Please note: Bookings close 22 September at 12:00
This practical, one-day programme gives you the knowledge, frameworks and insight to contribute from day one, grounded in how Gulf boards actually work: the codes that bind them, the legal duties that sit on directors, and the realities of boardroom dynamics across the region's family, state-linked and listed companies.
Every governance framework is taught through a real case, run from beginning to end, so that the law and codes are learned in the context of actual board decisions and consequences.
The scope extends beyond legal foundations to include stakeholder management, risk oversight, audit, and board effectiveness.
Attendees will learn to:
- Navigate any GCC governance code and identify which provisions bind your board.
- Apply directors' legal duties under regional company law in live board situations.
- Assess what distinguishes high-performing boards and effective committees.
- Contribute to strategy, oversight and assurance through governance, risk, AI and ESG.
- Challenge management constructively with a clear sequence that holds under boardroom pressure.
- Prepare a credible route to your first or next non-executive role.
Assessment for the NED certificate is optional, via an open-book, timed assessment (30 multiple-choice questions, requiring a 70% pass mark). Participants have 12 months to complete the exam following the course. The qualification signals boardroom readiness.
NEDA Premium Membership: The programme includes 1 year of NEDA Premium Membership; participants join a professional community with access to the NED Handbook (6th Edition), ongoing development resources, and a global network of board members who share a commitment to governance excellence.
Cohort Size: Up to 20 delegates.
The Programme Schedule:
Module 1: Governance, Law, and the NED Role
Master the legal frameworks, structural requirements, and analytical parameters that guide non-executive directors within the Gulf boardroom environment.
- The pillars of corporate governance: purpose, board, strategy, and culture.
- The internal frameworks defining the board's five critical roles, and where the NED sits in each.
- GCC governance codes compared: what binds your board in each jurisdiction, aligning operations across regions.
- Specific NED legal duties under active UAE and KSA company law.
- The art of constructive challenge: questioning management without breaking the boardroom.
- The intersection of corporate strategy, AI, and modern governance: what boards are now expected to oversee.
Module 2: Stakeholders, Risk, and Effectiveness
Analyse financial exposure paths, risk tolerances, and evaluation processes necessary to protect systemic organisational performance.
- Dynamic stakeholder mapping evaluated through a major GCC transformation case.
- Balancing complex risk appetite parameters against the seven core GCC board risks.
- Audit committee oversight, going concern judgements, and Islamic finance governance.
- Board effectiveness reviews and structured crisis management protocols.
- Managing ESG compliance metrics, family business governance structures, and formal certification paths.
Please note that programme timings are subject to change:
08:30 Registration and arrival
09:00 Programme begins (Module 1)
12:30 Working lunch
13:30 Afternoon session (Module 2)
17:00 Networking reception and dinner
20:00 Close
Who Is This For?
- New and aspiring NEDs or senior executives preparing for their first board appointment in the Gulf, or building towards a portfolio career, and seeking a credential that signals readiness to nomination committees. The qualification allows delegates to build foundational knowledge, understand their legal obligations, and develop their practical skills experiencing board pressures.
- Experienced or serving directors looking to formalise their governance grounding, move into new jurisdictions, or step onto boards with more demanding oversight expectations. The qualification is a great way to sharpen instincts, update knowledge, and stress-test decision-making in a controlled environment.
- Governance and company secretariat professionals working alongside boards and seeking to understand the oversight function from the inside.
About Emile Woolf Middle East:
Emile Woolf Middle East is a boutique enterprise learning partner based in Abu Dhabi, trusted by sovereign wealth funds, global energy groups, government entities, and professional services firms across the region, with a focus on board readiness, leadership journeys, women in leadership, and governance, risk & compliance.
About ICAEW Middle East:
ICAEW Middle East is the Middle East office of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a global professional membership organisation for chartered accountants. Based in Dubai, it supports ICAEW members and students across the region and provides access to professional qualifications, insights and professional development.