Module 1 – Directors’ Duties, Responsibilities & Legal Obligations
Company directors have significant legal responsibilities in the Singapore environment. It is critical to understand these duties, maintain compliance and continuously keep abreast of any relevant changes to regulations and guidance. In this module, you will learn from the Companies Act as well as the general law and recent case studies to gain a sound understanding of the distribution of power, the duties and obligations of a board director, and the possible consequences of breaches of those obligations.
Course Outline:
- Explain the structure, operations and responsibilities of stakeholders and of the board.
- Describe the role and duties of directors on a board, and directors' inter-relationships.
- Understand the contents of the Companies Act and SGX listing regulation as applies to board directors and how directors can fall foul of this legislation.
- Explain the consequences of a breach of director obligations.
- Fully grasp what good governance means.
Course Duration: 3 days
Module 2 – Governing the Financial and Strategic Performance
This module explores the integral relationship between strategy and finance, emphasising the pivotal role of boards in evaluating corporate performance and creating value. Directors, equipped with sufficient financial literacy, are responsible for making informed decisions and sharing collective accountability for their firm's financial outcomes, while certain tasks are delegated to the audit committee. Concurrently, boards are tasked with developing, communicating, and assessing corporate strategy, ensuring the company's agility and ability to adapt to business and economic shifts. This dual focus enables the company to seize emerging opportunities, thus fostering sustainable value for stakeholders. The strategic impact and delivery of sustainable growth hinge on the effective integration of these financial and strategic responsibilities.
Course Outline:
- What is the board’s responsibility in oversight of company strategy?
- How can the board assist in promoting growth and what growth is beneficial to stakeholders?
- How to evaluate the financial health of companies using accepted methods in financial statement analyses? What are critical financial performance measures?
- Understand how to evaluate and make rational financial decisions.
- Explain how various actions and their alignment or misalignment will impact long-term shareholder and stakeholder value.
- Ensure appropriate and effective investment decisions.
Course Duration: 3 days
Module 3 – Board Dynamics and Culture in a Digital Age
This module explores two key connected topics. First, it covers how the board can provide direction and advice on how digital technology can enable business strategy. Second, it covers the dynamics inside the board and how directors can effectively influence each other and constructively manage tensions between them in the most effective way and in the interest of the organization. It will also highlight the critical role of the chair in fostering an open and transparent board culture and creating alignment. On the last day, participants will participate in a board crisis simulation in a fictitious digital company.
Course Outline:
- How to assess the organization’s readiness for a successful digital transformation and key related digital investments?
- The increased role of organizational culture and leadership to succeed a digital age.
- What are the interpersonal and procedural tactics for influencing group decisions?
- How trust can be nurtured between directors, even in situations of crisis and tensions, and how to deal with conflictual situations with the executive leadership team?
- What are the key ingredients of board collective performance?
- How the board culture impacts the organizational culture?
- The role of the chair as a facilitator of difficult conversations: Relevant behaviors and interpersonal styles.
Course Duration: 3 days
Module 4 – Risk Management & Cybersecurity Governance
The board has ultimate responsibility for managing risks. The board should determine the company’s levels of risk tolerance and risk policies, and advise management in the design, implementation and monitoring of the risk management and internal control systems intended to avert crises. Consequently, the board must work with management in dealing with unpredictable events which may lead to crisis. Of particular importance in our digital world, cybersecurity resilience is now a core component of risk management.
Course Outline:
- Understand the various lines of defense to ensure effective controls within the firm.
- Identify early warning systems in place to alert the board and senior management to emerging risks and assist in developing strategies to anticipate and prevent crises from occurring.
- Appreciate if the right risks are being identified, assessed and managed - with a focus on quality over quantity.
- Understand risk appetite/ tolerance levels set for the company and the impact of this on strategy.
- Appreciate the level of oversight of crisis management and business continuity.
- Establish the appropriate ‘tone at the top’ to reinforce and promote a risk aware culture.
- Efficiently leverage cybersecurity to ensure business continuity and resilience.
Course Duration: 2 days
Module 5 – Sustainability Governance
As a steward of your company's long-term success, it's critical to understand how ESG expands your reporting, fiduciary and accountability duties. By incorporating ESG considerations into your decision-making processes as a board director, you can ensure that your corporation can not only develop sustainable business practices but also explain to its stakeholders what role it is playing in addressing societal and environmental challenges.
Course Outline:
- Understand how ESG expands your fiduciary and accountability duties in your role as steward of your company’s long-term success.
- Ensure that the corporation can explain to its stakeholders what role it is playing in addressing societal and environmental challenges.
- Understand how sustainable business practices result in improved financial performance for corporations.
- Identify and prioritize ESG risks and opportunities and associated management KPIs.
- Be ready to lead conversations and ask the right questions in and out of the boardroom by acquiring deeper ESG literacy.
- Oversee how sustainability is taken into consideration in culture, processes and talent management.
