Experts task future boards on sustainable shareholder value, strong governance
Lagos, Oct. 8, 2026, Governance experts have urged future corporate boards to prioritise sustainable shareholder value, accountability, technology and strong governance systems.
They said this would strengthen business resilience, enhance competitiveness and promote long-term organisational growth.
The experts made the call at the third Young Directors Conference of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) Nigeria Young Directors Forum (YDF) on Thursday in Lagos.
The conference had the theme: “The Future Board: Building Sustainable Systems, Unlocking New Potential.”
The Chairman, Algorithm Media Ltd., Mr Seni Adetu, said businesses faced disruptions from technology, changing consumer tastes, talent challenges and rapid volatility.
Adetu said multinationals continuously created value through strategic partnerships, innovation, talent engagement, good governance and clear road maps.
He said the fundamental purpose of business was to sustainably grow total shareholder value over the long term.
He noted that profitability and meeting market demand were means to achieve superior business performance.
Adetu said boards should continuously evaluate members against clear Key Performance Indicators, including executive and board-level retention, engagement and succession.
“Effective board is not just a statutory requirement, but a strategic asset and competitive advantage.
“A great company is built by great management but sustained by great governance,” he said.
Adetu also urged boards to embrace Artificial Intelligence and data analytics as boardroom instruments for predictive insights, operational efficiency and ethical functions.
He said board appointments should be driven by competence, performance and the long-term interests of organisations.
The business leader also advocated greater independence for internal audit functions to promote truthful and independent reporting.
He said internal auditors should have a direct reporting line to the board chairman and a dotted line to the Chief Executive Officer.
Adetu said the “tone at the top” must be defined by integrity, strong controls and ethical conduct.
“Future boards must also become more digitally savvy and embrace cognitive and generational diversity to respond effectively to disruptions,” he said.
He said the disruptions included technology, geopolitics and changing consumer behaviour.
The Founder, Digital Encode Ltd., Prof. Peter Obadare, said organisations must develop structures capable of surviving volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
Obadare said profitability alone was no longer sufficient to guarantee long-term sustainability.
He urged boards to consider how much organisations made, how sustainably they made profits and how long such performance could be maintained.
He said future boards must prioritise transparent and accountable governance systems, secure digital systems and sustainable business models.
Obadare said such models should balance profit, purpose, people and the planet.
He also urged directors to continually update their knowledge and strengthen competencies in technology risk, data governance and digital resilience.
“Boards needed to be technologically literate, risk-intelligent and future-focused to respond effectively to cybersecurity threats, regulatory changes and digital transformation,” he said.
He said boards also needed to respond to changing stakeholder expectations.
Obadare said sustainable systems could unlock opportunities for innovation, investment and scalable growth.
He said such systems could also help organisations avoid the “growth trap” of rapid expansion without adequate governance.
He urged boards to respond to volatility with vision, uncertainty with understanding, complexity with clarity and ambiguity with agility.
Obadare also challenged directors to consider whether the organisations they led could outlive them and withstand future shocks.
The President of CIoD Nigeria, Mr Adetunji Oyebanji, said continuous education, mentoring and investment in emerging leaders were critical to laying foundations for future boards.
Oyebanji said building sustainable systems and unlocking new potential required developing the younger generation and building inclusive workplaces.
He also advocated agility and digital innovation in preparing organisations for future challenges.
He urged emerging directors to take advantage of CIoD Academy board programmes, which provide executive education and specialised director development programmes.
Oyebanji said the boardroom must remain a place where competence, integrity, accountability and long-term value creation guided decision-making.
He said boards must also prepare leaders to respond effectively to the demands of a changing economy.
He announced that the institute’s Annual Directors Conference 2026 would be held on Nov. 10 and 11 in Lagos.
He said the conference would have the theme: “Reimagining the Boardroom for Inclusive and Sustainable National Prosperity in the New Economy.”
Oyebanji said the theme reflected the responsibility of today’s leaders to ensure boardrooms remained responsive to shareholders, stakeholders and society.
The Chairperson, CIoD Nigeria YDF, Ms Omobola Adekola, said building organisations capable of outliving individual leaders required deliberate investment in the next generation of directors.
Adekola said the forum’s success would ultimately be measured by the quality of leaders it developed and the institutions they strengthened.
She said its impact should not be judged by membership numbers or programmes alone.
She said it should also be measured by boards strengthened, people developed, governance standards upheld and legacies created by members.
Adekola said the forum’s vision centred on membership growth, structured transition pathways and capacity development.
She said these would position young directors as competent, ethical and impactful leaders.
Adekola said the conference was designed to give participants an “encounter” capable of changing their perspectives and inspiring action.
She said this was particularly important as organisations faced technological change, economic uncertainty, emerging risks and changing stakeholder expectations.
Adekola said succession planning was particularly important for developing future leaders and building organisations that were not dependent on any single individual.
She urged participants to become ambassadors of YDF by encouraging other young directors to join and participate in its programmes.
She stressed that building the future board required collective responsibility.
