Programme Overview
The world of corporate governance has entered a period of deep transformation. The year 2025 marked a turning point for boards across the world as volatility, technology disruption, and rising stakeholder expectations converged to redefine what effective governance looks like. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Board Frontier Outlook, boards are being tested not just on oversight and compliance, but on their ability to anticipate disruption, integrate technology responsibly, and sustain trust in an increasingly complex business environment.
Across regions, similar patterns emerged. The Russell Reynolds Global Corporate Governance Trends 2025 report highlights that directors are now expected to demonstrate anticipatory governance — the capacity to foresee change and guide the organisation through uncertainty. Protiviti’s Global Board Governance Survey 2025 shows that 76 percent of organisations expect their business models to undergo moderate to significant transformation within the next three years, yet fewer than 30 percent of boards believe they have the right mix of skills to navigate that shift. PwC’s Board Pulse 2025 further reveals that half of board members identified technology risk and compliance complexity as their top governance blind spots, exposing an urgent need for new board capabilities in digital oversight, AI accountability, and cyber resilience.
In Malaysia, the Minority Shareholders Watch Group Corporate Governance Monitor 2025 reported the highest level of ESG disclosures since 2018, while also cautioning that investor confidence in sustainability data quality declined by nearly 20 percent year-on-year. This mirrors global findings from the IFAC Audit Quality Report 2025, which observed that boards are struggling to match the pace of data-driven transparency with systems that ensure integrity and accountability. The challenge ahead for Malaysian boards is clear: compliance alone will not secure confidence; credible, evidence-based governance will.
As the global economy moves into 2026, boards face a different equation. The conversation is no longer about adapting to change but about staying relevant within it. Directors must now evolve from being passive custodians of performance to active shapers of foresight. The coming year will demand a more deliberate blend of financial literacy, technological fluency, and ethical leadership at the board level.
This two-hour high-impact session titled The Foresight Boardroom: Decoding 2025 and Designing 2026, led by Dr Sarjit Singh, is designed to help board directors translate the lessons of 2025 into forward-looking strategies for 2026. Rather than a retrospective briefing, this programme invites participants to think forward. It is a curated exploration of what it means to govern in an age of acceleration and to build boardrooms that can see around corners.
Key Discussion Themes
- The Governance Reset
Boards are redefining their purpose beyond compliance and fiduciary oversight. 2025 has shown that agility, stakeholder accountability, and long-term value creation are now central to effective governance. - AI, Data, and the New Oversight Frontier
Generative AI, data analytics, and automation are transforming decision-making. Boards must now govern algorithms, ensure data ethics, and balance innovation with integrity. - ESG 2.0 and Climate Accountability
With the global rollout of ISSB standards (IFRS S1 & S2), sustainability governance has shifted from voluntary disclosure to regulatory obligation. Directors must understand how climate data, transition risk, and performance metrics shape board reporting and credibility. - Cybersecurity and Digital Trust
2025 recorded the highest number of cyber breaches in ASEAN history. The conversation has moved from prevention to resilience. Boards must embed cyber risk into corporate strategy, not treat it as an IT function. - The Human Capital and Composition Challenge
Board renewal, skill diversity, and leadership succession remain critical. Future-ready boards will balance financial, digital, and sustainability competencies while maintaining a culture of constructive challenge.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the key trends and developments that shaped board discussions in 2025.
- Identify the major governance and business priorities for boards in 2026.
- Recognise how global shifts such as technology, ESG, and regulation will impact board responsibilities.
- Reflect on their own board’s readiness for future challenges.
