Practical governance, Board & company secretarial development
Developing stronger governance capability through practical learning grounded in real Boardroom experience.
Virteffic Academy provides governance training, company secretarial development, Board and director training, minute-taking courses, mentoring and tailored development programmes for Boards, governance teams and professionals.
From minute-taking and Board effectiveness to Jersey and Guernsey corporate requirements, director development, governance careers and the responsible use of AI, our sessions focus on the challenges Boards and governance professionals encounter in practice.
Why organisations invest in governance development
Governance development is often most valuable when an organisation is responding to change, strengthening capability or helping people step confidently into greater responsibility.
New directors need practical support
Help newly appointed directors understand responsibilities, governance expectations and effective boardroom practice.
Minute quality needs improving
Develop the judgement and drafting skills needed for clear, proportionate and defensible board and committee minutes.
Governance capability gaps have emerged
Build technical knowledge, confidence and practical judgement across governance and company secretarial teams.
Board effectiveness reviews identify development priorities
Turn review findings and recommendations into focused board, committee and governance-team development.
Teams are adapting to changing expectations
Support professionals responding to regulatory change, evolving governance practice, technology and AI.
Future governance leaders need development
Build confidence, judgement and practical capability in emerging company secretarial and governance professionals.
Local governance knowledge grounded in practical experience
Our trainers work with Boards, governance teams and organisations across Jersey and Guernsey throughout the year. This allows our training to combine wider governance principles with practical insight into the Channel Islands operating environment.
Governance development for different roles and career stages
Virteffic Academy supports Boards, governance teams and professionals from their first steps into governance through to senior leadership and Boardroom roles.
Training can be tailored to the audience. Sessions can support an individual role, a complete governance team or wider Board and organisational development.
Governance and professional development courses
Courses can be delivered individually, adapted for in-house teams or combined into wider development programmes. Content can also be tailored around participant experience, organisational priorities, jurisdiction, sector and particular governance challenges.
Board & director development
- Board effectiveness & boardroom performance
- Director duties & responsibilities
- Director duties in a regulated business
- New director induction: stepping into the boardroom
- Effective challenge & decision-making
- Chairing effective board meetings
- Effective board reporting
- Board leadership & governance in practice
- Board effectiveness reviews: from assessment to action
- Board succession, composition & skills
Governance & company secretarial
- Governance fundamentals
- Company secretarial essentials
- The role of the company secretary & governance professional
- Jersey corporate & company secretarial requirements
- Guernsey corporate & company secretarial requirements
- Governance frameworks & governance calendars
- Effective agenda planning & meeting preparation
- Effective board papers, packs & agendas
- The end-to-end board process: from agenda to board pack, meeting & minutes
- Delegated authorities, committees & terms of reference
- Governance records, decisions & action tracking
Minute-taking & meetings
- Minute-taking fundamentals
- Advanced minute-taking
- Board & committee minute-writing
- Sensitive, contentious & complex meetings
- Capturing challenge, debate & decision-making
- Preparing for meetings & using skeleton minutes effectively
- AI-assisted minute drafting & review
- Minute-taking masterclass
- Minute-writing for regulated boards
AI & future governance
- AI in practice for governance professionals
- Using Copilot responsibly in governance functions
- AI & the company secretary: opportunities & cautions
- AI-assisted minute drafting & quality assurance
- AI-assisted board packs & reporting
- Governing AI: what boards need to know
- AI governance, risk & responsible use
Governance professionals & leadership
- Developing as a governance professional
- From administrator to trusted governance adviser
- Communicating effectively with boards & senior stakeholders
- Managing board & stakeholder relationships
- Professional judgement in governance
- Managing competing priorities & board deadlines
- Leading remote & hybrid teams
- Running effective virtual & hybrid meetings
- Building trust & accountability in flexible teams
Specialist & regulated governance
- Governance & compliance for charitable committees
- Trust & trustee minute-writing
- Fund governance & fund board minutes
- Committee minute-writing best practice
- Conflicts of interest: identification, management & recording
- Governance for regulated businesses
- Board oversight of risk & compliance
- Risk & compliance reporting for boards
- Board oversight of cyber, technology & digital risk
- Regulatory governance: what directors need to know
Virteffic Academy can develop tailored workshops, governance briefings and development programmes based on your organisation’s governance framework, policies, Board Effectiveness Review findings, regulatory environment, strategic priorities or emerging governance challenges.
Build development over time
Individual courses can be combined into structured pathways for teams, future leaders, directors and governance professionals. Pathways can include training, practical exercises, mentoring and follow-up development.
