Governance Professionals Never Stop Learning
Ongoing professional development is essential for keeping your knowledge current, strengthening your business and personal skills, supporting long‑term growth, and advancing your career. All CGIC members are encouraged to engage in continuous learning to maintain the highest standards of practice.
Chartered members have mandatory annual professional development requirements under CGIC’s Continuing Professional Development policy. This commitment ensures that Chartered members continue to grow professionally and uphold the highest standards expected by the public and the governance profession.
About Continuing Professional Development
Continuing Professional Development involves the maintenance, enhancement, and continuous improvement of professional knowledge, skills, and abilities. Its focus is on real‑world results – the practical benefits that ongoing development brings to your work and career.
All Associates and Fellows of the Institute, except those who are non-practicing, are required to complete a minimum of twenty (20) hours of professional development annually to remain members in good standing. At least five (5) of these hours must be structured activities; the remainder may be unstructured. Chartered members must make an annual declaration confirming they have met the CPD requirements as part of the membership renewal process.
Examples of Structured CPD Activities
Structured CPD activities include, but are not limited to:
- attendance at seminars, workshops, symposia, conferences, webinars (including pre-recorded) or other events presented by the Institute or by professional groups or with the profession;
- participation in such events as a speaker, presenter or facilitator; writing an article for CGIC’s magazine or for another periodical or website, where the topic of such article relates to the profession;
- writing educational materials for courses run by the Institute or for another professional body related to corporate governance, or another educational body in a matter related to governance;
- conducting scholarly research on topics related to the profession;
- attending group-learning activities, e.g., seminars, in-house formal training, non-credit courses, post-secondary courses or special interest study groups;
- teaching or presenting seminars, in-house training, post-secondary courses and non-credit courses;
- tutoring or marking assignments for post-secondary credit courses or distance-education courses;
- participating in technology-assisted activities that provide a certificate of completion or an assessment process, e.g., an online course or webcast;
- authoring, critiquing or reviewing an article, book or course that is published by a third party; and,
- developing a seminar or course presented to a third party.
Examples of Unstructured CPD Activities
Unstructured CPD activities include, but are not limited to:
- reading articles in other periodicals related to the profession;
- serving on Boards of Directors or Committees of the Institute or other organizations (both for-profit and not-for-profit);
- researching relevant professional material on the Internet;
- independent study using published learning materials (e.g., study manuals, video or course CD without an assessment process), and other forms of self-directed learning such as technical reading or self-study of published materials; and,
- undertaking non-remunerative responsibilities as an officer or committee member of a professional or not-for-profit organization that result in learning new skills.
The Purpose Economy: Reshaping the metrics of business success
A Globe and Mail webcast on November 22, 2023 brought together leading Canadian business voices to explore how organizations are embedding corporate purpose into strategy and operations, showcasing real‑world insights, challenges, and successes from companies at every stage of the journey.
Recent Online CPD Sessions
Embedding Purpose: New Roles for Governance Professionals
Watch this high‑impact webinar to learn how governance professionals can turn purpose into boardroom action through practical tools, real‑world insights, and a case study featuring leading Corporate Secretaries Shona McGlashan FCG, GPC.D and Annie Laurenson, with ESG expert Isobel O’Connell moderating.
Implementing Fiercely Practical Governance
Discover how Fiercely Practical Governance can permanently strengthen your organization and elevate your board in this fast‑paced session that breaks down the core principles, the highest‑impact projects to tackle, and the tools you need to prioritize and implement meaningful, lasting governance improvements.
Nonflict – The Art of Everyday Peacemaking
In a polarized world filled with competing priorities, this highly interactive session introduces NonflictAI and a powerful three‑step method to help you understand conflict, find shared purpose, and co‑create solutions in real time.
The Future of Truth: Human Intuition Meets AI in Detection Deception
In this dynamic webinar, Dr. Matthew Kane – founder of Prodigy Intelligence and creator of the AI‑powered deception‑detection platform Coyote – reveals real‑world case studies, explains how modern deception technology works, and shows how these tools can strengthen oversight and support good governance.
Corporate vs. Not-For-Profit Boards: More Alike than You Think
Linda Wood Edwards demystifies the shared challenges and distinct dynamics of corporate and not‑for‑profit boards, equipping you with practical takeaways to strengthen your governance leadership in any setting.
Importance of a Cyber Resilience Strategy
As AI accelerates the speed and sophistication of cyber‑attacks, this webinar with Hardeep Mehrotara shows you how to build a resilient cyber strategy that protects critical operations, safeguards data, and strengthens organizational trust.
Who Does What During A Crisis?
Jane Halford guides you through the essentials of proactive crisis planning, from defining roles and strengthening communication to identifying emerging risks and mobilizing the resources that protect organizational stability.
The Effective Chair
In this webinar, Janis Riven breaks down the Board Chair’s three core roles – the Conductor, the Negotiator, and the Leader – offering practical insights to strengthen board leadership and elevate governance effectiveness.
Sustainability For Not-For-Profit Organization Boards: Is It What You Think?
This webinar highlights why ESG‑aligned sustainability is rapidly becoming essential for not‑for‑profit boards and equips you with the insight needed to steer future governance and strategy conversations toward long‑term organizational sustainability.
Bridge Corporate Strategy Execution Gaps
Discover how agile governance practices can supercharge your strategy execution, eliminate costly gaps, and keep your organization ahead in today’s rapidly shifting environment.
You’ve Made a Strategic Plan, Now What?
Unlock the insights governors need to close the gap between strategy and results as this webinar breaks down the four dimensions of strategy and delivers practical guidance to strengthen oversight and accelerate execution.
Beyond the Rhetoric: Leading with Intentional Inclusion in Today’s Healthcare Workplace
Discover how intentional workforce advancement and the removal of systemic barriers can accelerate equity in healthcare, strengthen organizational performance, and elevate the quality and cultural relevance of care.
Ethical Dilemmas in Times of Turbulence
Discover how to lead decisively through uncertainty as this webinar shows you how to navigate heightened ethical tensions and make balanced, transparent choices when stakes are at their highest.
Conflicts of Interest in the Boardroom
This interactive webinar demystifies conflicts of interest in the boardroom by exploring the legal foundations and real‑world board dynamics behind effective COI management, showing directors how transparent, well‑handled disclosures can strengthen integrity and protect sound decision‑making.
Visit the CGIC Youtube Page for more online CPD recordings.
Looking for structured CPD activities?
view Events calendar and registerWhat Do I Need to Track?
It is good practice to maintain records of your personal CPD activities. You will only need to provide documentation if you are selected for a random audit, at which point we will work with you to confirm that the policy requirements have been met. Your records should note:
- Whether the activity is structured or unstructured
- The name of the course or event (if applicable)
- A brief description of the activity
- The date(s) the activity was completed
- The number of hours spent
- Your reflections – what you learned and how it supports your professional development
Consider downloading the CPD Tracking spreadsheet to help you organize and track your activities throughout the year.
Questions? We have the answers!
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