Journey of Excellence: Fifteen years of the GCC Board Directors Institute

The GCC Board Directors Institute (GCC BDI) is the Gulf’s pre-eminent organisation for boards and directors. It is a registered not-for-profit company which was launched in 2007 and is today supported by 8 key Strategic Partners, namely First Abu Dhabi Bank, National Bank of Bahrain, Saudi Aramco, SABIC, Allen & Overy, Heidrick & Struggles, McKinsey & Company and PwC; and actively partners with all the regional regulatory authorities.

This year we are celebrating GCC BDI’s 15th anniversary which is a tremendous milestone and achievement for all those involved since the idea was first germinated in 2006 and finally took shape in 2007.

Back in 2007, the notions of good corporate governance in the Gulf were nascent. Today, good governance is one of the top priorities of board chairs and executive management as they realise it is critical to the sustainability and investment attractiveness of their companies. As a result, the role of GCC boards has shifted considerably over the past 15 years from largely collegial bodies aimed at approving company strategy to a key governance organ meant to challenge and inspire strategy, address risk management and deal with succession planning.

The Institute was founded with a Vision to make a positive impact on the economies and societies of the region by promoting professional directorship and raising the level of board effectiveness. GCC BDI has been committed to this vision and has now provided professional development to over 2500 Gulf board directors.

In the last 15 years we have increased the number of workshops and seminars covering vital board leadership education, including the areas of corporate governance, board evaluation, board diversity and corporate leadership. In 2018 we launched our Certified Board Secretary programme, focusing on the important governance role of the board secretary. In 2019 we launched Director Certification starting with The World of Directorship – Certificate in Board Directorship; then in 2020, this was followed by the Diploma in Board Directorship and last year we introduced the ‘Chartered Director’, our flagship qualification and the international gold standard for professional director development.

In a wider recognition of success, GCC BDI has been named as one of MEA Market's winners, receiving the Leading Experts in Board Director Development 2022 - GCC award. This follows on from our success in being awarded Best Professional Business Organisation – Dubai in 2021. In 2017 and 2018, GCC BDI was named as winner of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Corporate Governance GCC Award’ by Capital Finance International.

We are proud to say that in the last fifteen years, GCC BDI has achieved a rich track record with a unique combination of local experience and understanding, strong corporate governance knowledge, practical director expertise and tried and tested programmes.

To all our GCC BDI members, clients, partners and stakeholders – and to my fellow Governor and all our staff – I thank you for your continued commitment to GCC BDI.

Happy 15th Anniversary!

Mohammad Al Shroogi,
Chairman, GCC BDI