Inside the UCGA & INSEAD Board Direction Program: A Breakdown of the Four Modules

Another qualification was recently added to the professional portfolio upon completing the Board Direction program co-delivered by UCGA and INSEAD.

It was an intensive journey: four modules, six full learning days, hands-on work with real corporate cases, crisis board simulations, and a final capstone project.

Each module explored a distinct layer of corporate governance—ranging from the architecture of shareholder, board, and management interactions to value creation, succession planning, and crisis leadership.

Module 1. Corporate Governance & Board Leadership — Ludo Van der Heyden

The fundamentals of corporate governance: the distinct roles of owners, the board, and executive management, fair process leadership, board dynamics during crises, and director liabilities.

The biggest takeaway from this module: board effectiveness boils down to having the right people, reliable information, clear guidelines, independent thinking, and the courage to make tough decisions.

Module 2. Corporate Governance — Harry Korine

Board-shareholder dynamics, ownership policy, board and committee structures, director independence, shareholders' agreements, family business governance, and succession.

One of the most compelling insights: an ownership policy serves as a company's constitution. It needs to clearly define shareholder rights and limits, voting rules, dividends, exits, share transfers, and succession long before any conflict arises.

Module 3. High Performance, Energy & Team Leadership — Alain Goudsmet

Sustainable performance at the individual, team, and organizational levels—focusing on energy management, recovery, trust, and team dynamics.

High performance demands a balance between delivery and recovery. For leaders—especially in times of crisis—it is critical to remain accessible, visible, and truly present for their teams.

Module 4. Corporate Governance & Value Creation — Massimo Massa

Value creation through the owner's lens: aligning mission with strategy, M&A, cost of capital, risk taxonomy, and authority delegation across shareholders, the board, and the CEO.

This module highlighted a fundamental reality: a board must evaluate decisions through the strategic vision and interests of its specific owners. The exact same strategy can create value for one shareholder type while destroying it for another.

Board Simulations and Capstone Project

The crisis boardroom simulations were particularly impactful. They provided a realistic view of how challenging it is to balance the interests of shareholders, management, employees, and other stakeholders while preserving independent judgment.

To earn the certification, a comprehensive final project was completed: combining the frameworks from all four modules into a cohesive governance model applied to a live business context. This made the experience deeply practical, requiring participants to convert theoretical knowledge into an actionable corporate governance framework and defend strategic decisions.

Beyond adding a new certification, what matters most is having a holistic, structured framework for how a board can drive real strategic value for business owners, executives, and the company as a whole.