Strengthening governance in Pacific organisations requires a focus on enhancing leadership structures, decision-making processes, transparent communications channels, and accountability mechanisms, the Fiji Human Resources Institute (FHRI) stated as a three-day Pacific Board Governance Program got underway in Suva yesterday.
Pacific Board Governance Pte Limited was recently established by two experienced directors and governance educators, former PricewaterhouseCoopers managing partner Jenny Seeto and former chief manager Westpac Fiji David Evans.
Governance training for directors and executives, they said, was not a one-off exercise.
Today, around the world directors and executives need to undertake continual professional development in building strong and effective governance in organisations and this is now expected and even mandated by regulatory bodies in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
“Pre COVID, there was a number of governance courses run in Fiji which made a very positive difference in lifting governance standards across many organisations, large and small as well as in statutory authorities and government entities,” Ms Seeto said.
“Unfortunately, post the pandemic, the availability of Pacific oriented governance training courses and programs for directors and senior executives has largely evaporated. I could sense the frustration and the need from many boards and organisations in Fiji, something had to be done.
“David Evans, with a commitment to improving governance in the Pacific was an obvious partner to work with me to develop a three-day Pacific Board Governance Program.”
Over the past 12 months, the two veteran executives have worked to develop a series of governance workshops combined into a three-day program aligned to global contemporary standards.
The first workshop day covered board governance principles and practices, including the roles and responsibilities of directors under the Fiji Company Act.
The second day of the program covered risk and strategy governance, where, as Mr Evans put it, “where the rubber hits the road for directors and officers of a company in discharging their duty of care and diligence.”
The final third day of the program provided the opportunity to understand financial statements, a key responsibility for all directors and officers of a company.