TORONTO, April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI) has widened its membership to include director institutes from Switzerland and the Gulf Cooperation Council, reflecting the rapid growth of the organisation and its capacity to advocate on behalf of global directors.

The Swiss Institute of Directors (SIoD) and GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI) were invited to join the ranks of the global network, which already includes leading director associations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Southern Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States.

"The inclusion of the Swiss Institute of Directors and the GCC Board Directors Institute to the GNDI network further strengthens GNDI's reach across international markets," said Mr. Stan Magidson, chair of the GNDI and president and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors in Canada.

"The geographic growth also supports the role GNDI has assumed in keeping the global director community abreast of the latest thinking and developments in corporate governance," Mr. Magidson added.

"We are honoured to join the GNDI network of leading director institutes from around the globe and to support its mission to enhance director capabilities in order to drive sustainable performance for the benefit of all stakeholders," said Nathalie Potvin, Executive Director, GCC Board Directors Institute.

"This international partnership marks an important milestone in BDI's journey. BDI is the first and only institute from the region to join this unique network which collectively represents over 100,000 directors and governance experts worldwide. It reinforces our role in bringing global best practices to the region and will strengthen our efforts to raise the standards of professional directorship," she added.

"The Swiss Institute of Directors is looking forward to a fruitful exchange and cooperation with the other director institutes," said Dr. Martin Hilb, President of the Swiss Institute of Directors.

GNDI is an international network of 15 director institutes and was established in December 2012 to foster closer cooperation between its members, who are each recognized as the primary institute for directors and governance in their respective country.

The following organizations are members of GNDI:

• Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
• Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC)
• GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI)
• European Confederation of Directors Associations (ecoDa)
• Hong Kong Institute of Directors (HKIoD)
• Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), Canada
• Institute of Directors in New Zealand (IoDNZ)
• Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA)
• Institute of Directors (IoD), United Kingdom
• Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors (MACD)
• Mauritius Institute of Directors (MIoD)
• National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), United States.
• Singapore Institute of Directors (SID)
• Swiss Institute of Directors (SIoD)
• Thai Institute of Directors (TIoD)

For further details please contact:  

Maliha Aqeel, director of communications, Institute of Corporate Directors

+1-416-593-7741 ext. 229 or +1-416-829-9808, maqeel@icd.ca

http://www.gndi.org

SOURCE Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)