FAISAL AL-NEFAIEBoard Secretary, Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Arabia

A governance professional shares his experience of the Governance Leadership Programme

For more stories and information about this programme, please visit icsa.org.uk/glpICSA

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I’m the board secretary and governance lead for AlRajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia. I discovered the Programme on ICSA’s website; I’d attended a number of conferences and training courses before, but nothing as comprehensive as their residential programme. I was looking for something that could combine not only the latest developments in the company secretarial arena, but also the opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues in similar roles from around the world.

I’d recommend the programme to anyone interested in or working in a governance role. It’s relevant, it’s different and it’s enjoyable. Some of the training I’d undertaken previously was delivered online, but there’s nothing that can beat being there in person; being part of an immersive experience that lasts for four days.

The programme director, Anna Bateson, was particularly impressive. She clearly has a lot of expertise as a facilitator, and she also has coaching skills that helped me in ways I wasn’t expecting. As well as learning more about the industry and the CoSec role, I learned a lot about myself and where my strengths lie. It was a new experience for me and inspired me to complete my legal training, which I’ve now almost finished. If it wasn’t for the one-to-one sessions with Anna, I would probably never have thought to develop these complementary skills.

The guest speakers on the programme were also very well chosen, offering perspectives and insights that we all found valuable. And just as important was the collaboration between participants –

it was an informal and welcoming environment that encouraged

knowledge-sharing and collective problem solving. Everyone was in a slightly different situation – from a different industry sector or company type – so it was fascinating to share our experiences and approaches to the issues we face day to day.

As soon as I returned from the programme I could feel the benefits. I had acquired a lot of new and very practical knowledge, which I was able to take to the boardroom immediately. If you’re in a company secretarial or governance role – or even in legal or marketing – this is the course for you.

I’ve also built up my personal network of governance colleagues. I’m still in touch with many of the other participants from the programme, and we get together whenever we’re in the same city at the same time – especially at the ICSA Annual Conference. So although the programme is four days long, the impact it’s having is much longer-term as we continue to share our thoughts and help each other along. If you haven’t done GLP, do it.

“I’d recommend the programme to anyone interested in or working in a governance role. It’s relevant, it’s different and it’s enjoyable.”

“It was an informal and welcoming environment that encouraged knowledge-sharing and collective problem solving.”