Certified Board Secretary Programme - Strategy & Risk

Saudi Nationals who complete the full certification programme and become Certified Board Secretaries can apply for a partial refund from HRDF up to a value of SAR 5,400. Terms and Conditions apply. Click here​ for more information.

Our Certified Board Secretary Programme is being run in collaboration with the Financial Academy who are the Awarding Body.

Certified Board Secretary Programme – Strategy and Risk :Module 4

Online Workshop Details

• Date: PART1: 04-05 November 2025

PART 2: 10-12 November 2025

• Time: 9:30am - 6pm (KSA Time)

10:30am - 7pm (UAE Time)

• Format : Online

Overview

Board secretaries have an important role to play as governance professionals in all types of organisations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Governance is more than just complying with laws, regulations, standards, and codes; it is also about creating cultures of good practice. This means that board secretaries need more than the technical skills and experience to know what corporate governance practices are needed in an organisation and why.

They also need the emotional intelligence, skills and experience to ensure that they know how the practices typically would be implemented to work effectively. The modern board secretary provides professional guidance to shareholders, boards, individual directors, management, and other stakeholders on the governance aspects of strategic decisions.

Workshop outline

Risk & Business Continuity Planning

• Describe the nature of risk and the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process
• Explain the board secretary's role in the risk management framework
• Explain the role of the internal auditor
• Advise the board on business continuity planning

Building Ethical Cultures

• Describe the importance of an ethical culture
• Define business ethics, ethical principles and ethical values
• Analyse how board secretaries can assist boards to reduce instances of unethical behaviour and develop formal corporate cultures
• Explain the importance of whistleblowing in developing cultures

Sustainability

• Examine the board secretary's role in sustainability
• Explain the business case for incorporating environmental and social considerations into strategy
• Identify the components of a sustainable partnership
• Describe how environmental and social considerations can be integrated into strategy

Strategy Development and Evaluation

• Explore the steps in a strategic planning process
• Identify and compare strategic formulation tools and their advantages and disadvantages
• Describe different types of restructuring that a board may use for strategic growth
• Examine the different methods for monitoring and evaluating strategy

Corporate, Sustainability and Integrated Reporting

• Identify and explain the board secretary's role in corporate reporting
• Explain how integrated reporting contributes to the good reputation of the organisation
• Demonstrate how the board secretary can solve the challenges of producing an integrated report

Who should attend?

• Appointed and aspiring board secretaries, company secretaries and governance professionals.
• Anyone involved in companies law and regulatory compliance.
• Anyone seeking a better understanding of the role of the board secretary who has responsibility for corporate governance practices and interaction with the Board.

Programme fees

Price per person for 5-day workshop:

• Non-member: USD 4,860
• Ordinary: USD 4,617
• Member: USD 4,275
• Fellow: USD 3,690

Rates above are exclusive of VAT and any WHT and effective as at 17 May 2020. Special rates are available for purchasing multiple seats - please ask us for more information.

GCC BDI Certified Board Secretary Programme

This workshop forms part of the GCC BDI certified board secretary programme which GCC BDI has launched for GCC board secretaries. The programme consists of 4 workshops at 6 month intervals. To be certified by GCC BDI, a participant will need to complete all 4 workshops and pass the multiple choice exam at the end of each workshop. Certification is optional - board secretaries can simply attend one or more of the workshops if they don't wish to sit the exam.

The programme

The programme consists of four workshops:

• The Board Secretary Role - Governance and Decision-Making
• The Board Secretaries Role - Board Members
• The Board Secretaries Role - Shareholders and Other Stakeholders
• The Board Secretaries Role - Strategy & Risk

Participants can attend one, two or three workshops or all four, but if they wish to be certified they must attend all four in any order.

Objectives

• This programme will help the board secretary to act as a bridge for information, communication, advice, and arbitration between the board and management and between the organisation and its shareholders and stakeholders. The programme will support the board secretary to fully understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to all stakeholders in the corporate governance system.
• This programme is designed to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and practical tips for carrying out their duties as board secretary.
• The programme will be interactive and skills-based, providing participants with practical examples.

Certification

If a participant wishes to be certified, they must attend all four workshops and pass the multiple choice exam at the end of each workshop.

GCC BDI is pleased to announce the Board Secretary Certification Programme is now recognised by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Nationals who complete the full certification programme and become Certified Board Secretaries can apply for a partial refund from HRDF up to a value of SAR 5,400. Terms and Conditions apply. Click here​​for more information.

The Human Resources Development Fund is a Saudi governmental authority that was established by a royal decree in July 2000. It falls under the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development. HRDF is mainly concerned with providing financial support to organizations that train and qualify Saudis in the private sector.

The Human Resources Development Fund is a Saudi governmental authority that was established by a royal decree in July 2000. It falls under the Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development. HRDF is mainly concerned with providing financial support to organisations that train and qualify Saudis in the private sector.

For more details about the programme itself, please see the brochure here​