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IMD Board Director Diploma

Elevate your performance in the boardroom

IMD Board Director Diploma

Elevate your performance in the boardroom

Location
Lausanne
Length
9 days with flexible timetable
Fee

CHF 30,000

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

Much of what is required for a board to be effective can be achieved through the right education. Board education is key to growing excellent individuals into great value-adding board members and transforming a group of individuals into a board that is a major competitive advantage for a company.

An effective board can help companies overcome blind spots in strategy and raise awareness of external risks. It can also connect with governments, society, and other stakeholders, and build trust in ways that executive teams cannot. Today’s overstretched chief executives and senior executives need the support and abilities of boards to handle the increasingly complex world around them.

IMD has elevated board practice for more than four decades, drawing on the research of our 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.

Fully grasp governance best practices

Understand best-in-class corporate governance processes and practices – and how the best boards use this to elevate their contribution.

Update your knowledge

Familiarize yourself with the latest thinking in in key subjects, which are essential to master in order to be a best-in-class board member.

Improve your performance

Close knowledge and skills gaps to improve your individual performance on boards.

Tailor your learning

Customize your learning according to your needs, areas of interest and aspirations to develop yourself as a board member.

Certify your skills

Earn your diploma to demonstrate that you have further developed your knowledge and skills, and are equipped to contribute to elevating your board’s performance.

Man board member in a classroom at IMD business school
You and your peers

You will have the opportunity to network with fellow participants coming from diverse international organizations and a broad range of industries.

Typical participants are:

  • Non-executive board members
  • Chairpersons

 

from a medium- to large-sized private or public enterprise, non-profit organization, foundation or governmental entity.

After the program, you will continue your learning journey by joining IMD’s vibrant board community.

Your learning journey
Prepare for your board diploma journey
  • Meet your dedicated coach and discuss your learning goals. 
  • Start your learning journal, identifying your journey and objectives. 
Choose your three thematic board programs

On campus, three 2-day programs 

Start your pathway with three short thematic programs of your choice, focusing on key areas that bring value to the boardroom: 

Attend High Performance Boards

On campus, 3-day program over 4 days 

Participate in our flagship governance program, High Performance Boards, offering essential insights into issues related to supervisory board performance and effectiveness. Together with peer board members and prominent chairpersons from around the world, learn about successes and failures and explore best practices in depth.  

Complete your learning activities

Online

Complete your learning journey with an Action Learning Project, peer review, finance and governance assessments – and if eligible, a Grand Oral Distinction Exam.  

Receive your IMD Board Director Diploma

You will be invited to participate in a graduation ceremony (attendance is optional), and also receive a diploma SmartCertificate 

Activities throughout your learning journey

You will engage in a range of activities aimed at supporting your development of key governance capabilities and prompting reflection about the implications for you as a board member.

Learning journal

Reflect on your progress on your journey objectives, reviewed by your coach and learning manager. 

Coaching calls

Engage in two calls with your designated coach to discuss your insights and progress, and to reflect on your learning. 

Governance assessment

Complete a comprehensive assessment on board governance principles to test your understanding. 

Finance assessment

Test your financial oversight skills with a comprehensive assessment. 

Grand Oral Distinction Exam

You may be selected for the optional IMD Board Director Grand Oral Exam to earn a diploma with distinction.

 

Hear what our diploma graduates say

IMD board diploma graduates speak about their learning experience, just after receiving their diplomas.

What our participants say
Hans Peter Bar, Board Director Diploma Graduate
Hans Peter Bär, Ph.D.

Board Member/Chair, various companies and alternative investment funds, Switzerland and Luxembourg

Preparation meets opportunity!

Preparation meets opportunity! The IMD Board Director Diploma prepared me to assume substantial board mandates and make a real difference in the world of corporate governance. IMD’s international reputation, practical and modular approach, and outstanding faculty are undoubtedly best in class.

Anouk De Blieck

Non-Executive Director, Elliott Scott HR and Member of the Board of Advisors, Lifeed, Italy

A forward-thinking approach

Governance is an opportunity to take a forward-thinking approach and future-proof organizations. The IMD Board Director Diploma is about exactly that.

George Vadakkekara

Executive Chairman, Thejo Engineering Limited, India

Global participants and targeted learning

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.

Christiane Kuehne

Non Executive Board Member and Chair of the Sustainability & Ethics Committee at Stora Enso, Finland

Ready for my next board mandate

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.

Keith Svendsen

CEO, APM Terminals and Independent NED & board member, The Netherlands

Rich content and modular learning

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

Jacqueline Hess

Vice-Chair Board of Directors, Vontobel Swiss Financial Advisers AG, Switzerland

I honed my experience and skill set

The IMD Board Director Diploma 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.

Board community
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.

Customize your learning journey

Build your personalized learning journey from a combination of programs covering multiple topics – see journeys from alumni.

Keith Svendsen
CEO, APM Terminals and Independent NED & board member at various companies
His diploma journey
Marie-Françoise Damesin
Board member at Renault Spain, Urbanis, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Applus+
Her diploma journey
George Vadakkekara
Executive Chairman at Thejo Engineering Limited
His diploma journey
Explore your program options
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