island. Many attendees expressed an interest in carrying out further training – especially in the areas of financial risk management and strategy.”
The Institute of Directors (IoD) was founded in 1903, and aims to actively promote best practice and the increased professionalism of Directors by creating a real understanding of the unique nature and requirements of the role.
SHG
5 May 2014
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