SLP - WH-COGO - Hero Image

Corporate Governance: Maximize Your Effectiveness in the Boardroom

Drive strategic directions and succeed as a board member

Inquiring For
Total Work Experience

Boardroom fundamentals

Today’s organizations operate in an environment of rapid change, where strong boardroom governance is essential to sustain accountability, transparency, and trust. By focusing on the fundamentals of boardroom governance, leaders can anticipate risks, monitor performance with confidence, and respond effectively to stakeholder expectations.

Led by renowned Wharton faculty, the Corporate Governance program from Wharton Executive Education provides a curriculum focused on the responsibilities of board members, spanning financial oversight, succession planning, and strategic guidance. You will build a clear understanding of how boardroom governance translates oversight into impact, ensuring boards are positioned to lead with resilience and create long-term enterprise value.

155%

The percentage increase of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations over the past decade, reflecting the rapid growth of sustainability-based policy interventions
Source: ESG BOOK

67%

The percentage of diversity in 2023's new class of directors
Source: 2023 S&P 500 NEW DIRECTORS DIVERSITY SNAPSHOT

Watch the program preview

Get a firsthand look at how this program strengthens your boardroom leadership and governance expertise.

Watch the Progam Preview

    Board governance outcomes

    Wharton’s Corporate Governance program explores the role, structure, and responsibilities of corporate governance to help you succeed as a board member. This program will enable you to:

    • Define board roles, responsibilities, and leadership qualities that shape effective decision making

    • Strengthen proactive governance by anticipating risks and guiding board responses

    • Recognize key considerations of compensation and succession planning

    • Define strategies that enable board members, executives, and ESG integrators to make informed decisions in response to conflicting demands and societal challenges

    • Plan boardroom decisions that balance the competing interests of stakeholders and shareholders

    Program modules

    Boardroom learning experience

    Icon representing discussion boards of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Discussion boards

    Engage with fellow directors in governance-focused discussion boards.

    Icon representing polls of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Polls

    Evaluate board leadership challenges and oversight issues through polls.

    Icon representing reflections of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Reflections

    Reflect on board-level decision making and governance ethics.

    Icon representing industry examples of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Industry examples

    Explore governance models and compliance practices in industry examples.

    Icon representing assignments of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Assignments

    Apply board responsibilities in governance-focused assignments.

    Icon representing live office hours of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Live office hours

    Discuss director challenges and oversight scenarios in live office hours.

    Icon representing try-it activities of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Try-it activities

    Simulate boardroom strategies in try-it activities.

    Icon representing self-study quizzes of this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Self-study quizzes

    Test governance knowledge and board applications with self-study quizzes.

    Board governance in action

    This online program brings boardroom governance to life through board-level case studies from leading organizations. You will explore how real boards navigated challenges, made critical decisions, and shaped organizational outcomes.

    Icon representing industry example of Apple for this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Apple: board diversity in action

    Examine Apple’s board demographics to understand how diversity in background, experience, and skill set strengthens governance and decision making.

    Icon representing industry example of Disney for this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Disney: Board independence and oversight

    Understand the importance of board accountability and how a captive board can reduce oversight in governance via this example of Disney’s board being comprised of friends and acquaintances of its president Michael Ovitz.

    Icon representing industry example of Mylan for this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Mylan: Boards and non-market pressures

    Learn how Mylan’s board responded to non-market factors, including regulatory and societal expectations, and the implications for governance integrity.

    Icon representing industry example of Starbucks for this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Starbucks: Embedding ESG in board practices

    Explore Starbucks’ governance strategies, how it takes diversity to heart, and the influence that a diverse board can have.

    Icon representing industry example of Wells Fargo for this boardroom governance-oriented program
    Wells Fargo: Lessons from governance failures

    Recognize the impact of diversity in background, experience, and skill set through an analysis of Wells Fargo’s board composition.

    Who is this program for?

    The Corporate Governance: Maximize Your Effectiveness in the Boardroom program is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of corporate governance and help boost their effectiveness on a corporate board.

    The program is ideal for:

    • Current board members and senior executives interested in joining a board who want to understand the various aspects of proactive governance and help drive strategic direction, risk oversight, and the establishment of compensation

    • C-suite executives looking to explore the duties and nuances of board service, help strengthen their company’s financial return; enterprise risk management, and governance diversity; and learn to effectively take on existing and emerging issues

    • Attorneys engaged in legal services who are seeking to learn the fundamentals of corporate governance from a variety of angles and how to assess the effectiveness and execution of governance roles and responsibilities

    Board governance toolkit

    This program enables you to explore the processes and responsibilities that drive corporate governance while equipping you with practical boardroom tools and resources. It also includes a handbook designed to help you reflect on program content and apply it to your role as a board member.  Topics addressed in the handbook include:

    • Laying the groundwork: Draft your director bio and understand the importance of positioning yourself effectively

    • Conducting a personal skills audit: Use structured evaluation tools to assess your strengths and identify gaps relevant to board positions

    • Finding your director doppelgänger: Apply networking strategies to connect with directors whose experience and profiles mirror your target boards

    • Demonstrating your grit: Sharpen your ability to articulate crisis management experience with confidence

    • Completing a leadership style assessment: Leverage diagnostic resources to evaluate how your leadership style influences stakeholder engagement in the boardroom

    • Putting the pieces together: Formulate your guiding principles into a clear board value statement that communicates your fit and readiness

    Board leadership success stories

    I feel I now have a solid understanding of the most important responsibilities of a public board, how they have evolved over time, and most recently, what have become growing areas of priority.
    Kimberly Read
    Banking & Financial Services, Tivly
    The subject matter was fascinating, to mean, I am hooked. I want to provide elements of my learning to our company leaders as we continue seeking many opportunities as more likely our structure will c...
    Melissa Dala
    Corporate Director of Human Resources and Compliance, Staff Pro Workforce Solutions
    The best part was gaining a real-world understanding of board dynamics, especially how governance decisions impact both shareholders and stakeholders. The practical cases helped me see how non-market ...
    Faisal Saleem
    Group senior HR Director, Midocean

    Faculty

    Expert in corporate governance and strategy
    Mary-Hunter McDonnell

    Bantwal Family Goldman Sachs Presidential Associate Professor; Associate Professor of Management, Organizational Behavior, The Wharton School

    Mary-Hunter McDonnell studies organizational behavior within challenging institutional contexts, such as contentious social environments and uncertain regulatory environments....

    Guest speaker

    Guest speaker on governance leadership
    Sean P. McDonnell

    Partner, Mayer Brown

    Sean McDonnell is a partner in Mayer Brown's Washington D.C. office and a member of the global litigation and dispute resolution practice. Previously, Sean was an assistant Un...

    Certificate image for this boardroom governance-oriented program

    Board Governance Leadership Certificate

    Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from Wharton Executive Education. This credential signals your readiness to contribute effectively in the boardroom and demonstrates your commitment to governance excellence. 

    Note: After successful completion of the online program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.

    Receive an executive certificate with this learning journey

    Boardroom Readiness Program

    Program overview Why this learning journey? Tuition fee Faculty Certificates

    FAQs

    Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Program Advisors or call us at +1 680 205 5118 (US) / +44 185 845 9995 (UK) / +65 3135 1422 (SG)

    Flexible payment options available.

    Starts On