Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) today announced eight sustainability training courses that directors of listed companies can attend to equip themselves with basic knowledge on sustainability matters.
Directors must attend one of the courses in order to meet the enhanced SGX sustainability reporting rules that mandated sustainability training for all board directors of equity issuers listed on SGX. Companies are required to provide a confirmation that their directors have attended sustainability training, in their first sustainability report for financial years commencing on or after 1 January 2022, and issued in 2023 or later.
The prescribed training courses are conducted by providers that represent different constituencies in the capital markets. They are Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Singapore Environment Council (SEC), each in partnership with Enterprise Singapore, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) with SAC Capital, REIT Association of Singapore (REITAS), Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) and University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) with Earth on Board (EoB). More details on the respective courses are in the annex.
To cater to the different needs of directors, the courses span different duration and are conducted virtually or in-person. Their start-dates will differ with the earliest being this month.
In addition, individuals who are first-time board directors of listed companies can meet the requirement by attending from May 2022, the Listed Entity Directors’ programme at SID.
“Changes and disruptions due to environmental, social and governance developments are already underway. Company directors must therefore have a good grasp of sustainability issues. SGX RegCo is pleased to have these providers onboard to train directors in an area increasingly crucial as they direct companies’ long-term strategy and corporate governance,” said Michael Tang, Head of Listing Policy and Product Admission, SGX RegCo.
Annex
The following are details on the various sustainability courses for listed company directors.
