IMD board diplomas

Your paths towards certified board excellence

IMD board diplomas

Your paths towards certified board excellence

Gain and certify the necessary skills to excel as a modern board member

Board education is key to growing excellent individuals into great value-adding board members and evolving their understanding of how boards can best serve organizations. High performing board members excel in their fiduciary duty of overseeing risk and are a real competitive advantage for a company.

An effective board actively supports the organization’s strategy and oversees organizational risks – typically with a different time horizon from senior management. It also engages with governments, society, and other stakeholders in ways that executive teams cannot. With their distinct role and capabilities, boards play a complementary role to CEOs and senior executives, supporting and challenging where needed in an increasingly complex business context.

We have elevated board practice for more than four decades, drawing on the research and world-class thought leadership of the IMD Global Board Center. Our programs offer the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary for board members to make a truly meaningful contribution in their roles. 

40 years of experience

Be inspired by the latest research and the world’s best boards. Draw on more than 40 years of board education experience to prepare your current or future board to face the challenges of a complex world.

Extensive portfolio

Gain breadth and depth of knowledge of key topics, such as team dynamics, digital transformation and stakeholder management, to make an informed contribution to any board.

A valuable community

Join a community of past IMD board program participants who meet regularly – face-to-face and virtually – to exchange board experiences from different contexts and discuss the latest developments and trends in governance.

Woman board member in an auditorium at IMD business school - IMD Business School
Two pathways to boardroom excellence

Whether you are an aspiring board member or you have many years of board experience, IMD has a board diploma pathway for you.

Holding a diploma that certifies your knowledge and skills is an advantage for sitting on any board. Your pathway to certification will give you the confidence and capabilities to fulfill current or future mandates and bring value to the boardroom. Regardless of where you are in your board career, an IMD diploma will reinforce your credibility, give you a deep understanding of governance best practices and latest thinking, and testify to your ambition to excel.

Your pathways at a glance
IMD Board Readiness Diploma
For executive directors and aspiring board members

The IMD Board Readiness Diploma equips executive directors and aspiring board members to confidently take up a board mandate. After completing the diploma and accumulating boardroom experience, participants can continue their learning journey and obtain the IMD Board Director Diploma.

Fee: CHF 20,000

 

IMD Board Director Diploma
For non-executive board members and chairpersons

The IMD Board Director Diploma is designed for non-executive board members and chairpersons looking to take up their role more effectively. With the support of faculty, coaches, and peers, you will develop an understanding of the levers that elevate board practice and work on a personal action plan as you reflect on what your skills, background, personality, and values can bring to a board.

Fee: CHF 30,000

With boards comes responsibility. Transitioning to a board career demands good governance foundations and solid frameworks. IMD provided just that, with its blend of theory and practice. Being certified with the diploma and having that boards language provides credibility, depth and experience.

 - IMD Business School
Anouk De Blieck Non-Executive Director, Elliott Scott HR & Member of the Board of Advisors, Lifeed, Italy

The different programs of the IMD Board Director Diploma have empowered me to make real use of the learnings around board processes, team dynamics and managing politics. With global participants and targeted learning, this diploma shows you what is truly achievable for your board.

 - IMD Business School
George Vadakkekara Executive Chairman, Thejo Engineering Limited, India

As a board member you need to stay on your toes and keep learning to understand what’s happening globally and contribute to the growth of the company. With the diploma I grew as a board member in terms of professional knowledge, with a new way of looking at things and the capacity to ask the right questions around a business plan. The programs reenergize you and change the way you approach your work with boards.

 - IMD Business School
Jessica Teo Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Louis Dreyfus Company, Singapore

I had been on a board before but wanted to be effective and clearer on the role and governance of a board. The IMD Board Director Diploma gave me the skills and confidence for my next mandate.

 - IMD Business School
Christiane Kuehne Non-Executive Board Member and Chair of the Sustainability & Ethics Committee at Stora Enso, Finland

I was looking for programs that would really provide the framework for my board work. The diploma offered the rich content and the modular learning that I was after for my roles on various boards.

 - IMD Business School
Keith Svendsen CEO, APM Terminals, Independent NED and board member at various companies, The Netherlands

I’m formally launching my board career. IMD’s board education is a strong credential to evidence good board governance skills that drive impact and value. Executive search firms are very interested to know that I have this diploma. It honed my governance experience and skill set and broadened my perspective. I now have a better awareness of where I could have blind spots and the actions I can take to work on them.

 - IMD Business School
Jacqueline Hess Vice-Chair Board of Directors, Vontobel Swiss Financial Advisers AG, Switzerland

IMD enlightened me on how exemplary boards function and helped me find my role and balance on boards in order to make a real contribution. Anyone who is an aspiring board member and wants to feel prepared for the next stage really needs to take this diploma.

 - IMD Business School
Bjarni Thordur Bjarnason Founder & Deputy CEO, Arctica Finance, Iceland
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Board community - IMD Business School
A valuable board community

Your diploma journey enables you to build a valuable network of board members that you can count on for advice and support far into the future.

You will join a community of past IMD board program participants who meet regularly – face-to-face and virtually – to exchange board experiences from different contexts and discuss the latest developments and trends in governance.

Explore your program options
 - IMD Business School
Become part of IMD alumni network

Grow your network by staying engaged with IMD.

On successful completion of this program, you become part of IMD’s powerful alumni network.

130k+ alumni

Networking

250+ events per year

Communities

50+ clubs worldwide

Resources