Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship
Enhance your performance as a director
- The Henley MABPD is offered in stages through partnerships and networks
- Gain the knowledge and skills to support effective judgements in board-level decision-making.
- Undertake applied research in governance.
- Delivered by expert academic faculty, with insights from highly experienced board practitioners.
What you need to know
Overview
The Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship (MA BPD) is a post-experience, practice-focused programme that aims to enhance your value as a board director.
Focusing on governance and strategic oversight as a board-level stewardship responsibility, the programme provides you with the knowledge and skills to support effective judgements in board-level decision-making and promote longer-term resilient governance.
Each board and the organisational context it faces is unique. As a result, the MA BPD considers what it takes to deliver highly effective boards, director behaviours and governance frameworks across different sectors and settings.
The programme is delivered by expert academic faculty, with insights from highly experienced board practitioners. It also draws extensively on the top-team governance research conducted at Henley Business School, which covers more than 19,000 boards across 37 countries.
The Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship is offered in stages with partner organisations in the UK and Europe. Please see the 'Our partners' section for more information.
To find out more about this programme, please contact a partner or Henley's programme advisors: custom@henley.ac.uk.
Key benefits
- Develop your skills as a director, including your technical skills, soft skills and ability to handle risk
- Understand board member roles and how to add value for highly effective board contributions
- Make informed decisions for long-term competitive advantage
- Engage with leading academic experts and industry practitioners
- Apply rigorous research and frameworks to consider your own director skills and capabilities
- Participants learn how to enhance board effectiveness for better organisational performance and critically evaluate decision-making and judgements at board level
- Engage with private, public and third-sector board members
- Apply rigorous research and frameworks to address board-level governance issues
Course structure
The Henley MA BPD is a part-time programme consisting of one- or two-day workshops combined with self-study. It is expected that participants will be currently employed. It is offered in three stages:
• Postgraduate Certificate (Stage 1)
• Postgraduate Diploma (Stages 1 and 2)
• Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship (Stages 1, 2 and 3)
Initially, Stage 1 of the MA BPD is being launched by Henley in collaboration with partner organisations. Henley Business School may launch subsequent Stages (2 and 3)1 following a student's successful completion of the relevant PGCert / PGDip BDP. However, the running of future stages cannot be guaranteed and is subject to minimum student numbers being reached. 1all stages offered by ENVISIA see 'Our partners section'.
Programme Content
Find out about the programme content here
Delivery over 8 months
The PGCert BPD (Stage 1) is focused on director development. Building a personal awareness of strengths, limitations, skills and capabilities. This stage draws attention a director's contribution and frames stewardship of the organisation, and your due diligence as a leader. You will learn how to work through ambiguous issues, engaging as a board to reach a consensus.
PGCert Module 1: Building Board and Director Effectiveness
Topics include:
- Roles and responsibilities at board level
- Your strengths and weaknesses
- Setting the tone and culture at the top
- Influencing skills at board level
- Enabling strategy design and execution
- The nature of dysfunctional boards
- Succession planning
- Balancing short-term and longer term board value
Workshop: 2 days
Written assignment: 3000 words (60%)
Case study: (40%)
20 credit
PGCert Module 2: Investor Relations, Governance and Innovation
Topics include:
- Understanding board-level impact on processes, decisions,strategic monitoring of activities, diversity and dynamics
- The sustainable effect of these outcomes for:
- internal stakeholders
- external influences
- organisational change and innovation - Investor relations
- Ownership types
- Examining ‘common good competitiveness’ vs profit orientation, short-termism, or shareholder/self-interest
Workshop: 2 days
Written assignment: 3000 words (60%)
Case study: (40%)
20 credits
PGCert Module 3: Handling Risk at Board Level
Topics include:
- The relationship between risk and uncertainty in relation to;
- behavioural economics and cognitive bias
- accounting and finance
- handling conflict and crises - How boards and board members interpret and report risk
- Board readiness as an enabler for innovation and transformation
- Appetite and tolerance for risk
- The link between risk and internal/external factors
Workshop: 2 days
Written assignment: 3000 words (60%)
Case study: (40%)
20 credits
Delivery over 8 months
The PGDip BPD (Stage 2) is designed to focus on board dynamics and emphasise quality communication and information sharing. It also highlights the importance of reputation and responsibility at board level. This stage supports your personal development, offering mentoring and coaching to enhance your director performance.
**Henley Business School may launch Stage 2 following a student’s successful completion of the PGCert BPD, this cannot be guaranteed and is subject to minimum student numbers being reached. A decision on whether to launch a future stage will only be made following the completion of the preceding stage.
PGDip Module 4: Board Information and Communications (MQM2BIC)
20Topics include:
- Handling structure, volume and quality of information for better board dialogue
- Knowing the board and what matters to the organisation
- Best practices, tools and techniques
- Questioning technique; how to delve deeper and more broadly to inform decision-making
Workshop: 2 days
Written assignment: 3000 words (60%)
Case study: (40%)
20 credits
PGDip Module 5: Board Reputation, Responsibility and Public Relations
Topics include:
- Reputation and responsibility at board level
- Governance execution and organisational sustainability
- Public relations, engaging with the press and media
- Managing reputational risk and crisis
- Broader social and environmental issues, how to communicate the organisation’s purpose
- The impact and practice of lobbying and networking
Workshop: 2 days
Written assignment: 3000 words (60%)
Case study: (40%)
20 credits
PGDip Module 7a: Mentoring and Coaching for Board Directors
Topics include:
- Mentoring workshops
- One-to-one interview session focused on your personal development
- Reflecting on your own behaviour, strengths and weaknesses
- Dealing with change, difficult situations, working in teams and self-awareness
Workshop: 2 days
Reflective diary: 3000 words (60%)
One-to-one interview (40%)
20 credits
Delivery over 8 months
The MA BPD (Stage 3) develops your analytical and research skills to facilitate governance issues or dilemmas. It also gives more specialist sector expertise (private, public and third sectors), including an opportunity to put this learning into practice by responding to a real-world board-level business challenge.
