- Equip board members with practical AI skills relevant to their governance responsibilities
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of AI governance structures needed at the board level
- Establish ethical frameworks and risk mitigation strategies for responsible AI implementation
- Enable board members to lead by example in AI adoption and governance
- Morning: Practical AI usage for board responsibilities and why this is important
- Afternoon: AI governance, risk mitigation, ethical considerations and scalability for governing AI within companies as a board member
Brief digital survey to gauge participants' AI familiarity and specific governance interests
Course objectives and structure
Why board members must personally use AI to effectively govern it
Financial Oversight with AI
Using AI tools to analyse financial statements and identify anomalies
AI-powered trend detection and financial forecasting
Hands-on exercise: Analysing a sample financial report using AI tools
Legal and Regulatory Compliance
AI-assisted regulatory tracking and compliance monitoring
Using AI to review and summarise legal documents
Practical demo: Using AI to extract key insights from complex legal texts
Strategic Analysis Tools
AI-assisted competitor analysis and market intelligence
Using AI to identify emerging market trends and opportunities
Live exercise: Creating an AI-powered SWOT analysis
Strategic Forecasting with AI
Using AI for scenario modelling and strategic planning
Integrating AI insights into board-level decision-making
Workshop: Testing AI forecasting against traditional methods
M&A and Investment Decisions
AI due diligence tools and techniques
Using AI to evaluate potential acquisitions and partnerships
Case study: How AI identified hidden value in acquisition targets
Risk Assessment Applications
AI tools for early risk detection and mitigation
Building AI-enhanced risk dashboards for board oversight
Interactive exercise: Using AI to identify non-obvious risks in a business case
Regulatory Compliance Automation
AI tools for tracking regulatory changes across jurisdictions
Using AI for compliance monitoring and enforcement
Demo: Real-time regulatory tracking dashboard for board members
Board Communication Enhancement
AI-assisted board pack creation and summarisation
Using AI to improve information flow between management and the board
Discussion: Implementing AI communication tools in the boardroom
Small-group workshop addressing realistic board challenges:
Group 1: Using AI to evaluate CEO performance
Group 2: AI-assisted crisis management response
Group 3: AI tools for ESG oversight and reporting
Group presentations and peer feedback
Board-Level Oversight Frameworks
AI governance committee structures and responsibilities
Board skills matrix for effective AI oversight
Case study: AI governance model
AI Policy Development
Essential AI policies and standards for board approval
Balancing innovation with responsible governance
Template: Board-approved AI governance framework
AI Maturity Assessment
How boards can evaluate organisational AI readiness
Key metrics and KPIs for AI governance
Exercise: Conducting an AI maturity assessment
Ethical AI Decision Frameworks
Establishing board-level AI ethics principles
Implementing ethical review processes for AI projects
Case study: Ethical failures and successes in AI implementation
Addressing AI Bias and Fairness
How boards should evaluate AI systems for bias
Transparency requirements for high-risk AI applications
Discussion: Reviewing an AI system for potential bias issues
AI Risk Management Strategy
Comprehensive risk framework for AI technologies
Incident response procedures for AI failures
Workshop: Developing an AI risk register at board level
Emerging AI Technologies and Governance Implications
Beyond generative AI: What boards need to understand about frontier AI
Preparing for autonomous AI systems and their governance challenges
Discussion: Future scenarios in AI governance
AI-Enhanced Board Performance
How AI will transform board operations and effectiveness
AI augmentation vs. replacement of board functions
Discussion: Setting a 3-year AI transformation roadmap for boards
Ethical Dilemma Exercise
Small groups address complex AI governance scenarios
Applying ethical frameworks to challenging AI use cases
Group presentations and facilitated discussion
AI Governance Strategy Development
Template-guided creation of a board-level AI governance strategy
Peer review and refinement of strategies
Action planning: Taking specific AI governance initiatives back to your board
Understanding, Using & Governing AI for Directors
OVERVIEW
Generative AI (Gen AI) is not just the future, it is the present. It has the power to revolutionise companies, providing significant gains in productivity, efficiency and decision-making. Board directors have a responsibility to harness the power of Gen AI to drive progress and build a better business. In order to stay ahead directors need to cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and be open to curiosity.
The Financial Times Board Director Programme is delighted to be able to offer directors the opportunity to learn from one of the top AI practitioners in the world in this highly practical and interactive workshop. Danilo McGarry shares his unparalleled experience and knowledge to enable participants to fully understand how AI can help to improve their organisations across the board, and to understand how they personally can drive that improvement.
Course Overview
This intensive one-day course is designed for board directors who need to personally utilise AI in their governance roles as well as to effectively oversee AI implementation within their organisations. The programme follows a practical approach, with the morning focused on hands-on AI applications for board responsibilities, and the afternoon dedicated to governance frameworks, ethics, and risk management.
Objectives
Format
SPEAKER
Danilo McGarry
Former Head of Ai & Digital Transformation
Fortune 500 companies
Danilo McGarry is one of the world’s foremost AI experts, recognized as a top 20, 25 and 50 global AI leader by leading analysts and institutions. With nearly two decades of experience, he has advised Fortune 500 and FTSE 250 companies, private equity firms, and governments on AI. To date Danilo has trained circa 100,000 partners and leaders of the leading consultancy firms around the world.
As the former Head of AI at Citigroup and UnitedHealth Group (America’s 5 th largest company), Danilo has driven AI adoption at scale, leading to multi-billion-dollar business transformations. His work in AI strategy, automation, and governance has helped organizations achieve up to 5x valuation growth, proving AI’s impact on corporate success.
Danilo is a trusted advisor to boards, working with executives to govern AI responsibly, mitigate risk, and unlock new strategic opportunities. He has contributed to AI policy development at the European Union level, shaping regulations that define AI’s future. His LinkedIn Learning course on Generative AI, approved by the PMI Institute, is used by universities and executives worldwide achieving an average 4.8 out of 5 rating and was coined by Forbes as one of the top 5 courses in Linkedin Learning on Ai.
A keynote speaker at global AI and business forums, including events hosted by Google, The Financial Times, and major financial institutions, Danilo has addressed live audiences of up to 220,000 people. His insights have been published in Bloomberg, The Times, The Financial Times, WIRED, and more.
Danilo’s Board Member AI Training Course equips board members with practical AI skills to enhance decision-making and govern AI within their organisations effectively. His approach ensures that boards don’t just regulate AI—but master it themselves.
For more on Danilo’s work, visit www.danilomcgarry.com or follow him on YouTube.
AGENDA
9:00 – 9:40 | Registration, Breakfast & Networking
9:40 – 9:45 | Welcome & Introduction
9:45 – 10:30 | Hands-On AI for Board Responsibilities
10:30 – 11:15 | Advanced AI for Decision-Making
11:15 – 11:30 | Refreshment Break & Networking
11:30 – 12:15 | Practical AI Applications for Governance & Compliance
12:15 – 13:15 | Interactive Exercise: AI in Board-Level Scenarios
13:15 – 14:00 | Lunch & Networking
Governing AI Within a Company a Board Member is Part of
14:00 – 14:45 | AI Governance Structures for Boards
14:45 – 15:30 | Scaling AI: Ethics, Compliance & Risk Mitigation
15:30 – 15:50 | Refreshment Break & Networking
15:50 – 16:30 | The Future of AI in Board Governance
16:30 – 17:30 | Interactive Discussion & Group Exercise
17:30 – 19:00 | Networking Drinks Reception