September CEO Memo
Decisions made by governance leaders ripple far beyond the confines of individual organisations. They affect stakeholders in profound ways, influencing not only our own success or failure, but also the quality of the goods and services we deliver and the obligations we owe to the community. This interconnectedness underscores the importance of robust governance and risk management in fostering a society that prospers, innovates, and remains inclusive across a wide variety of sectors.
The capabilities of a governance and risk management professional extend far beyond the standard skills and knowledge of the various roles. They must also include mindset and cognitive skills, to enable agility and adaptation now and into the future.
As the sole Australian provider of chartered governance accreditation, the Governance Institute of Australia has a rich history of empowering professionals through robust education. That’s why, through the Governance Academy, we have undertaken extensive research and developed a new Governance Capability Framework, to help organisations and professionals respond to a rapidly changing and challenging world.
We are very proud to finally reveal more detail about our framework, which is a defined standard of practice that underpins the knowledge, skills, and mindset required for governance professionals. These capabilities have been identified through consultation and global research as the most crucial for governance professionals in the current and future workforce. The framework can be used alongside other technical or functional skills or deployed in specific job roles. It is designed to assist users across all sectors – public, not-for-profit, and private – in various contexts or industries.
The Governance Capability Framework is governed by three main domains that provide benchmarks for the personal (how someone thinks and behaves), the principles (what they do) and the practice (how they work).
Within these three domains, we have identified 22 separate capabilities including ethics & integrity, ESG, accountability, compliance, digital & data among them. You can find our full list of capabilities here.
By understanding and applying these capabilities at every stage of the career journey, whether you are an emerging, established or expert governance professional, you can enhance your effectiveness and better contribute to the overall success of your organisation.
The framework will provide life-long career development opportunities at every stage, fostering stronger community connections through our membership, our broader network and our students. It is well aligned with the Governance Institute’s values of integrity, courage, service excellence and collaboration. We all know good governance and risk management are essential in helping society to prosper and innovate, and we look forward to sharing our 2025 courses, including micro-credentials, with you soon.
You can hear more about our capability framework at our International Governance Leadership Conference on 4-5 September in Melbourne, as well as other incredibly insightful conversations with our amazing line up of speakers. It’s not too late to register – head to our events page now where you can sign up for our in-person event or for a special virtual experience. I look forward to seeing you there!