IICA Launches 4th Corporate Governance Certification for Defence Officers

The initiative also seeks to help officers leverage their experience in leadership, strategic planning, project management and national security operations within the corporate sector.

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), in collaboration with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Ministry of Defence, has launched the fourth batch of the Directors’ Certification Programme in Corporate Governance for Defence Officers at its Manesar campus in Gurugram.

The two-week programme, inaugurated on 9 March 2026, brings together senior officers from the Indian Armed Forces, including serving and recently retired personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force, to prepare them for board-level roles in public and private sector companies.

Preparing Defence Officers for Corporate Board Roles

The certification programme aims to familiarise defence officers with the conceptual, regulatory and practical framework of corporate governance, equipping them to serve effectively as Independent Directors on corporate boards.

Participants will gain insights into:

• Roles and responsibilities of Independent Directors

• Corporate governance frameworks and compliance systems

• Strategic leadership in corporate environments

• ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) standards

• Risk management, cyber security and technology oversight

The initiative also seeks to help officers leverage their experience in leadership, strategic planning, project management and national security operations within the corporate sector.

Military Leadership Valuable for Corporate Governance

In his address, Air Marshal B. Manikantan (PVSM, AVSM, VM) highlighted the significance of the transition from military service to corporate leadership roles.

He emphasised that defence officers bring discipline, integrity, institutional leadership and high-stakes decision-making experience—qualities that are highly valuable in corporate boardrooms.

Aligning Corporate Governance with Global Standards

Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General and CEO of IICA, underlined the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ efforts to strengthen India’s corporate disclosure framework and align it with global ESG standards.

He noted that IICA continues to support the government’s vision of trust-based regulation and Ease of Doing Business, stressing that strong governance frameworks must go hand in hand with reduced compliance burdens.

Singh also highlighted the strong alignment between the values of the armed forces and corporate governance expectations, advocating greater participation of defence officers on corporate boards.

Insights into Board Appointments

The programme also featured a special address by Monica Agrawal, Chairperson and Country Head of Sheffield Haworth and former Managing Director at Korn Ferry.

Drawing on her experience in executive search and leadership advisory, she shared insights on:

• Evolving expectations of corporate boards

• Criteria used in board-level recruitment

• Strategies for defence officers to position themselves for independent directorship roles.

Building Governance Expertise

The session began with a welcome and thematic address by Dr. Niraj Gupta, Head of the School of Corporate Governance and Public Policy at IICA, who outlined the conceptual framework linking public governance, military leadership and corporate governance practices.

The programme proceedings were coordinated by Dr. Anindita Chakrabarti, Principal Research Associate at IICA.

Officials said the initiative reflects the government’s broader effort to facilitate the transition of defence personnel into leadership roles in the corporate sector while strengthening governance standards across Indian companies.