London, 24 July 2020 – ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute is pleased to announce that Victoria Penrice, a chartered governance professional with over thirty years of governance expertise, has been selected to be its new President, effective 1 August 2020.
Previously Group Company Secretary at Seadrill Limited until June this year, Victoria has experience in a number of sectors, from offshore drilling, mining and engineering to leisure. She is skilled in corporate governance, project delivery and board leadership, having worked for major household names including Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, The British Land Company PLC, Royal Mail Group plc and Mitchells & Butlers plc.
She also has in-depth knowledge of the Institute, currently serving as Vice-President and as a member of the Institute’s Nomination and Remuneration committees. In addition, Victoria has served on the Institute’s Audit and Risk Committee from 2014 – 2019, chairing it from 2016 – 2018, and she served on its Qualifications Committee and Investment Subcommittee until December 2018.
Commenting on the appointment, Sara Drake, chief executive of the Institute, said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Victoria as our new President. She brings with her an impressive range of experience and has been a vital part of the Institute’s board for the past seven years. Victoria has helped to oversee a significant period of change at the Institute, including the disposal of the Institute’s software companies in 2017, the reinvigoration of our branches across more than 60 territories, the introduction of a revised qualifying programme and the adoption of two new classes of membership. Her in-depth knowledge of governance, and the important role it plays in ensuring organisational sustainability, means that she understands completely the value that our members bring to society and how vital it is that we, as an Institute, provide the support and lifelong learning opportunities that our members need to flourish.”
Outgoing President John Heaton said:
“I am extremely pleased to hand the baton on to Victoria, who has a wealth of experience and a passion for good governance. Now, more than ever, the world needs skilled and knowledgeable governance professionals to support the boards and management teams battling with the current health and economic crisis, and I know the Institute will continue to be a vital source of support and development for them as we steer a path to recovery. It has been an honour and privilege to serve as President of such a long-standing Institute.”
Victoria Penrice said:
“I am honoured to take on the role of President and look forward to representing the interests of the many governance professionals that we support through our extensive branch network in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Crown Dependencies and associated territories, which include the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Globally, we are experiencing a financial downturn likely to be deeper than any seen for decades, and the skills of good governance professionals will be of paramount importance to help guide businesses, the third sector and other essential parts of the economy through this turbulence. Rightly, the expectations of boards continue to evolve and grow, with climate change and ESG being important areas of focus to ensure resilience. It is the guiding hand of governance professionals that keeps board attention on these wider issues and I am proud to be part of a profession which holds such an influential and pivotal position within the boardroom.”
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For further information, please contact Maria Brookes, Media Relations Manager:
mbrookes@icsa.org.uk
+44 (0)20 7612 7072
+44 (0)7890 649 143
Notes to Editors:
- The Chartered Governance Institute is the qualifying and membership body for governance with over 125 years’ experience of educating and supporting governance professionals. With a Royal Charter purpose of leading ‘effective and efficient governance and administration of commerce, industry and public affairs’, we provide professional development, guidance and thought leadership, and work with regulators and policy makers to champion high standards.
The Institute has divisions in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong/China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Southern Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The division headquartered in London (known as ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute) represents and supports members in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Crown Dependencies and associated territories, which include the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Website: www.icsa.org.uk - Victoria Penrice biography:
Victoria was Group Company Secretary for Seadrill Limited, a Bermuda registered company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Oslo Børs, until June 2020. She joined during a major refinancing which involved placing the group in US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, restructuring the group and successfully relisting the emerging company on both exchanges.
She has held consultancy roles at Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and Royal Mail Group plc. She has also held the position of Company Secretary at The British Land Company PLC, Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation plc and ACE European Group Ltd.
Between 2006 and 2010, Victoria served on the committee of the Association of Women Chartered Secretaries (AWCS), serving as President from 2008 until 2010, and continues to be involved with the association, mentoring governance professionals through the AWCS Mentoring Programme.
A seasoned writer and conference speaker on company secretarial and governance matters, Victoria has also previously taught corporate secretaryship to students of the Institute’s qualifying scheme at London Metropolitan University and was a member of the GC100 Group from 2011 - 2014.