The unique structure of businesses, located in various remote locations, means the demand for bespoke in-house Governance training is on the rise. Read how three diverse businesses worked with Governance Institute to support the development of their board and employees’ ethical standards and governance skills.
Governance Institute’s in-house training provides efficient learning
Governance Institute’s in-house training service has experienced a spike in interest as organisations across all sectors catch on to the rewards of this innovative approach to professional development.
It combines the Institute’s unrivalled teaching resources on governance, risk and compliance, with the convenience, flexibility and tailored approach of in-house training.
Three diverse organisations — the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Playgroup Queensland and Perth-based car dealership, the John Hughes Group — recently worked with the Institute to develop and roll out bespoke in-house learning for their directors and executives.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is Australia’s collector, supplier and manufacturer of lifesaving blood products. The Blood Service is a division governed by its own board, comprising nine non-executive members and the company’s chief executive.
Governance is critical to the organisation to ensure accountability to a range of important and unique stakeholders. This includes blood donors, patients, hospitals and healthcare providers, its parent organisation, and state and federal government that fully fund the Blood Service.
The Blood Service placed its board through Governance Institute’s ‘Duties of Officers and Directors’ course last year. Board Secretary, Ms Gabrielle Hewitson, worked with the Institute to tailor the course, selecting a course facilitator with senior experience in the not-for-profit sector.
‘Our board members have quite diverse backgrounds with many hailing from the health or medical fields rather than the more traditional paths of law or accountancy. We wanted to give everyone on our board a consistent level of skills and understanding of their responsibilities.’ Ms Hewitson said.
‘As a government-funded not-for-profit, we are accountable for every taxpayer dollar we spend. The in-house option made sense as it was far less expensive than sending every board member off to do an individual course.’
Ms Hewitson said that governance principles are now top of mind for all board members thank to the training.
Playgroup Queensland
Playgroup Queensland provides opportunities for children to learn through quality play experiences while supporting parents and carers in their role as first teachers. It operates in more than 1,000 playgroups state-wide and engages about 12,000 families within the community every year.
Playgroup Queensland services also extend to programs and assistance to families and communities with high or complex needs. This includes those experiencing adversity, and indigenous and culturally diverse communities in remote, rural and metropolitan areas.
Ian Coombe, Playgroup Queensland’s chief executive said that governance and transparency are key for the organisation as it receives funding from three levels of government.
‘Many not-for-profit organisations are well-meaning. But to succeed in an increasingly complex world and continue attracting public funding, it’s not enough to simply have your heart in the right place,’ Mr Coombe said.
Mr Coombe said he wanted to ensure his entire board, the compliance officer and key members of the management team including himself — a total of ten people — gained the appropriate qualifications to demonstrate Playgroup Queensland’s strong governance credentials. Candidates were given the choice of qualifying for the Certificate in Governance Practice or the Certificate in Governance and Risk Management.
Importantly, Mr Coombe opted for the courses to be delivered via in-house training because of its flexibility, convenience and cost-effectiveness.
‘Governance Institute listened to our needs and adjusted the course content and timing of the training to suit our schedules. It is very powerful that our key staff and board can all say they have achieved a respected Certificate-level qualification. It reflects our strong governance capabilities and will serve as a platform for further professional development down the track,’ he said.
The John Hughes Group
The John Hughes Group is a Perth-based car dealership that employs about 560 people and sells more than 1,700 new and used vehicles every month with an annual turnover of $550 million. The company has also diversified into many peripheral areas in the automotive industry including insurance, finance, tyre and batter service, roadside assistance and vehicle transportation.
The catalyst for governance training initially came from the group’s insurance business, Sovereign Insurance. Chief executive, David Burnell and chief risk officer, Chris Wimble, both felt it was important for a board with highly specialised industry skills to receive training in broader governance principles and to refresh their understanding of directors’ duties and the regulatory framework.
According to Mr Wimble, Governance Institute’s in-house training format gave them the flexibility and convenience they needed.
‘As Sovereign Australia Pty Limited’s board has a majority of independent directors, it was a challenge to get them all together in the one place for the face-to-face training. However, Governance Institute worked closely with us to schedule suitable times so that each of the six course subjects could be delivered every two months, in the interval between board meetings,’ Mr Wimble said.
And according the Mr Burnell, soon after they saw the advantage of extending the training to executives in the greater John Hughes Group as well.
‘The mantra of our dealership is ”integrity”. As a group we want to maintain our reputation as a well-run company with high ethical standards and good governance will definitely support that,’ Mr Burnell said.
For more information on Governance Institute’s tailored in-house training, please visit < http://www.governanceinstitute.com.au/inhouse > or email: < info@governanceinstitute.com.au. >
