Executive and Non-Executive
Directors Programme
Introduction to the Board
3-Day accelerated programme
This course is an intensive introduction to the role of the Board and a testing and development of the skills of effectiveness. It is useful for both existing and new directors and non-executive directors.
Topics considered include:
The Board And Director’s Role In Strategic Decision Making
- Approaches to decision making: techniques and tools for use
- Creating a climate/culture which promotes and encourages open debate and discussion
- Influences and considerations in decision making
- Potential impact on all stakeholders
- Corporate responsibility
- Ethical consideratons
- The appropriate evaluaton and management of risks associated with decisions
- Identfcaton of conflicts of interest
- The board’s dynamics and politcs; power, influence and conflict on the board
- Types of decisions: ongoing day to day, crisis
- Impacts of decisions: allocaton of responsibility for implementaton; communicatons with stakeholders
The Board’s And Director’s Roles In Handling Crises
- Processes and procedures are in place in readiness for crisis situations, which ensure business continuity
- Board processes and practices are in place which maximise the possibility of potential crisis situations being identified and reputation/other risks being controlled.
- Processes ensure clarity of responsibilities in crisis situations
- Typical ‘crisis situations’, e.g. health and safety, IT infrastructure, security
- Appropriate stakeholders are consulted, involved and communicated with in responding to crisis situations, e.g. special advisors, staff, customers, suppliers, media, investors
Reviewing The Effectiveness Of The Board’s And Directors’ Performance
- Awareness of individual attributes of a director
- Techniques and approaches for evaluating the effectiveness of the board and individual director (including the contribution of non-executive directors and board committees)
- Communicating effectively with the board and providing feedback to enhance individual and board effectiveness/performance
Programme Presenters
Stephen Richard Letza
PhD MSc FCA CTA FRSA
Professor of Corporate Governance
Dr. Leslie Spiers
Stephen Richard Letza
PhD MSc FCA CTA FRSA
Professor of Corporate Governance
Steve is a highly respected and award winning author and Professor of Corporate Governance at Bournemouth University, UK. Steve is also a co-founder and director of the European Centre for Corporate Governance Ltd. Previously he held the post of head of department of Accountng, Finance and Economics and Chair in Corporate Governance at Bournemouth University. Steve has also held senior positons at Liverpool John Moores University where he held the post of Director of Research for the Faculty of Business and Law and Leeds Business School where he lead the Centre for Director Education. He has directed several large research projects on Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Performance Measurement and Corporate Reportng.
He has also held positons as a non-executve director in fve companies and Trustee for a Registered Charity. In recent years he has acted as consultant to many for-profit and not-for-proft organisatons including several U.K. and overseas insttutons.
He was a member of the Department for Trade and Industry and the Economics and Social Science Research Council’s jointly sponsored ‘think tank’ on Corporate Governance. As a widely sought afer specialist, he has worked for government departments and multnationals including the large automotive company, Continental, and the British Broadcastng Authority (BBC). He has also been appointed to key global commitees, including the Chinese commercialisation think tank Advisory board and served on the International Advisory Commitee of leading Business Schools, such as NIMBAS (The Netherlands Institute for MBA studies).
In addition to holding a Master’s degree from the University of Manchester and a Doctorate from the University of Bradford, Steve is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Associate of the Chartered Insttute of Taxation and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Steve is also a founder member of the Research Forum on Operatonal Risk, which advises bodies such as the Bank of England on policy. He has also acted as a panel member of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Educaton in the UK.
Dr. Leslie Spiers
Leslie is the owner-manager of Boardroom Dynamics, an international director and board development company. Leslie is also a joint founder director of the European Centre for Corporate Governance Ltd. He is Non-Executive Chairman of the Boards of M12 Solutions Ltd. Platnum Property Partners Ltd. Nebula Systems (UK) Ltd. and advises the board of Field International Ltd. He has completed term assignments as chairman of the board in companies in the agricultural, constructon, recruitment, media, medical, leisure and automotive sectors. He is a specialist in governance in SMEs, strategy development and implementation and works with many companies to improve the performance of directors and boards. In 2013, Leslie was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
His career has spanned both public and private sectors and has involved him working in organisatons ranging from small companies to mult-national conglomerates. He was Director of Consultancy with Mecca Leisure Ltd at the tme of the management buy out from Grand Metropolitan and the subsequent flotaton on the Stock Exchange. He was Development Director whilst with The Rank Organisation and following his purchase of Rank’s property company he became Managing Director of Garsingtion Estates, an award-winning residental property development company.
He has been a trainer for the prestigious Institute of Directors where he delivers sessions on best practce in board governance and recently was a keynote speaker at an IOD conference. Leslie has reviewed the World Bank/International Finance Corporation’s handbook for governance in SMEs and is Secretary of the Corporate Governance Special Interest Group in the British Academy of Management.