Minute-taking pathway
Governance professional pathway
Director development pathway
AI governance pathway
Governance leadership pathway
Regulated governance pathway
AI for governance, Board support & company secretarial teams
AI is changing how governance, Board support and company secretarial work is delivered. Virteffic Academy focuses on the practical use of AI within governance functions, helping professionals improve workflows, strengthen information quality, support Board and governance reviews, enhance reporting and enable better-informed decision-making, whilst retaining the professional judgement, oversight and accountability that effective governance requires.
AI for Company Secretaries
The AI-Enabled Board Process
Using Microsoft Copilot in Governance
AI-Assisted Board Packs, Reporting & Governance Review
AI Governance for Boards & Senior Leadership
Responsible, practical and human-led
Virteffic treats AI as a supporting tool, not a substitute for professional judgement. Our training reflects the same approach we apply in practice, with clear controls around confidentiality, data protection, information security, accuracy, quality assurance and human oversight.
Human judgement
AI can support analysis, drafting and review, but professional judgement and accountability remain with people.
Confidentiality first
AI use must respect client confidentiality, data protection requirements and any agreed restrictions.
Controlled use
Technology should be used only where appropriate and within defined policies, procedures and information security controls.
Quality over speed
Efficiency is valuable, but never at the expense of accuracy, context, challenge or governance quality.
Built by governance professionals using AI in practice every day.
These programmes draw on Virteffic’s practical experience supporting Boards, company secretarial and governance functions, Board reporting, governance and Board Effectiveness Reviews, meeting processes and minute-writing. They demonstrate how tools such as Microsoft Copilot can support preparation, analysis, reporting, review and follow-up, where AI genuinely adds value and where human judgement, oversight and accountability must remain central.
Learning shaped by what we see in boardrooms
Our training is informed by the practical governance work Virteffic undertakes throughout the year, including regular board and committee support, company secretarial delivery, governance projects and independent Board Effectiveness Reviews. That gives our trainers a practical view of the issues boards and governance teams encounter in real organisations.
Virteffic Academy programmes are developed and delivered by governance professionals whose day-to-day work includes supporting boards and committees, preparing governance documentation, undertaking Board Effectiveness Reviews and working alongside company secretarial and governance teams.
Meet Team VirtefficLearning designed around your organisation
Courses can be delivered in different formats depending on the subject, audience and development objective. Sessions can be adapted around your organisation, sector, jurisdiction, policies, templates and governance framework.
Governance mentoring & professional development
Virteffic Academy supports professionals building careers in governance, company secretarial services and board support, including those stepping into new roles, developing greater confidence or preparing for broader responsibility.
Who we support
Administrators, assistant company secretaries, company secretaries, governance officers and managers, first-time board support professionals and individuals progressing into senior governance roles.
Areas we can work on
Technical governance knowledge, boardroom confidence, minute-writing, professional judgement, stakeholder management, difficult governance situations, career development, role transitions and preparation for greater responsibility.
Practical governance insight for conferences, events & professional forums
Tess Price regularly speaks at conferences, professional forums, corporate events and internal development sessions, sharing practical insight drawn from working with Boards and governance teams across different sectors and organisations.
Learning designed around your organisation
Training can be structured around the needs of individuals, governance teams, Boards or wider organisations.
Open courses
Scheduled sessions available to individuals and small groups.
In-house training
Tailored learning delivered specifically for your organisation or team.
Board development sessions
Focused sessions for Boards, directors and Committees around agreed development priorities.
Interactive workshops
Practical sessions focused on a governance challenge, case study or real-world scenario.
Development programmes
Structured programmes combining training, mentoring and follow-up support over time.
Executive briefings & presentations
Focused governance briefings, conference presentations and professional-development sessions.
Available in Jersey, Guernsey, remotely and for international teams.
Presentations
Tess Price regularly present at industry conferences, corporate events and professional forums. Presentations cover governance trends, boardroom behaviour, minute-taking practice and insights from working inside real boardrooms. Each session can be tailored to your audience and theme. Read more and book a speaker
Training courses
Our courses focus on governance, minute-taking, statutory responsibilities and the practical skills needed to operate confidently in regulated environments. Sessions use real scenarios and examples from our day-to-day work with boards and committees. Training can be delivered as open courses or tailored in house workshops aligned with your internal governance framework. View our training courses
Mentoring
Our mentoring programmes support individuals at every stage of their professional journey. Sessions are confidential, supportive and shaped around your goals, whether you are building skills, developing confidence or navigating a new role. We provide structured feedback, practical examples and personalised guidance to help you develop consistent, high quality work. Explore mentoring options
Enhancing board efficiency, organisation and performance
🤝 Collaboration with CGI | 🌐 View session
📍 Corporate Governance 2024 Conference, St Pierre Park Hotel, Guernsey
Tess Price shares practical insights drawn from her experience supporting multiple boards across the Channel Islands, highlighting how small adjustments in process and preparation can have a significant impact on efficiency and decision-making.
