Major milestone for Australia’s largest director organisation
The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is celebrating a major milestone in its prestigious history, as its Company Directors Course (CDC) marks 50 years.
The program, which began in 1975 as a correspondence course, is today a recognised industry qualification for senior executives and directors. Graduates earn a GAICD post-nominal and join a richly diverse cohort of alumni across every territory and state, and across every industry sector.
The world’s largest director organisation, the AICD has supported more than 100,000 participants in building their governance capability through the CDC.
Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Kiel, a corporate governance and strategy expert, early architect of the CDC and chair of Strategic Governance, said governance in all its complexity has never been more important.
“Everything we do in our modern life involves an interaction with an organisation,” he said.
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“They are fundamental to modern society.
“If we’re going to have a society that really works, then we need to have organisations that know how to balance the needs of various stakeholder groups and work within the law, but also have an ethical basis, whether they’re for profit or not-for-profit.
“The academic in me says, when I started, life was all about management. The word governance was hardly ever spoken. It was about management and the CEO role. The Americans were very strong on this.
“We’ve come to recognise management is one side of the coin. The flip side is governance, and the two things are different. Where management is about the day-to-day operations of the organisation, governance is about the checks and balances to ensure the organisation is acting for the betterment of society, no matter what sort of organisation it is.”
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The five-day CDC covers five key areas: governance and board processes, the legal and regulatory environment, financial performance, risk and strategy, and board effectiveness.
Each module is led by experienced directors and subject matter experts who draw on contemporary case studies and boardroom scenarios. Sessions combine formal instruction, structured discussion, exercises and practical application of key principles.
Participants are encouraged to test their judgement, engage with diverse perspectives and reflect on their own boardroom context. The format allows for focused peer interaction, informal learning between sessions and deeper group discussion.
Kiel said directorship education has also broadened its appeal to be increasingly relevant outside the boardroom.
“If you’re a professional manager, you should do the course,” he said.
“Even if you don’t want to be a director, you should do the course just to understand what boards of directors are about.”
The Australian Institute of Company Directors is a sponsor of the South Australian Business Index lunch and networking event on Friday, 17 October at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Purchase your individual ticket or table of 10 now.
