The Institute of Directors Bermuda Branch is partnering with Informa PLC to host a governance conference at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club on November 2.

The conference theme, “A New Era in Board Governance, Are You on Board”, is expected to attract more than 200 company directors, business leaders, experts and professionals who will deliver thought leadership on topical issues impacting current and aspiring directors and boards.

Rochelle Simons, chairwoman of IoD Bermuda, said: “We are delighted that Dr Roger Barker, head of corporate governance at the IoD London, will be a keynote conference speaker. Dr Barker is a respected governance professional who is engaged in key governance organisations in the UK and Europe. We look forward to hosting and introducing Dr Barker to the business community.”

Dr Barker is managing director of Barker and Associates, a corporate governance advisory firm. He previously served as the director of corporate governance and professional standards at the IoD for almost a decade. Dr Barker is a UK Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, senior adviser to the Board of the European Confederation of Directors Associations (ecoDa) and chairman of the ecoDa Education Programme for European Directors.

He is also a former investment banker, and spent almost 15 years in a variety of equity research and senior management roles at UBS and Bank Vontobel, both in the UK and Switzerland.

Mrs Simons said: “The creation of a substantive signature event was part of the original vision for the Branch when we launched in 2013. However, first steps focused on providing value-added formal and informal professional development platforms and networking events to the membership.

“During the past five years, the IoD Bermuda Branch has successfully focused on bringing quality professional development to current and aspiring resident directors through the IoD Chartered Director programme. The training, led by chartered directors from the IoD London, has been delivered to more than 150 delegates in public courses and private trainings to company boards. The Bermuda cohort of certified directors include 46 certificate and 14 diploma in company direction holders, and three chartered directors. We are pleased with this result and the creation of the conference is an exciting next step.”

Sara Schroter Ross, a member of the Bermuda Branch executive committee, is chairwoman of the conference committee. She said: “We are excited to partner with Informa in the creation of this inaugural governance conference. Informa is a leading business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events business operating in the knowledge and information economy.

“The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100. The Informa team is experienced in producing quality events and they understand the Bermuda market having recently delivered the Transcontinental Trusts: International Forum at the Fairmont Hamilton.”

She said the IOD conference will provide “a global platform for Bermuda which is a leading jurisdiction with an internationally respected regulatory regime. The conference will offer attendees a dynamic and engaging format with a distinguished line-up of speakers”.

She added: “Conference content will be structured around topical issues that high performing boards must understand, assess for impact, apply for success and monitor for performance and compliance. Session topics will examine current governance trends; crisis management for boards; technology — are directors tech-savvy; the board’s role in risk management oversight, innovation, creating corporate culture, sustainability and more. At its core, the goal of this event is to stand at the edge of the new era of business excellence in board governance and all this encompasses.”