Governance

Board effectiveness, oversight and accountability — the structures that connect strategy, risk appetite and assurance.

Introduction

Governance is how an organisation is directed and held to account: the board, its committees, and the flow of information that lets them oversee strategy and risk.

For control professionals, the board is also the audience. Risk, compliance and assurance work only creates value when its findings land clearly with the people who decide.

Governance

Board composition, committee mandates and the information that enables effective oversight.

Controls

Entity-level controls, delegations of authority and the tone set by leadership.

Risk

How risk appetite is set by the board, cascaded through the organisation and monitored.

Compliance

Corporate governance codes, director duties and disclosure obligations.

Sub-themes

The topics this pillar covers in its events, articles and working groups.

Board effectiveness & evaluation

Composition, skills, independence and how boards review their own performance.

Audit & risk committees

Mandates, agendas and the relationship with the three lines.

Risk appetite & strategy

Setting limits the board can use to make and challenge decisions.

Combined assurance for boards

One coherent view of assurance across all providers.

Director duties & accountability

Personal accountability regimes and what they mean in practice.

Group & subsidiary governance

Oversight across entities, jurisdictions and joint ventures.

Board reporting

Dashboards and papers that support decisions rather than bury them.

Culture & conduct oversight

How boards see, measure and shape organisational culture.

Regulatory watch

The frameworks and regulation we track for this pillar. Updates are published as Insights.

Europe

EU Women on Boards Directive — gender-balance targets for listed company boards
National corporate governance codes, e.g. UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 and German Corporate Governance Code
Governance disclosures under EU sustainability reporting rules

GCC

Capital market authority corporate governance regulations for listed companies
Central bank governance requirements for banks and insurers
Board diversity and nomination developments in the region

Global

G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance (2023)
ISO 37000 Governance of organizations
The IIA Three Lines Model

Events & webinars

Upcoming sessions for this pillar.

New dates are being finalised. Join the network to hear about upcoming roundtables, webinars and panels first.

Articles & insights

Analysis and regulatory updates from practitioners.

Governance

The three lines, revisited: why collaboration beats separation

The Three Lines Model moved the conversation from defence to value. What does that mean for how risk, compliance and internal audit work together?

LIC Editorial Team2 min read

Expert contributors

The practitioners who lead and contribute to this pillar.

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Bring your expertise to the Governance pillar.

We invite women working across Governance, Risk, Internal Control, Compliance and related disciplines to express their interest in joining Ladies in Control and contributing to its development.