Advanced Minute Taking
🤝 Collaboration with SIFS | 🌐 View presentation
📅 23 September 2025, 3:30–4:30 PM BST (Online)
A live online webinar providing practical strategies to prepare, structure, and draft clear, accurate minutes while avoiding common pitfalls and adding strategic value to board and committee records. Includes a line-by-line review of example minutes and offers 1 hour of recognised CPD.
Maximising Efficiency, Organisation and Performance of Your Board
🤝 Collaboration with the NED Forum | 🌐 View course
📍 The Harry Bound Room, Les Cotils, St Peter Port, Guernsey
This session focused on improving board effectiveness, decision-making, and collaboration. Co-speaker Tess Price shared insights on how board members can support the company secretary to maximise efficiency and good governance.
Advanced Minute Taking
🤝 Collaboration with Pronumeris | 🌐 View course
📅 26 August 2025, 1:00–4:00 PM BST (Online)
Designed for experienced professionals, this course explores advanced techniques in preparation, active listening, drafting, and adapting to complex meeting types. Through real-world examples and open discussion, participants will learn how to minute strategically and refine their work with confidence. MQA approved and HRDC refundable.
Governance training & mentoring FAQs
Can Virteffic provide tailored governance training for our organisation?
Yes. Sessions can be tailored around your organisation, governance framework, audience, jurisdiction, sector and development objectives.
Do you provide minute-taking training for different experience levels?
Yes. Training can support new minute-takers, experienced governance professionals and teams dealing with complex board, committee, regulated or sensitive meetings.
Do you provide training for boards and directors?
Yes. Training can support director induction, board effectiveness, governance responsibilities, effective challenge, board reporting, chairing and other board-development priorities.
Can training support actions arising from a Board Effectiveness Review?
Yes. Training, workshops and structured development can be designed around agreed review findings and specific board, committee or governance-team priorities.
Do you provide training for regulated businesses?
Yes. Virteffic provides governance-focused training for directors, boards and governance teams operating in regulated environments, including board oversight, governance responsibilities, risk and compliance reporting and minute-writing for regulated boards.
Do you provide Jersey and Guernsey-specific governance training?
Yes. Sessions can cover Jersey or Guernsey company secretarial and governance requirements and can be tailored around the organisation, role and participant experience.
Do you provide practical AI training for governance teams?
Yes. Programmes cover practical and responsible AI use within governance workflows, Microsoft Copilot, board reporting, meeting preparation, minute drafting and review, governance controls and board oversight of AI.
What course formats are available?
Depending on the topic, training can be delivered as a focused briefing, interactive workshop, half-day masterclass, full-day programme or multi-session development pathway.
Can you build a structured development programme for our team?
Yes. We can combine technical training, practical exercises, mentoring, role-based development and follow-up sessions into a structured pathway for your governance team, directors or emerging talent.
Do you offer one-to-one mentoring?
Yes. Mentoring can be tailored around role development, practical governance challenges, confidence, professional judgement and career progression.
Can sessions be delivered remotely?
Yes. Training and mentoring can be delivered in person or remotely depending on the audience, location and format.
Can Virteffic provide a speaker for our conference or professional event?
Yes. Speaking engagements can be tailored around your audience, event theme and preferred governance topic.
Build stronger governance capability
Whether you are developing your Board, strengthening a company secretarial or governance team, supporting new directors, responding to Board Effectiveness Review findings, building governance careers or developing new capability in areas such as AI, Virteffic Academy can help shape the right combination of training, mentoring and development support.
Virteffic Limited
Flexible governance resource, corporate governance and company secretarial support.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Technology, access and security
Our services
We provide flexible governance resource for boards and governance teams, combining experience, structure and practical delivery.
Minutes and meeting management
Company secretarial support and secondments
Independent board effectiveness reviews
Virteffic Limited (Virteffic) is not regulated or licensed under the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, as amended, and does not provide regulated financial services. Where regulated services are required, clients should engage an appropriately licensed service provider. Virteffic provides governance, company secretarial, board support, administration and related professional support services. Any work undertaken by Virteffic is provided in a support capacity only. Responsibility for reviewing, approving and implementing any work product remains with the relevant directors, company secretary, officers or authorised representatives of the client.