How to uphold ethical values in a competitive environment is high on everyone’s agendas at the moment and the main talking point at ICSA’s inaugural Isle of Man Corporate Governance Conference at the Mount Murray Hotel and Country Club on 15 July 2014.
Investors, regulators and the public are increasingly focussed on the ways in which organisations are run and the ways in which they behave. Consequently, the value to organisations of being able to demonstrate high ethical standards and high standards of corporate governance has never been greater.
Chaired by David Venus FCIS, President of ICSA, the conference considers what good corporate governance looks like in practice, the relationship between governance and business success, and what this means for businesses in the Isle of Man. Delegates representing some of the Isle of Man’s most high profile businesses will be shown the potential consequences of organisations getting governance wrong.
The opening address will be provided by John Shimmin MHK, Minister for Economic Development. Philippa Foster Back CBE OBE, Director at the Institute of Business Ethics, speaking on the topic of ‘Doing business ethically’, will explore some of the practical ways in which businesses can embed their values. Anna Bateson, Founder of business consultancy Cutting Through the Grey, shares insights on how to develop boards to deliver good governance, and Sharon Constancon ACIS, Managing Director, Genius Methods will provide an inside view on governance in the boardroom.
The conference will also examine the role of the board in the fight against cybercrime as Matthew Parker, Senior Manager of Business Risk Services at Grant Thornton discusses how businesses in the Isle of Man can reduce their exposure to one of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world.
A roundtable discussion between Phillip Dearden, of Equiom Solutions Ltd, Paul de Weerd ACIS of the Financial Supervision Commission and Sinead O’Connor, Head of Regulatory & Compliance Services at Dougherty Quinn will consider whether or not the Isle of Man is top of the class when it comes to governance.
ICSA Chief Executive Simon Osborne, who will be talking about the value of good governance, says: “Ethics are increasingly high on the agenda and rightly so. Reputation is one of the most powerful drivers of business success and ethics and reputation are intrinsically linked. If companies can embed good ethical values throughout their organisations, starting in the boardroom, and demonstrate that their business model genuinely embraces good ethical practices alongside good governance practices then the potential benefits are enormous. Good governance builds trust and trust is key to all business success.”
Gillian Prestwich, Chair, ICSA Isle of Man says: “We’re very pleased to host the Isle of Man’s first ICSA conference and are sure Chartered Secretaries and colleagues will find the event an invaluable source of relevant input across a range of important topics.’
Photo - Philippa Foster Back
