*Partner copy* Fast-track your journey to the boardroom in 2023

It’s that time of the year when personal goals and career advancement are high on our wish lists. Given the explosion of interest in governance and the growing need to be multi-skilled to keep career options open, now is the perfect opportunity to add this extra string to your bow.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland recognises that professionals with a legal background already have much of the knowledge and skills needed for its Qualifying Programme to reach Chartered status in governance. For this reason, it offers a fast-track route for those with a law degree who also meet specific requirements regarding work experience. This means that Chartered status could be gained within a year by completing two modules rather than the full seven modules required of others studying for the qualification. If your role or career aspiration involves governance, it is a route worth exploring. By fast-tracking into a career in governance, your Chartered status – a benchmark governance qualification – will be recognised and valued by employers worldwide.

Today, there is much greater attention on organisations working legally, ethically and sustainably to find ethical solutions to global issues such as COVID-19, climate change and social inequality, and few roles offer as much opportunity to be directly involved in decision-making as that of the governance professional.

Three main reasons why barristers might want to pursue a governance-focused career:

(1) Influence: Governance offers a direct route into the boardroom. As the board’s most valued strategic adviser, you will use your legal knowledge in a job that sits at the heart of public, private and not-for-profit organisations.

(2) Value-add: The role directly influences strategy and decision-making, how an organisation achieves its aims and ensures that all activities comply with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements.

(3) Breadth: You will be rewarded not just financially, but professionally too as no two days are the same – you will have a role jam-packed with variety. All-seeing, all-knowing, and highly valued governance professionals are the eyes and ears of an organisation. There is much more to the role than simply ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance.

How to fast track?

If you are a qualified barrister, solicitor, chartered legal executive, or compliant with the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations, with at least five years of relevant post-qualified experience, you should be eligible to apply for the Institute’s Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme via the Fast Track Professional route.

The qualification can take as little as 9 to 12 months to complete, with just two modules to sit – Level 6 Corporate Governance and Level 7 Risk Management. By fast-tracking, you could quickly become a Chartered Secretary or Chartered Governance Professional giving you the core professional qualifications required to tackle challenges and make a positive impact in 2023.

To find out more, see cgi.org.uk and search ‘fast track’ or contact us at fast-track@cgi.org.uk

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland

Leading good governance since 1891, the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland assures world class standards of governance by setting the international qualifying standard as the only chartered professional body dedicated to supporting governance professionals.

Find out more at cgi.org.uk