*** Henley Business School may launch Stage 3 following a student’s successful completion of
the PGDip BPD, this cannot be guaranteed and is subject to minimum student numbers being
reached. A decision on whether to launch a future stage will only be made following the completion of the preceding stage.
MA Module 6: Research and Analytical Skills for Board Directors
Topics include:
- Board-level Business Challenge question
- Qualitative and quantitative approaches to enquiry and research
- Relevant practical and ethical research methods
- Development of core research and analytical skills and techniques
Workshop: 2 days
Attendance and participation compulsory
0 credits
MA Module 7b: Private, Public or Third Sector Boards (MQM3PPT)
0Topics include:
- Facilitating sector-specific insight
- Networking with practitioner panels from within a particular sector
- Gaining sector-specific guidance and advice to develop your Business Challenge
MA Module 8: Business Challenge
Topics include:
- Execution of a board-level governance research project addressing a previously identified problem or dilemma
- Addressing a live, in-practice issue within an organisation
- Applying the approaches introduced in the Research and Analytical Skills module
6 month research project
Report: 12,000 words (100%)
40 credits
MA Module 9: Board Annual Conference (MQM3BAC)
20Topics include:
- Disseminating key learnings from your Business Challenge a wider stakeholder audience
- Submitting and presenting your paper to the Director’s Forum Board Annual Conference
- Develop your writing, presentation and oral communication skills
- Evaluating your findings and research impact in relation to both theory and practice
Conference: 1 or 2 days
Abstract: 200 words, Paper: 3,000 (50%)
Presentation and Q&A (50%)
20 credits
Modules or course content marked as optional are indicative and may be subject to change. Please note, constraints in timetable scheduling may mean you are unable to take some optional modules at the same time as others.
Qualification
The programme is offered as three Stages, each awarded with a recognised qualification upon successful completion:
- Henley Postgraduate Certificate Board Practice and Directorship (Stage 1)
- Henley Postgraduate Diploma Board Practice and Directorship (Stages 1 and 2)
- Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship (Stages 1, 2 and 3)
Our partners
Henley has partnered with several organisations to offer the Henley MA Board Practice and Directorship in Stages.
Initially, Stage 1 of the MA BPD is launched by Henley in collaboration with partner organisations. Henley Business School may launch subsequent Stages (2 and 3) following a student's successful completion of the PG Cert/ PG Dip BDP. However, the running of future stages cannot be guaranteed and is subject to minimum student numbers being reached.
The programme is also offered by Henley Nordics and Germany and delivered at Henley Business School, UK.
Teaching staff
Programme Director
Dr Nadeem Khan lectures in governance, policy and leadership at Henley Business School. He completed his PhD research at Henley in the field of strategy and strategic behaviour of the firm. He gained professional experience in the UK and international multinational environments prior to running his own business.
Location
The programme is delivered at Henley Business School's Greenlands campus and in Romania by our partner organisation Envisa.
Set in sweeping parkland on the banks of the River Thames, the Greenlands campus provides an inspiring and reflective environment for focused work and study.
To find out more, please contact our programme advisors: custom@henley.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
- Good first or second class undergraduate degree (or equivalent)
- Organisational leadership/board experience, or at least three years’ senior management experience with board-level access
- Access to a live board-level governance challenge identified in your proposal
- English language proficiency (IELTS 7.0, with no element below 6.0 – see note below)
Applicants who possess exceptional organisational experience but do not meet the standard academic requirements are welcome to apply and may be considered for entry on to the programme on a case-by-case basis.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you may be required to take an IELTS test and achieve an overall score of 7.0 with no less than 6.0 in each element. The University also accepts a number of other tests instead of IELTS. A full list of equivalent tests and scores can be found at www.reading.ac.uk/ad-Englishtests.
Alternatively, a completed declaration i.e. the English proficiency at work form (confirming that English is the main language of the business and that you are required to work in English to a high level on a daily basis) from a current employer may also be considered acceptable in lieu of one of the acceptable official tests.
Top-courses
For participants who may require top-up courses for entry on to the programme, there is the potential to run two modules (subject to demand):
- Finance for Board Directors (two-day programme)
- Basic Governance for Directors (two-day programme)
Who is the programme for?
The programme is designed for experienced practising board members (chairs, chief executive officers (CEOs), senior independent directors (SIDs), chief financial officers (CFOs), non-executive directors (NEDs) and company secretaries) from across the private, public and third sectors. The programme may also suit senior managers with directorship potential, noting that at Stage 3 each participant needs access to a current real-world, board-level governance issue.
Credit for prior learning
No exemptions or credits for prior learning are available for this programme.
Articles and whitepapers
Why choose Henley?
4th
in the UK overall for executive education programmes
(Financial Times Executive Education ranking 2025)For 80 years, Henley Business School has developed confident and resilient business leaders. Executive Education at Henley is:
- Practical: we combine academic rigour with a strong practical focus, so you can immediately apply what you have learned back in your organisation.
- Relevant: Henley faculty are experienced practitioners who can support you in exploring solutions to your organisation’s challenges.
- Collaborative: Open programmes enable you to expand your network, gain new perspectives and share ideas with peers from a range of backgrounds and sectors.
- Personal: deliberately small learning groups allow you to benefit from individual attention and a confidential environment. We encourage you to understand your unique strengths, leadership style, and areas for development.
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