The course is aimed at council officers, elected members and other people in senior or executive roles who are embarking on a commercialisation strategy. The participants may already be part of commercial endeavours such as Local Authority Trading Companies, Community Interest Companies or Joint Ventures or may be considering the setting up of commercial companies within their authority.

• What must a person do when they become a director?
• What are the different types of director?
• Does a non-executive director have the same rights and duties as an executive director?
• Directors / Officers / Elected Members - what’s the difference?
• What does it mean to be an Officer of the Company and is every director an Officer of the Company?
• How can one distinguish between the role of a Council Officer and that of a Company Director?
• Do directors owe duties to ‘stakeholders’?
• What role do directors play with regard to shareholders or shareholder committees?
• What are the seven general duties specified by the Companies Act?
• What is the so-called ‘first duty’ of directors?
• How must we deal with conflicts of Interest?
• What are the essential Dos and Don’ts for a director to follow?
• Why go commercial?
• How can a Council Officer adapt to the role of a Company Director and avoid the roles being in conflict with each other?
• What are the different structures that a local authority could choose to create a separate entity?
• What are the pros and cons of creating a Teckal company?
• What is the role of the board?
• What makes a good board meeting?
• Can directors set their own rules for board meetings?
• What should be on a typical board agenda?
• What is the role of the chair?
• What is the difference between risk appetite and risk tolerance?
• What are the different ways of looking at risk?
• How can the board work more effectively as a team in managing potential risk?
• What are the most common sources of risks facing a company?
• When are directors in danger of becoming personally liable?
• What is the difference between criminal risk and civil risk?
• How can directors be held personally responsible for breaches of health and safety or corporate manslaughter legislation?
• What should the directors know about data protection laws?
• Why must the directors observe the anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws, both domestically and internationally?
• What are the important components of a corporate culture?
• How can you develop the vision, purpose and values of an organisation?
• What are the consequences of not maintaining a corporate culture of high values?
• What are the benefits of a Corporate Social Responsibility policy?

• A course pack containing the information presented on the day
• Additional notes supporting the presentation