- 16 July 2026
It was a genuine pleasure to spend two days this month in the company of our professional community at our annual conference. My thanks to everyone who joined us in London, whether as a speaker, a delegate or one of the many members who stopped me between sessions to share a view, a challenge or an idea. Those conversations are the part of the conference I value most, and they will shape our thinking in the months ahead.
The programme itself confirmed what many of us already sense: the questions reaching governance professionals are broader and more consequential than they have ever been. Anjli Raval’s keynote on AI asked an important question of employers: not only how technology is changing the way we work, but how organisations value, support and develop their people in an AI-orientated world. The launch of our extended leave and AI governance research, and the findings of the Governance Market Survey all pointed in the same direction: Governance is more important than ever and Boards are looking to governance professionals to help them think clearly under pressure. That is a significant responsibility, and a considerable opportunity.
Where we go next
The conversation will continue on 10 September when we return to London for the Subsidiary Governance Conference at The Minster Building, examining the particular demands of governing across group structures. Then on 6 October, Governance North brings us to The Midland in Manchester for a day built around the priorities of members in the north of England. I would encourage you to join us at both if you can. And a reminder that entries for this year's CGIUKI Awards close on 24 July. If you know of a person, a team or a project deserving of recognition, please do not let the deadline pass.
A strategy taking shape
Many of the conversations I had at the conference turned to the future of the Institute itself, and I was glad of it, because they come at exactly the right moment. I am currently working with our Board on a new strategy, informed by what we have heard from members over the past year. The strategy rests on four pillars: remaining relevant, developing the skills and career support our profession will need; the value we offer through our membership and education provision; our brand profile as the leading authority on governance matters; and the impact we create through our voice, in thought leadership and in policy and public affairs.
Each pillar matters, but I want to dwell on the last, because it speaks to something members tell me consistently. Governance rarely makes the news when it works. It becomes visible only in its absence, when oversight has failed and the consequences are being counted. Part of the Institute's job is to change that: to make the case, publicly and persistently, that governance is a strategic capability and a stabilising force, not a compliance exercise conducted out of sight.
Speaking when it counts
Recent weeks have shown what that looks like in practice. When the Ockenden review into maternity services at Nottingham was published, we said plainly that its findings on board oversight, assurance and candour carry lessons for every NHS board, not one trust alone. When Baroness Amos reported on maternity and neonatal services across England days later, we made a similar argument: culture is not separate from governance, and a system in which some women receive less safe care because of their race is a system whose governance is not working. These are not comfortable interventions, but they are necessary ones, and they place the profession's expertise where it belongs, at the centre of the national conversation.
Our voice is also being heard on issues close to members' daily working lives. Our research on the statutory duties of trustees and directors during extended leave, including maternity leave, was covered prominently by both Third Sector and Charity Times this month. It is a subject that had received far too little attention, and the response tells us the profession has been waiting for someone to address it. This is the kind of practical, evidence-led work the Institute should be known for, grounded in the realities members face and focused on what organisations need to resolve next.
None of this happens without you. The strength of our voice depends on the evidence, experience and judgement of our members. If you have a case study to share, a platform you could speak from, or expertise that could inform our policy work, we would be very glad to hear from you.
I hope the summer gives you time to rest and reflect. The Institute’s autumn is already taking shape, with the September and October conferences I have mentioned, an active programme of branch events across the UK and Ireland, and a series of roundtables and discussions built around the issues that matter most to you. Our international calendar is also gathering pace, including the CGI Global Governance Summit 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, organised with Chartered Secretaries Malaysia, which will explore governance, sustainability and value creation, and where I will be moderating a panel on the governance of digital technology. UK and Ireland members are eligible for discounted CGI divisions member rates, and we will continue to highlight events and branch activities that help our overseas members stay connected with the Institute and the wider profession.
That public case for governance carries furthest when it is grounded in the practical reality that can only come from the lived experiences of our members. I therefore urge you to help us build a stronger, more compelling narrative that leaves boards, shareholders, regulators and politicians under no illusion that good governance is the very foundation upon which the trust and confidence of markets and society depends, and good governance relies upon the skills and experience of qualified governance professionals