On the 1st and 2nd July Convene sponsored the CGI Governance Conference 2025, all about ‘Navigating Governance: Adapting to an Evolving World’. We’d like to thank the Chartered Governance Institute as well as all those in attendance for making it such an engaging event.

This conference offered insights into navigating risk, regulation and change for governance professionals and businesses, all while dealing with a challenging environment and significant economic and geopolitical developments.

The first day of the conference began with a keynote address on growth and governance, and looking at the balance between the two. It explored the complex dynamics of global politics risks, and the practical impacts they can have both businesses and policymakers.

Then, there was a talk on corporate governance reform, where the Chartered Governance Institute UKI’s Policy & Research Director, Peter Swabey FCG discussed the latest developments in corporate governance.

There was a ministerial address by Justin Madders MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade, and then a session on navigating governance risk. This focused on how organisations can effectively manage and mitigate risks through governance frameworks.

This was followed by a panel on governance with grit, looking at reshaping leadership and taking on trust, transformation, and what it truly takes to lead in a high-stakes, high-speed world.

In the afternoon there were a series of breakout sessions. The first set of breakout sessions looked at important topics such as company boards and geopolitical risk, recent changes to UK Company Law, and board evaluations trends and takeaways.

The second set of breakout sessions included the launch of ‘Optimising Board Behavioural Dynamics’, a talk on effective board communication, and a panel on the relationship between subsidiary governance and Legal Entity Rationalisation projects.

The third and final set of breakout sessions for the day explored how to craft company values to shape your culture, AI business models, and the future of governance teams and embracing technology.

We here at Convene are dedicated to bringing you the best possible assistance for your governance teams, ensuring you have the technology you need in your governance practices. Our Board portal is designed to ensure that before, during and after your Board meetings, your workflow is streamlined and seamless.

However, Convene is more than just a Board portal. With our partnership with GovernWith we are bringing you the next step in Board technology: Convene Assure. Our AI Powered suite looks to help you not just in meetings, but in all aspects of your governance journey.

For our new Governance Review module, GovernWith is bringing their expert knowledge on contemporary governance and review capabilities to aid in the evaluative process.

GovernWith specialises in online Contemporary Governance Review & Development programs, each tailored to meet sector-specific regulatory obligations. The platform supports Boards, Executives and Subcommittees in achieving high-performance governance teams.

With Convene Assure, you can access essential content and tools to manage regulatory compliance obligations and enhance contemporary governance organisation-wide, year after year.

The day ended with a closing keynote on developing positive habits and making small changes to increase wellbeing and resilience.

The second day of the conference began with an opening address on AI and regulation, which explored AI development, ethics, law, and policy and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

This was followed by a session sharing the findings of last year’s workshops on trustworthiness, and how corporate governance can assist in fostering trust.

Then, there was a talk on the future of ESG, discussing new regulatory and legislative updates, as well as the challenges of ESG initiatives and the effectiveness of ESG policy.

After this, there was a talk on generational diversity and workplace dynamics, which looked at how organisations can work better together across generations by embracing differences.

After lunch, there were a series of afternoon breakout sessions. The first included a session on internal controls and risk management and how to comply with the new Provision 29 in the Corporate Governance Code. There was also a talk on the new Charity Governance Code and a conversation on ensuring tech-powered transparency.

The second set of breakout sessions looked at topics like organisational culture and whether a code of ethics can make a difference, building and cultivating a culture prepared for AI and CoSecs as architects for strategic transformation.

The final set of breakout sessions explored the art of sustainability reporting, encouraging challenge in the boardroom and the end of the physical AGM.

The day ended with a closing keynote on building better conversations, which explore how to create better conversations through appreciating different perspectives, aligning desired outcomes, asking great questions (and really listening to the answers), and investing in our human relationships.

We’d like to thank the CGI and all attendees for making this such an insightful conference, tackling the issues affecting governance professionals head on.

You can learn more about how Convene can help you with your corporate governance journey by booking a demo with us today.