Course Duration: 2 days
Module 6 – Effective Succession Planning and Compensation Decisions
This module is designed to equip participants with the knowledge to design effective succession planning programs, understand and define key leadership roles, implement robust evaluation processes, develop strategic compensation plans, and navigate the complexities of executive compensation benchmarking. Through practical discussions and case studies, participants will learn how to balance board rewards and risks, ensuring your company's leadership is poised for sustainable success and long-term value creation.
Course Outline:
- Understand the roles and responsibilities of, and differences between, the Nominating and Remuneration committees.
- Provide an understanding of how to design a succession planning programme to ensure continuity of talent in key C-suite positions and of the chairman and within the board itself.
- Share approach to define the need for these key leadership roles and identify which employees should be developed to fill these positions in the future.
- Ascertain robust processes for evaluation of chairman, board and C-suite to ensure a wide range of competencies and experience to effectively deal with the opportunities and issues the company faces.
- Provide insight on how to develop effective compensation plans that are closely linked to a company’s talent strategy and aligned with its goal of creating shareholder value.
- Outline the different methods by which CEO and top executive compensation is benchmarked and measured.
- Assess Board reward / risks equation and assess how these risks be dealt with (e.g., D&O insurance).
Course Duration: 2 days
NEW
Module 7 (elective) – AI Governance
This module provides board directors with a comprehensive understanding of AI governance, focusing on the implications of generative AI and others forms of AI for business strategy, labor, economy, and talent. It addresses governance, compliance, risks, and ethical considerations in AI adoption, equipping directors with the tools and knowledge needed for informed, data-driven decision-making about AI strategy and oversight at the board level.
Course Outline:
- Understand the fundamentals and current state of generative AI technology.
- Explore the AI ecosystem, including key players and economic dynamics.
- Assess the impact of generative AI on business, labor, economy, and talent.
- Identify governance, compliance, and ethical considerations in AI adoption.
- Develop effective strategies for AI implementation and oversight at the board level.
- Navigate risks and challenges associated with early AI technology adoption.
- Make informed, data-driven decisions regarding AI strategy and governance.
Course Duration: 2 days
Target audience
Aspiring, newly-appointed, and current board members, senior management of corporations, government and nonprofit organisations as well as senior partners of professional firms who interact with corporate boards and would like to understand the intricacies of board roles and responsibilities.
Course duration
6 modules (2–3 days per module).
Format
Interactive classroom lectures by leading faculty and senior industry practitioners, with regional and global case studies discussion. Group interaction and simulations are integrated into the sessions.
Each module relies heavily on peer learning and the collective intelligence and experience of the participants. Questions and objections are highly encouraged during the interactive lectures, group discussions, case studies and simulations. Each module is followed by an assessment which challenges the participants to translate the learning of the module to their organisation or an organisation that they know well.
Course Dates
Module 1 – Directors’ Duties, Responsibilities & Legal Obligations
Run 1: 7-9 Jan 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Run 2: 6-8 May 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Run 3: 13-15 May 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Module 2 – Governing the Financial and Strategic Performance
Run 1: 9-11 Feb 2026 (Mon to Wed)
Run 2: 22-24 Jun 2026 (Mon to Wed)
Run 3: 1-3 Jul 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Module 3 – Board Dynamics and Culture in a Digital Age
Run 1: 11-13 Mar 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Run 2: 15-17 Jul 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Run 3: 29-31 Jul 2026 (Wed to Fri)
Module 4 – Risk Management & Cybersecurity Governance
Run 1: 23-24 Apr 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Run 2 and 3: 10-11 Sept 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Module 5 – Sustainability Governance
Run 1: 18-19 May 2026 (Mon to Tue)
Run 2: 26-27 Oct 2026 (Mon to Tue)
Run 3: 27-28 Oct 2026 (Tue to Wed)
Module 6 – Effective Succession Planning and Compensation Decisions
Run 1: 25-26 Jun 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Run 2 and 3: 26-27 Nov 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Module 7 (Elective) – AI Governance
Run 1:5-6 Mar 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Run 2: 8-9 Oct 2026 (Thu to Fri)
Course Fee
|
Leading to the award of |
Module 1-3 (3 days per module)
SID members: $4,360 (incl. 9% GST) per module
Non-members: $4,796 (incl. 9% GST) per module
SID members: $11,990 (incl. 9% GST) 3-module package
Non-members: $14,170 (incl. 9% GST) 3-module package
|
Board Executive Certificate in Directorship
|
Module 4-6 (2 days per module)
SID members: $3,161 (incl. 9% GST) per module
Non-members: $3,597 (incl. 9% GST) per module
SID members: $9,265 (incl. 9% GST) 3-module package
Non-members: $10,464 (incl. 9% GST) 3-module package
|
-
|
Module 1-6
SID members: $21,255 (incl. 9% GST)
Non-members: $24,634 (incl. 9% GST)
|
Accredited Diploma in Directorship |
Module 7 (Elective)
SID members: $3,815 (incl. 9% GST)
Non-members: $4,251 (incl. 9% GST) |
- |
SkillsFuture Credit base tier can be used for this programme. Please click here for more details. Eligible for Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above.
CPD hours
24 hours per 3-day module; 16 hours per 2-day module.
(136 hours total for the complete programme)
For any questions, please contact us at [email protected].