The annual ICSA Ireland Conference is long established as the key opportunity of the year for companies to access all of the latest global research, expertise and emerging insights that are transforming the areas of corporate governance and compliance and reshaping the work of the company secretary. In the midst of a period of significant disruption caused by high profile governance failures and the commencement of new, more exacting legislation, it is of critical importance that companies and company secretaries ensure they are fully informed and have the benefit of the leading minds in corporate governance and compliance as they prepare for the challenges going forward.

A high-profile line-up of speakers will give attendees an in-depth view of the corporate governance landscape, the key drivers that are actively transforming it, and the increasingly sophisticated controls which are needed to ensure past failures do not reoccur. Jim Boyce former Vice President of FIFA will cover the controversial area of sports governance and give attendees a unique, personal perspective on the importance of increasing accountability within the world of sport.

Best practice models for reputation management (whether on a global or local scale) will be opened up by Niamh Boyle, Managing Director and Founder of the Reputations Agency, to examine the current drivers that build a company's reputation and to show attendees how they can reduce their reputational risk exposure.

Fast-moving developments within the area of information security will be explored by Jared Carstensen Chief Information Security Office with CRH plc; this is a critical area for most companies and will become even more so when the new European-wide data protection regulation comes into effect. Jared will discuss the current evolution in cyber attacks, the specific ways in which organisations are being targeted, and how to maintain optimal data security.

Other speakers include PJ Timmins Managing Director of the Alternative Board and former CEO of Clery & Co plc, and Kevin Prendergast who will focus on the legal duties of company directors under the Companies Act and examine the impact of the changes so far.

Attendees will also have the practical benefit of a number of workshops which will focus on career development for company secretaries and financial sector risk and compliance, provided by Mark Burke Chief Risk & Compliance Officer of Mediolanum Irish Operations and former Head of Advisory, Analytics & Actuarial Services, Central Bank of Ireland. To round off the conference, a panel of experts will discuss the Companies Act 2014 and assess the progress made so far in the implementation of this game-changing legislation. They will examine the compliance challenges that companies are currently facing and provide a view of the models being used to meet those challenges.

In addition to accessing the thoughts and insights that are defining the transformation of the corporate governance and compliance sectors, attendees of the ICSA 2016 Conference will be able to browse a huge range of industry-leading products and services for supporting governance professionals, and will receive six full hours of formal CPD in the one day. They will also enjoy one of the most prolific networking opportunities of the year.

With the Conference only two weeks away you should book now to ensure you don't miss out.

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