Company Directors Course and Foundations of Directorship Course

AgriFutures Australia is committed to supporting the people who are driving, and will drive, the future prosperity of Australian rural industries and communities.

AgriFutures Australia currently has an opportunity for individuals involved in one of our levied, emerging or agtech industries to participate in the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and the Foundations of Directorship course.

Company Directors Course™

Foundations of Directorship™ (Online)

Applications for 2026 will close Monday, 12 January 2026.

Apply Here

About the Company Directors Course and Foundations of Directorship Course

Company Directors Course™ (Online)

Course commencement date: June (exact dates to be determined)
Location: Online

The Australian Institute of Company Directors is Australia’s leading provider of governance education and development programs, governance assessment services and Board advisory services.

AgriFutures Australia is offering individuals from the following groups the opportunity to participate in the Company Directors Course^TM Online, the world’s most established director program:

Individuals working in an AgriFutures Australia Levied Industry (chicken meat, export fodder, thoroughbred horses, honeybee and pollination, rice, ginger, tea tree oil, pasture seeds, kangaroo, buffalo, deer, goat fibre)
Individuals working in an emerging industry (industrial hemp, insects, seaweed, sesame)
Agrifood innovation professionals (e.g. startups, scaleups, agtech companies, Producer Technology Uptake Program participants and coordinators, innovation brokers)
Members of the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Alumni

The Company Directors Course^TM is designed to ensure that participants not only understand their roles and responsibilities, but also improve their contributions to Board performance. It is delivered online, with participants completing five core content themes:

Governance and the Practice of Directorship – understand the duties and practices of directorship, and a board’s functions and responsibilities.
The Legal Environment – analyse the responsibilities and functions of directors and officers and consider the impacts of a changing legal environment on board decision making.
Risk and Strategy – examine the board’s role in developing a culture appropriate for the risk tolerance of the organisation and explore the board’s roles in developing and executing
strategy.
Financial Literacy and Performance – focus on financial literacy for directors and evaluate the board’s explicit role in driving organisational performance.
Achieving Board Effectiveness – investigate effective decision making, board dynamics, the impact of individual and collective performance and how a constructive board culture can create significant value for an organisation.

The Company Directors Course™ has a length of approximately 4.5 months, including pre-reading, delivery of course sessions, and course assessment (available to complete over 3 months). The course delivery sessions are five full days (one day per week over five weeks/fortnights). Participants are required to attend at least four of the five days to be eligible to undertake assessment.

The course assessment includes:

A one hour, 45 minute, open book, online exam, consisting of four long answer questions.
A 60 minute, open book online, exam, consisting of 20 multiple choice questions.
A multi part, case study-based assignment (total of 3,000 words).

The pass mark is 65% for each component. Participants who successfully complete the assessment and hold current membership of AICD may use the GAICD postnominals.

Foundations of Directorship™ (Online)

Course commencement date: May (exact dates to be determined)
Location: Online

AgriFutures Australia is offering individuals from the following groups the opportunity to participate in the Foundations of Directorship™ Online course:

Individuals working in an AgriFutures Australia Levied Industry (chicken meat, export fodder, thoroughbred horses, honeybee and pollination, rice, ginger, tea tree oil, pasture seeds, kangaroo, buffalo, deer, goat fibre)
Individuals working in an emerging industry (industrial hemp, insects, seaweed, sesame)
Agrifood innovation professionals (e.g. startups, scaleups, agtech companies, Producer Technology Uptake Program participants and coordinators, innovation brokers)
Members of the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award Alumni

The Foundations of Directorship™ is designed for new or aspiring governing body members and executive teams. The program provides a comprehensive introduction to the three core components of directorship: governance, risk and strategy, and finance. Participants are given the opportunity to build their governance and directorship knowledge together, in the context of your industry sector and the ‘here and now’ of contemporary operating environments. The program includes the following three courses, which are each broken down into two sessions (making a total of six half- day sessions):

Governance for Directors: this course examines the duties and responsibilities of individual directors and the board. It offers valuable insights into leadership, the rights of directors, and the boardroom environment. Key sessions and topics include:

The Role of the Director and the Board.
Introduction to Board Meetings and Governance.

Risk and Strategy for Directors: this course explores the director’s role in identifying, formulating, and monitoring an organisation’s strategy and risk appetite, and their effect on performance. Sessions include:

Introduction to the Strategic Role of the Director.
Risk: Issues for Directors.

Finance for Directors: this course addresses financial health in an organisation, the understanding of
key financial indicators for decision making, and the interpretation of financial statements. Sessions
include

Introduction to Financial Statements for Directors.
Assessing Financial Performance for Directors.

Who should apply?