CMS Partner and IT and Outsourcing expert Dr Sam De Silva named Governance Champion of the Year

Dr Sam De Silva, a Partner in the IT and Outsourcing team of international law firm CMS, has been named ‘Governance Champion 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.

Sara Drake, chief executive of the Institute says:

“Dr De Silva is this year’s winner in recognition of his work leading the development of ISO 31022, the new global standard in legal risk management.

“This was, the judges felt, a project with a truly global impact. The nomination described someone who was prepared to go the extra mile in the name of good governance. It was notable, the judges felt, that Sam’s work on the standard had been undertaken on a voluntary and pro bono basis – it wasn’t integral to his job, he had chosen to take a leading role and make a difference. This is the essence of a governance champion.”

Dr De Silva beat off stiff competition in this category from leadership and governance strategist Tesse Akpeki of Tesse Akpeki Associates; Governance and Assurance Manager Fiona Jenkins of Hafan Cymru; and Zoe Bucknell, co-founder of Kuberno Limited, a consultancy specialising in Governance Operations and associated technology, all of whom were all shortlisted for the award.

The full list of 2021 Awards winners can be found at www.cgi.org.uk/awards 

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Notes to Editors:

1. The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland is the qualifying and membership body for governance with over 125 years’ experience of educating and supporting governance professionals. With a Royal Charter purpose of leading ‘effective and efficient governance and administration of commerce, industry and public affairs’, we provide professional development, guidance and thought leadership, and work with regulators and policy makers to champion high standards.
   
   The Institute has divisions in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong/China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Southern Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The division headquartered in London represents and supports members in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Crown Dependencies and associated territories, which include the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. Website: www.cgi.org.uk