The need for businesses to be nimble, resilient, flexible, and adaptive during Covid-19 and how boards can help their organisations thrive, will be key topics being discussed at a major business conference next month.

The Institute of Directors Bermuda branch will hold its second corporate governance conference virtually on November 3, under the tag line “Strategic Oversight in a Changing World”.

Sara Schroter, conference co-chairwoman, said: “We felt it was timely to bring together information to support boards as we go into 2021. It is important right now, because uncertainty is ahead, and because directors will be held to a higher degree of accountability as we move forwards.

“When companies fail, the economy is also challenged, so every director will want to bring their best game to the boardroom.”

Speakers at the conference, which will be held virtually, are:

Charlotte Valeur, outgoing chairman of the Institute of Directors and founder of the Board Apprentice programme, who will lead the session “Amplify your Impact”, which will examine approaches directors can take to enhance their contributions to board room discussions.

Roger Barker, director of policy and corporate governance at the Institute of Directors, who will look at “Corporate Governance Trends for 2021 – What's Next on the Horizon and Beyond?”

Aleksander Petrov, partner, McKinsey & Company and Alan Gier, global director, risk management and insurance, General Motors, will talk on “Covid 19 – Resilience and innovation” sharing the story of how GM pivoted and mobilised its resources for the public good, and examining research and best practice from the field.

David Batstone, co-founder and senior managing partner of Just Business, co-founder and director of REBBL, co-founder and president of Not For Sale, Gina Pereira, founder of Dana Philanthropy and Nathan Kowalski, chief financial officer and senior portfolio manager, Anchor Management will discuss “Why Boards Should Adopt an ESG Mindset”.

And Natalie Neto, a partner at Walkers, will provide a recap of recent relevant regulatory and legislative developments in Bermuda.

Conference co-chairwoman Michelle Cardwell added: “Greater debate should be encouraged so that the best ideas are discussed, lessons are learnt from the past and those experiences are taken into the future.

“What Covid-19 has taught us is that many companies were unprepared to deal with a crisis and be able to pivot quickly and successfully. It has taught us some valuable lessons that can support the organisation going forwards.

“So maybe the strategic plans which were created in 2019 have already had to change substantially with regard to the roles of technology, the workplace, products and service delivery.

“As a result of Covid, we have access to so much more information, training and webinars than previously. One of the issues is now being able to sort through that information and choose training that is relevant and topical for directors in Bermuda. We think that this conference achieves that.”

The virtual conference, which is being sponsored by Washington Properties, is $50 for IoD members and $75 for non-members. The registration website is: https://web.cvent.com/event/936706b2-ccc9-460d-b924-573a327ad2d4/summary