Boardrooms are learned, not inherited.
The Governance Academy is where the Directors Association trains people for board work — the meetings, the duties, the judgment calls that a director's role actually requires. Since 2018 we've trained 3,500+ people; graduates who go on to sit Board Exams earn a recognised director designation through ADA, our professional body.
Train here. Get examined and designated by ADA.
The Academy and ADA (Directors Association NPC) are separate by design: one teaches, the other certifies.
Train at the Academy
Governance courses built around real board practice, from first-board fundamentals to JSE-listed board governance.
Sit the Board Exams
Set and marked by ADA, independent of the Academy's own teaching staff.
Hold a designation
PD(SA), QD(SA), Certified Chair, or CCS — a credential you keep current, not a certificate you file away.
What you'll study
Every course maps to a real governance responsibility — not a general business topic renamed for the boardroom.
Board Structures and Board Effectiveness
How a board is composed, how it should run, and what makes one function well in practice.
Board Committees Masterclass
Audit, risk, remuneration, and social & ethics committees: mandates, overlap, and common failure points.
Introduction to Public Governance
Governance duties specific to public-sector boards and entities.
Governance in Public Entities
Applying governance principles inside the constraints and reporting lines of a public entity.
Public Finance Management Act Masterclass
The PFMA obligations a public-entity director is personally accountable for.
Governing on a JSE-Listed Board
For a director moving from an SMME or NPO board to a JSE Main Board seat: the Companies Act, King V, and the JSE Listings Requirements.
499 directors currently hold an ADA designation
Built for people getting their first board seat
No prior board experience assumed
Built for professionals and entrepreneurs who've never sat on a board, not for people already inside one.
The Madam Chair Initiative
70% of our designated members are women — a deliberate focus, not a coincidence.
SMME and entrepreneur governance
Coverage most governance training skips: running a board where the company is still small.
CPD points, on completion
Selected courses carry CPD points, with a certificate of completion for every course.
Come to the free info session
An hour with Munya Duvera on what board work actually involves, how the Academy-to-designation pathway works, and whether it's the right next step for you.
Before you ask
What is the Governance Academy?
The training arm of the Directors Association: governance courses for people preparing for board work, from a first board seat through to JSE-listed boards.
How is the Academy different from ADA?
The Academy teaches. ADA — Directors Association NPC, our professional body — sets and marks the Board Exams and awards the designation (PD(SA), QD(SA), Certified Chair, CCS). One trains you; the other certifies you.
Do I need board experience to start?
No. Most people who train with us have never sat on a board. The foundational courses assume no prior governance experience.
What happens at the free info session?
A plain explanation of what board work involves, how the courses and designations fit together, and what a realistic path to your first board seat looks like — run live by Munya Duvera over Zoom.