Our Building your governance career event on Thursday 12 September was a great opportunity for those entering the profession to meet peers and to learn from the experiences of a varied range of speakers.
We were not surprised to see a sea of raised hands in response to the question ‘Who here “fell” into governance?’ Awareness of governance as a career path remains limited, though that is something that we are trying to change. However, it was gratifying to hear from so many speakers about their positive experiences working in governance across a wide range of sectors.
What is governance?
For those who are not familiar with governance, we define it as ‘the framework by which organisations are directed and controlled.’ Which means that those working in governance really are at the heart of their organisations, supporting and advising on key decisions in the boardroom from a very early stage.
Benefits of the career
Governance offers the opportunity to move between sectors, and to shape a career around your interests and strengths, because of the breadth of issues it touches upon. So many of our members cite the variety of work as one of the things that they enjoy most about their career, though that comes with the caveat that carefully crafted to-do lists often go out of the window within minutes of arriving in the office!
How to get started
There are several routes into a governance and many skills that can be transferred from other careers, but we would recommend undertaking a professional qualification to establish the technical knowledge that will enable you to excel.
School leavers may consider getting started with the Governance Officer Apprenticeship. Those who already have a degree may look for trainee roles where employers will provide support to undertake the CGIUKI Qualifying Programme, or they may opt to undertake a Masters in Corporate Governance – we work with a number of accredited universities. Those moving from a previous career in areas such as law or accountancy may be able to Fast Track into governance as they already have some of the required expertise.
How to progress
Technical know-how is just one part of the skill set that is required to do well in governance. Emotional intelligence, relationship building and the ability to influence people are also vital to success in senior governance roles. While training can get you part of the way there, experience is also important. Developing these skills on the job can be supported through other informal training routes such as mentoring – for those who think this would be helpful, CGI has a mentoring scheme.
The governance community in the UK is relatively small so your reputation matters, and it’s good practice to build and maintain relationships as you never know when they could lead to a new opportunity. Plus, for those who are working in small teams or even solo roles, having a network of peers to call on for advice and support can be invaluable.
CGIUKI provides many opportunities to meet fellow governance professionals, through a range of in-person and online events. We also have our branch network, focused on building local governance communities and providing regional support to members.
Useful resources
For those who are just starting out in governance, or who are considering moving into the profession, CGIUKI has a range of resources available. Why not do a quick skills audit using our competency framework assessment tool?
It can also be worthwhile to read about the experiences of our members – lots of case studies are available on the discover governance pages.
We’ll be following up on this blog with more insights from the Building your governance career event, looking specifically at topics such as how to have difficult conversations, and what hiring managers are looking for when you apply for a role.
