Applications close on Friday for the governance development programme offered by the IoD to support the governance aspirations of its members.
The winner receives mentoring from an experienced director, complimentary IoD membership for a year and a contribution towards costs of an IoD governance development course.
Last year’s winner Kate Hesson, of Dunedin, recommended people apply who are interested in contributing to business and community through governance.
She had Kathy Grant, a chartered fellow of the IoD, as her mentor for a year while she also met other people through her involvement with IoD.
Ms Hesson is a director of the New Zealand Rock Lobster Industry Council and chairwoman of the St Bernadette’s School board of trustees.
Cutting through existing networks that were preventing new talent from coming through was a challenge, she said.
"To be really good at governance, you need to be able to see the bigger picture and be able to understand a wide variety of topics and relate to all types of people. It is not something you become a guru at overnight, and every board or committee has different dynamics," she said.
Last year’s runner-up Nick Hamlin, who is an independent board member of Motorsport New Zealand and board chairman of Football Southland, said all businesses needed to bring new people and new ideas to the board table, and the IoD awards process highlighted that.
