Training for recently appointed or future directors
The IN-Board program was created within the national alumni associations of INSEAD. This “peer-learning” initiative was launched in 2009 and has now expanded over 6 European countries i.e. the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Scandinavia and UK. The access to this “by alums for alums” program is reserved to INSEAD alumni paid members.
The Belgian Chapter of the IN-Board Academy Program is a professional training program for recently appointed or future INSEAD Alumni board members. The participants learn the best practices of board dynamics from Faculty chosen among Belgium’s most experienced board professionals and business leaders. The program aims at contributing to more effective boards in any type of organisation.
The program consists of three learning forums. It starts with 6 thematic workshops or Labs (4.30-8.30 pm) organised in the boardrooms of Belgian companies. In these workshops, participants reflect on the challenges of the board. The Labs are built up as a mix of experiences shared by the Faculty, peers and case studies discussed with the group. These Labs are complemented by a 21/2 day training at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, during which the participants from all the participating countries reflect on their own personal skills in relation to board members’ work. The third forum consists of the writing of a white paper. Participants are requested to explore a current board-related topic and to position themselves on that topic.
Key benefits
- Understand the fundamentals of board dynamics as well as the role and duties of the director
- Learn good practices from industry leaders sharing their experience in an open and informal way
- Learn through case studies and from peers through the workshop format
- Understand the strengths, weaknesses, biases and postures of a director sitting at a board table.
- Build or expand personal networks, become part of an active international IN-Board alumni community
Our program
Lab I - Legal and corporate framework, governance, responsibility, liability
Corporate partner: Cofinimmo
Topics
- Governance framework and codes: listed and private companies Codes, one-tier vs two-tier boards, role, responsibilities and liabilities of directors, the role of the secretary-general, committees of the board, shareholder’s meeting, etc.
- Legal framework: civil and criminal liabilities, risk mitigation for directors, responsibilities, communication to the market, sensitive information, types of activism, board composition guidelines, legal standards re-performance, monitoring and compliance, etc.
Faculty
- Francoise Roels, Executive Committee & Board Member Cofinimmo, Chair of Woman on Board
- Philippe Lambrecht, Special Advisor to the CEO FEB-VBO, Professor UCLouvain
- Thierry L’Homme, Senior Counsel, Linklaters
Lab II - Risk Management and Control
Corporate partner: EY
Topics
- Audit committee: role and duties (terms of reference), flows of information, due diligence, independence
- Risk management: risk assessment and mapping, probability and impact, emerging risks, mitigation measures, lines of defence
- Internal control and audit: effective control, financial reporting, compliance, role and responsibilities of the statutory auditor, supervision of the internal audit
- Ethics and integrity: compliance and integrity, fraud management, whistleblowing
- Stakeholders of the audit committee: the dialogue with the board, the executive committee, the statutory auditor, the internal auditor
Faculty
- Eric Van Hoof, Partner EY
- Diego du Monceau, Independent Director, former Chairman ING Belgium
- Xavier Bedoret, Chairman of the Board and the Audit Committee of Cenergy Holdings
Lab III - Decision making in boards in times of crisis in the company
Corporate partner: McKinsey & Company
Topics
- Corporate values, mission, objectives
- Crisis and business risk management
- Role and position of board members and management (chairperson, executives, independents, non-executives) in business transformations and crisis situations
- Stakeholders relationships and management of “social interest”
- Crisis communication: social media, battlefield communication, pro-active communication, sensitive information), who communicates what, when and where
Faculty
- Michel Van Hoey, Senior Partner McKinsey & Cy
- Louis Muyldermans, Partner McKinsey & Cy
- Francois Gillet, Managing Director Sofina Capital, Executive Committee Sofina
Lab IV - Decision making and board dynamics, the chair – CEO relationship
Corporate partner: BNP Paribas Fortis
Topics
- Roles of the chairperson, the non-executives, the independents, the CEO/executive directors; relation Chair-CEO
- Decision making process: Board/Excom inter-action
- Assessment of board performance
- Attitudes and behaviours, team performance, biases, etc. to avoid boards being an “incompetent team of competent people”
- Observations on types of boards you are sitting on: mid/small caps, non for profit, public, venture capital, listed, industrial, services, etc..), management of growth, re-structuring, internationalization
Faculty
- Herman Daems, Chairman BNP Paribas Fortis
- Jean-Charles Uyttenhove, Board & C-level Excellence, Country Head Belgium IN-Board Academy
- Evelyn du Monceau, Honorary Chair UCB, Board Member Solvay
Lab V - Family governance and family business boards
Corporate partner: Solvay Group
Topics
- Company types and stages: listed/unlisted, with(out) reference shareholder, growth/maturity, entrepreneurial/multi-generational, local/global, etc.
