The Institute of Directors, Bermuda, is celebrating the success of three delegates who achieved the diploma in company direction designation.

Cora Lee Starzomski, Jeffrey Ingelman and Tanya Bule all achieved distinction in their results and take the number of Bermudian-based diploma holders to 26, said Rochelle Simons, chairwoman of IoD Bermuda and lead for professional development.

Ms Simons said: “The diploma is step two in the IoD chartered director programme. It is appropriate for experienced directors and senior leaders who have completed the certificate in company direction and wish to continue their development with practical application and understanding of the knowledge and skills required at board level.”

Ms Starzomski, chief operating officer of Kattegat Ltd, said: “I was very impressed with the virtual course offering and specifically the diploma in company direction board simulation exercises. It allowed participants to hone the practical skills gained throughout the IoD learning experience in a safe environment.

“I also enjoyed working in groups with other like-minded peers from varied business backgrounds. This enhanced the overall learning experience and helped to broaden my strategic and governance knowledge base.”

Mr Ingelman, chief compliance officer at Nephila Capital Ltd, said he began the IoD programme in January and focused on completing the certificate in company direction and the diploma in company direction within the calendar year.

He added: “I was driven to do so in support of my current role and with a desire to remain current on best practice in governance and strategy. I found the strategy session the most interesting in the certificate programme, and the diploma content brought everything together through very practical, real-world scenario analyses. I plan on pursuing the chartered director designation shortly.”

Ms Bule, head of wealth, personal banking and marketing at HSBC, said: “I am delighted to have attained the IoD diploma qualification as it really brings together all the tenets of the certificate of company direction and allows you to deploy it in a practical fashion.

“From a brand Bermuda perspective, it is critical that we continue to demonstrate this type of thought leadership and demonstrate that we have the skill set locally to support the growth of local and international business. I am particularly hopeful that as a result of the success of this certification in Bermuda we will start to see some increased race and gender diversity on some of the local and international company boards.”

Ms Simons added: “Participation on this course enables directors to understand their board’s role, its dynamic, power, influence and conflicts; gain knowledge of important topics: risk and crisis management, decision-making, mergers and acquisitions, and board performance; understand relevant techniques and tools to improve personal skills and that of the board; and evaluate and improve the performance of the board, its committees and individual directors.”

The three-hour examination challenges each delegate to assume the role as a newly appointed non-executive director in the diploma case study. The delegate receives a board packet from which a set of notes are prepared for the next board meeting that critically evaluates the current position and performance of the DCS; critically evaluates the challenges facing DCS, formulates possible strategic options, and recommends a way forward, paying attention to strategic options that have been identified, the impact on DCS and an outline of any additional information the board would need to review before making a decision.

The IoD is also celebrating the following certificate in company direction delegates who also achieved distinction in November examinations: Sophie Campeau, CPA, CA, chief financial officer, Chartwell Industries Ltd; Simon Giffen, chief investment and governance officer, Argus; and Shanna Lespere, FCPA, FCMA, chief operating officer, Bermuda Monetary Authority.

Ms Simons added: “These delegate successes bring the total number of 2020 CICD graduates to 18, our largest success rate in a year since the first exams were offered in Bermuda in 2014. We also acknowledge successful delegates who do not wish to have their names published. We know that while our public records reflect 84 CICD holders in Bermuda, the success list is actually larger than what has been published.”

She added: “The IoD Bermuda is pleased to have been able to support resident delegates’ professional aspirations through the challenges of 2020. We acknowledge delegates’ commitment to up-levelling their contributions to personal, business and economic growth through our best practice programmes.”

The IoD Bermuda 2021 professional development calendar is available for registration. See www.iod.bm.