The Chartered Governance Institute has welcomed today’s release by the Education & Skills Funding Agency of its ‘Academies financial handbook 2020’, in which the role of the clerk is recognised for the important advisory support that it brings to academy trusts.

Meet Sara Bourne FCG as she tells us what its like to be a governance professional in financial services

According to a poll by ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership, 73% of companies think that there should be more transparent reporting and disclosures about environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Just 16% of organisations polled are against this and an additional 11% are unsure.

Nicola Caroll, Corporate Governance Director at Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, and Robert Lyons, Deputy Company Secretary at Marks and Spencer Group plc have been jointly named ‘Governance Professional of the Year’ at The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland’s 2021 Awards, which took place at the London Park Lane Hilton Hotel last night. The Awards, which were hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dan Walker, recognise those individuals and teams who have excelled in good governance, helping organisations to better serve their stakeholders and society in the process.

Some 78% of organisations believe that sustainable values are very important to their community according to a poll out today from The Chartered Governance Institute and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership. An additional 22% consider that sustainability is slightly important and no organisations feel that it is unimportant.

According to a poll out today from The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership, companies and other organisations are taking a mixed approach to salary sacrifice during the Coronavirus pandemic. Some 41% of executive directors have taken a voluntary reduction in base salary (50% have not), 31% of non-executive directors have taken a reduction (56% have not) and 31% of senior managers on the management board have taken a reduction while 60% have not. There is less disparity in terms of the amount of the reduction with the majority of people across all three groups taking a 20% cut.

Organisations are still failing to provide enough support to staff in terms of their mental health according to a poll out today from The Chartered Governance Institute and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership. Fewer than half (45%) of respondents to the poll believe that their organisation does enough to support staff’s mental health, with over a quarter (26%) stating that their organisation does not do enough. A similar poll a year ago found parallel results: 49% of respondents believed that their organisation did enough to support employees’ mental well-being and 31% believed that their organisation did not.

Wendy Stanger, Director of Governance at East Coast College has been awarded an accolade for good governance by The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland, organiser of the prestigious CGIUKI Awards 2019. Wendy won the coveted Governance Professional of the Year award at a glittering awards celebration at the Park Lane Hilton in London last night.

Paul McCullagh, Company Secretary at Dublin-based Barclays Europe has been named Company Secretary of the Year by ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute at the Institute’s 2020 Awards. Paul was recognised for his drive and commitment to ensure Barclays Europe is at the forefront of best practice corporate governance, something which has earned him the respect and confidence of the Board.