- External CEO vs. family chairman and vice versa
- Family governance: family representation and control, “responsible” ownership, conflict resolution, next generation, etc.
- Role of companies vs. society
- Corporate values, ethics, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder vs shareholder value
Faculty
- Nicolas Boël, Chairman Solvay Group
- Jef Lievens, Roots advocaten, Instituut van de Familiebedrijven
Lab VI - How professional investors impact board dynamics
Topics
- Types of professional investors (mid/small caps, non for profit, public, venture capital, listed, industrial, services), and situations (start-up, seed, growth, re-structuring, internationalization, etc.)
- Private equity governance model: profile and role of non-executive directors in a private equity backed company
- Composition: which and when, expertise, diversity, type of independent directors
- Functioning: agenda alignment, time horizon management, CEO entrepreneur and management vs shareholding, conflict resolution
Faculty
- Michel Casselman, General Manager PMV
- Frank Maene, Managing Partner Volta Ventures
INSEAD - Fontainebleau leadership development module: “becoming a more effective board member”
The Belgian IN-Board Academy participants can either start or finish their program with the “Leadership” module, organised by INSEAD on the Fontainebleau campus. The participants in this module are a mix of IN-Board participants from the participating countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia and UK. This module takes place over a long weekend and focuses on the behavioral dimension of work on the board as well as the personal effectiveness of the board member. The training is based on INSEAD’s (Manfred Kets de Vries) proprietary and reputable methodology. It is also a great opportunity to “re-smell” the INSEAD experience and liaise with international IN-Board members.
Topics
- Board dynamics and board effectiveness
- Leadership development
- Personal leadership style based on a 360° appraisal and group coaching sessions
Faculty
- Professor Eric van der Loo, Affiliate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD
- Professor Jaap Winter, Professor Corporate Law, Governance and Behaviour at VU Amsterdam and Visiting Professor of Corporate Governance at INSEAD
Whitepaper
About
The participants are requested to write a white paper that could be presented to the press. The work on the white paper goes on throughout the year and in parallel with the Belgian labs. The group selects a topic from a shortlist by the end of Lab II and finalizes the paper by the end of Lab VI. Past published white papers include:
- “Activism and Company Boards: fight, flight or adapt?” (Wave VIII, 2021)
- “Is the ESG topic on the agenda of the Belgian SME’s boards ?” (Wave VII, 2020)
- “What’s going on outside the formal Board Meetings?” (Wave VI, 2019)
- “Insights on the functioning of Profit and Non-Profit Boards in Belgium” (Wave V, 2018)
- “Supporting SMEs to Dare Boards” (Wave IV, 2017)
- “Board Companionship as a model to train Board Members” (Wave III, 2016)
- “Board Leadership in the Age of Disruption” (Wave I, 2014)
Participants profile
The access to this program is limited to the INSEAD alumni (MBA or Executive Programs) and members of the IAAB. Approximately 100 alumni have attended the Belgian program so far. The participants come from diverse sectors of industries: listed companies, private companies, family enterprises, start-ups, government, social profit, private equity and consulting firms. The participants are experienced executives and board members. They have an international profile and bring extensive experience into play. Some have already prior board experience, but this is not a prerequisite to participate.
Belgium IN-Board Committee & Academy
This program is organised by the Belgian IN-Board Committee, under the leadership of Jean-Charles Uyttenhove:
- Jean-Charles Uyttenhove, Country Head
- Muriel Van Severen, IN-Board Academy Coordinator
- Xavier Bedoret
- François Gillet
- Guus Keder
- Paolo Senes
- Luc Vanbecelaere
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