The Department for Education’s recognition of academy trust clerks as the board’s ‘governance professional’ is a start in terms of acknowledging the importance of the role, according to ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute. Recognising the broader responsibilities as “…about helping the board understand its role, functions and legal duties and supporting the chair to enable and facilitate strategic debate and decision making” in the DfE’s revised Governance Handbook, the Institute believes that this continued emphasis shows the important advisory and support role that governance professionals play in helping academy boards to achieve success

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has today announced the full line-up of speakers for its 2020 Governance Guernsey conference, which is taking place on 21 October, one of the few live conferences taking place in the British Isles, thanks to strong management of COVID by Guernsey’s government.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute is holding an a Networking and Social Evening for members and students on Thursday 22 October, which will recognise the exam successes of its students.

According to a poll by ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership, the majority of companies are prepared for the UK to leave Europe with no trade deal in place. Some 71% of respondents, the majority of which hail from finance, commerce and industry, said that they are very prepared for a no trade deal scenario. Just 9% are not at all prepared and an additional 20% were unsure of how prepared their organisation was at the time the poll was carried out.

The Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) convenor responsible for gathering the views of trustees on the charity accounting framework has today begun work with trustees to gain an insight into their understanding of the framework. Trustees in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are being asked to complete a questionnaire which will help to clarify their position.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute is delighted to announce the names of those students who have achieved the highest marks in the Institute’s Isle of Man examinations since the June 2018 exam sitting. The students received their awards at a celebratory event at Tanners Loft on 22 October.

According to a poll out today by ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership, 36% of respondents confirmed that their company would be downsizing their office space in the future, but there is plenty of sentiment that offices will continue to serve a useful purpose as creative hubs and meeting spaces.

With increasing numbers of countries re-entering lockdown as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has scheduled an event looking at how best to organise and hold meetings in a locked-down world.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute is pleased to announce details of the newly elected branch council for its Isle of Man branch, which supports members and students of the Institute living and working on the island. The branch plays a crucial role in promoting good governance on the Isle of Man, something which enhances the island’s reputation as a good place to business.