Strategy and the Board
Director Development Programme 2023 >> Strategy and the board
Why should you attend?
There are different kinds of boards and board styles that exhibit different methods of management and direction. We want to give you practical exposure to many of these and ensure that you leave the course ready to enter a board meeting.
Strategy is concerned with ensuring that the company creates value in the long term for its principal stakeholders. It is about the direction of travel, a roadmap for which this direction can be achieved.
The strategy must also create an advantage for the organisation over its competition. The environment in which all companies operate is increasingly complex, technologically connected, and influenced by social, political and environmental factors. The director must be able to navigate the organisation through these challenging waters.
Course features and benefits
This course provides directors with the ability to understand their role in the creation and implementation of the strategy. It encompasses the overall organisational strategy, by which companies fulfil their purpose and achieve objectives. This can be viewed as a return on investment for a business owner, or a fulfilment of a company’s role in society with the investment of resources.
Participation on this course will enable you to:
- Understand what strategy is and how a board uses it
- Appreciate the strategic importance of a clear purpose as provided by mission and values
- Appreciate the basis of strategic thinking
- Increase awareness of the information required to create and manage strategy
- Apply a range of techniques to assess the internal and external environment and its potential impact on strategy
- Expand your knowledge of creativity and analysis, and rigorous decision making
- Risk assess and monitor performance
- Understand the role of the board in implementing strategy
Part of our Director Development programme
Our Director Development programme offers a comprehensive and practical ex
As a director, navigating challenges whilst keeping your business operating legally and effectively can be difficult. Whether you’re an experienced director, or just starting your first appointment, understanding what is expected of you in your role is vital to staying on top of your responsibilities.
You may also meet a diverse range of delegates that operate across private, public and charitable sectors, and so these peer-to-peer learning experiences will offer different perspectives, the ability to network and share similar challenges with real-world outcomes.
We work in an ever-changing environment, so we offer all of the modules in our programme in a virtual or face-to-face capacity.
Strategy and the Board - course outline
This course will cover the following:
Section 1 – The Director’s Role in Strategy
- What is Strategy? How is it part of good corporate governance?
- Strategic analysis: where are we now?
- Foundations for strategy (mission and purpose review)
- External analysis tools
- Internal analysis tools
- Current state assessment
Section 2 – The Director’s Role in Strategic Thinking
- Determining a future state
- Define goals and a vision for the future
- Business and value proposition
- Risk appetite
- Generating strategic options
- Determining strategic goals and objectives
Section 3 – The Director’s Role in Strategic Planning
- Long and short-term planning
- Resourcing, systems and people capacity
- Risk assessment
- Barriers to implementation
Section 4 – The Director’s Role in Strategic Implementation
- Leadership communication and commitment
- Business plan implementation
- Data and intelligence capture
- Management oversight
- Monitoring and reporting performance
Duration and dates
2 days
Virtual dates: 14-15 September
Face-to-face dates: 8-9 June, 9-10 November
Course leader - David Hannath

David has over 15 years of experience working with Boards, Directors, and Senior Management in major plc’s, private, public, and third sector organisations. His UK sector experience includes retail; transport; construction; manufacturing; housing; health and social care; and charities.
He is adept at Board level governance and in 2012 he co-developed the European Governance Model ® which incorporates European Standards for Boards and is now being used by UK organisations as a benchmark for board governance reviews.
He led the training for conducting governance self-assessments and peer reviews and he has also led external reviews of NHS Foundation Trusts.
As an experienced advisor and facilitator, David has led numerous Board strategy reviews; and help organisations accelerate performance, improve business growth by reviewing and aligning business strategy, systems, and capability.