The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), in partnership with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Ministry of Defence, inaugurated the Fifth Batch of its landmark Directors' Certification in Corporate Governance for Defence Officers on 13th July 2026 at the IICA Campus in Manesar, Gurugram.

The two-week certification program brings together 30 senior officers representing all three services of the Indian Armed Forces. The program is specifically designed to orient participants with the conceptual and regulatory frameworks of corporate governance, effectively preparing them for leadership and Independent Director roles on corporate boards. By leveraging their extensive military experience in strategy, information technology, cyber security, and project management, the program equips these officers to contribute meaningfully to the Indian corporate ecosystem.

Addressing the group, Lt Gen Sanjay Sethi highlighted the significance of the transition from military to corporate service. He emphasized the unique value that senior defence officers bring to boardrooms through their long-standing experience in high-stakes decision-making, institutional leadership, and integrity.

Lt Gen Sethi observed that the defence sector brings a deeply ingrained sense of ethics, a habit of strict accountability for outcomes, and a rigorous, disciplined approach to risk management built over decades of high-pressure environments. These qualities, he noted, make defence personnel exceptionally well-suited for corporate boards, which increasingly demand independent judgment, institutional discipline, and an unwavering commitment to transparency.

In his address, Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General & CEO, IICA, noted that since its inception in August 2024, the program has successfully trained 120 defence officers over four batches. With the commencement of the Fifth Batch, this number will rise to 150, reflecting the continued confidence reposed in this initiative by both the Ministry of Defence and Indian industry.

Speaking on the changing nature of corporate boards, Shri Singh observed that modern boards are expected to look beyond mere regulatory compliance and adopt an active, questioning approach toward organizational strategies, propositions, and alternatives. Drawing on documented instances from India's corporate history, he noted that governance failures are rarely a single dramatic act, but rather the slow result of ordinary questions not being asked and comfortable answers being accepted too easily. He stated that the role of the Board is evolving from distant oversight to well-rounded strategic stewardship, adding that the healthy and productive functioning of a board depends heavily on directors asking the right questions. He called upon the participating officers to help cultivate exactly such a culture across Indian boardrooms.

Turning to recent policy developments, the DG & CEO highlighted that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has driven a series of Ease of Doing Business reforms aimed at simplifying entry, compliance, and exit for companies.

These reforms include the  setting up of the Central Registration Centre (CRC) and the Central Processing Centre (CPC) for the centralized processing of corporate filings, integration of incorporation forms into a single filing and simplified name-reservation rules, the operationalization of the Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) for faster voluntary closure of companies and  extending lighter compliance and disclosure requirements to a larger set of start-ups and MSMEs alongside the continued decriminalization of procedural offenses under the Companies Act.

Shri Singh emphasized that these steps collectively reflect a gradual national shift from compliance-based governance to trust-based governance, underscoring that good governance and a reduced compliance burden must go hand in hand.

On emerging priorities for corporate boards, the DG & CEO spoke on the growing significance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations. He noted that with the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework making non-financial reporting mandatory for regulated entities, boards must now oversee these disclosures with the same rigor as financial statements. Furthermore, he identified cyberspace and technology-related risks as other critical areas demanding increased board attention.

Gp Capt Susanta Biswas, VSM, representing the Directorate of Training-DGR, also addressed the gathering and emphasized the strong, continuing association between DGR and IICA in building corporate capacity for transitioning officers.

Earlier, Dr. Niraj Gupta, Head of the School of Corporate Governance & Public Policy, IICA, delivered the Welcome and Thematic Address, setting the conceptual baseline for the two-week program.

 

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SR/ONP  

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