SUCCESS comes in many forms, but your method of attaining it should be adapted to fit your environment - that was the message delivered by heavy hitters at a British conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Insititute of Directors (IoD).

A diverse group of professionals - founder and chairman of the Virgin group of companies, Richard Branson, former British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Sir Terence Conran, designer and chairman, Conran Holdings Ltd., and five time Olympic rowing gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave were among them - shared their ideas on with some 3,000 business leaders who attended the gathering at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Included in the group were representatives of the Bermuda branch of the IoD, chairman Reginald Rawlins and its public relations chair, Elizabeth Tee.

The Institute of Directors was founded in 1903 shortly after the Companies Act came into legislation. Its members - more than 55,000 - come from every corner of the business community, from large companies and small private firms. Each joins the IoD in his or her capacity as a director or person of similar status.

"Today's director is a professional," explained Ms Tee. "Whether he or she runs a major quoted company or is developing an entrepreneurial business, the standards of knowledge and competence are higher than ever.

"Directors have not only to perform and deliver results, but also to do so amid a maze of laws and regulations and while under intense public scrutiny. This is what makes the IoD more relevant than ever.

"Directors were very different back in 1903. They were individuals who had been steeped in the particular business, many born into it. The idea that a 'director' could simply turn up and run the business, possibly having come from a totally different industry, would have seemed a bizarre concept, indeed verging on madness.

"Today, it is increasingly becoming the norm, certainly as far as the largest companies are concerned. A chairman or chief executive is seen as someone with a particular set of qualities and skills, rather than a specialist in a particular business or sector.

"Arguably, today's most successful UK banker is an ex-rocket scientist; the recently appointed chief executive of Royal Mail has come from the Football Association, having never delivered a letter or kicked a ball in anger. Our predecessors in 1903 would have been stunned at such moves!"

Many of the celebrity presenters at the conference spoke on their personal paths to success.

"As I work in the field of public relations, I found it extremely inspiring to hear Richard Branson, a leading entrepreneur and someone I consider a role model, say that he built the hugely successful Virgin brand on a tighly-controlled public relations campaign," said Ms Tee.

"I, too, believe that slightly off-the-wall PR launches, coupled with reputation management and good business ethics, are what helps successful companies grow into leading brands. (At the conference), Mr. Branson explained how he used public relations to create one of the most respected, although not necessarily the biggest, brands in the world. He built a fun brand using adventurous PR stunts while managing his reputation - which he worries about enormously - and insisted on two constants; one, that his company provide a quality product and, two, that it remain diversified.

"Virgin is in the business of airplanes, trains, bridal dresses, finance, cola, mobile phones and the national lottery. It also has a recording label. His belief is that if one business fails, hopefully there will be others that do well."

Sir Terence Conran, a renowned designer who began the UK retailer Habitat, believes success is a mix of creativity and business acumen: "People don't know what they want until you give it to them," he said. "It's up to entrepreneurs to put their heart into their businesses, use their own money and take the risk. Sometimes we make mistakes, but just do it."

Sir Steve Redgrave likened success in business to success in sport. Both, he said, involved goals, control, a certain mind-set, perseverance, strategy, planning and mental stamina.

Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Sir George Matthewson advised directors never to forget "the customer is king" - a technique which enabled him to expand his business organically, by ?5.8billion.

David Varney, chairman of mmO? and Business in the Community, spoke on the importance of corporate social responsibility.

"It's all about the way you go in to work each day and how you approach the challenge of doing business," he said. "Create a society in which you can be everything you want to be. Do the right thing - if it's good for the business, it's good for the community - if you don't, you won't be there in years to come."

q For further information, visit the IoD web site at www.iod.com