EDU 2023 to tackle the big questions for directors

This year’s Essential Director Update 2023, which begins in Canberra on 26 September, will examine the biggest challenges emerging for directors and boards over the next few months. Join top directors Jacqueline Chow GAICD, non-executive director, Coles Group and Bruce Cowley FAICD, director, Australian Retirement Trust as they unpack what’s looming ahead on the governance landscape. Register now for EDU 2023.

Directors are operating in a volatile macroeconomic landscape and need to be much more diligent with governance, with generational artificial intelligence (AI), climate reporting, greenwashing and cyber security shaping up as some of the main challenges facing boards in Australia, the AICD was told in interviews recently.

“We've seen some new laws about to be introduced which require climate reporting initially by large corporations, but that will follow for smaller corporations in due course,” said Cowley, who is a director on the board of the Australian Retirement Trust and chair of the Queensland Trust for Nature.

“We've seen ASIC being very focussed on greenwashing and we've already had one prosecution in that area. We've seen some consultation around potential new workplace laws, including new wage theft laws which could potentially impose personal liability on company directors.”

Cowley will join Jacqueline Chow GAICD to present this year’s EDU across Australia. They will be joined by local panellists for a question-answer session with the audience.​

​This year’s entire EDU event series starts in Canberra on 26 September and ends in Geelong on Wednesday 15 November.

“I'm really looking forward to the conversation with our director community on the emergent topics such as generative AI, cultural and social topics and how we turn our minds to the duties and obligations we have on those emergent topics through our customers, our employees and our communities,” said Jacqueline Chow GAICD, who serves as a director on the boards of eBay, Charter Hall Group, Coles Group and Boral Ltd. Register now for EDU 2023.