"I thought I was the only one who did my homework." The line is taken from a scene in the film The Post (2017) starring actress Meryl Streep in the role of Katharine "Kay" Graham, the first woman to direct a major publishing house of an important American newspaper, the Washington Post. The joke, made by a member of the board of directors during one of the first sessions Graham attended, alludes to the fact that only the two of them had prepared for the meeting (in fact they had binders full of documents). All the other members, on the other hand, just bring with them a pencil and some paper for notes. At one time - in the film we are in the sixties of the last century - the highest organ of a company often looked more like a sort of "club of friends" - moreover almost always only males - who met every now and then to hear how they are going. business, approve some proposals from the chairman of the board (especially those related to dividends to be distributed to shareholders), and then enjoy the time together to have a few drinks and smoke cigars. And, of course, collect the attendance fee.

Today, however, with the complexity of the globalized and increasingly digitalized world, there is no longer room for board members who "have not done their homework". Indeed, more and more organizations, whether large or small, are equipped with a Board of Directors composed not only of experts and experts in the various branches of competence but also of 'professional advisers'. These are people whose main business is to sit on one or more boards of directors and bring their experience and perspective from 'outside experts' to the table. This phenomenon, which is not really new, is growing because businesses, especially small-medium or family-run ones, often cannot afford to have a director for every specialization.

For the expert consultant in corporate governance and former CEO of Allianz Italia and Axa Assicurazioni Massimo Michaud, "the activity of Director has become a complex profession, and no longer a part-time occupation, not only in listed companies , but in all company categories. A profession that, like any other, requires adequate preparation and training ».

In addition to the traditional responsibilities of good corporate governance (see the directives in force on corporate governance) and financial and risk management, today the member of a Board of Directors is also required to know how to relate with the various stakeholders, to manage public communication and strategically consider the overall sustainability of the company - not only financial and economic, but also environmental and social. In this context, it is clear that the multiple knowledge required to be able to trace the operational strategy of a company implies the adoption of a Board of Directors that has experienced militia members, but also professional members who know how to advise on specific issues. and global in scope

Michaud again: "Confronted with the growing complexity of the markets due to intra-sectoral and extra-sectorial competition, technological and regulatory evolution, the need to contribute to the well-being of the community in which one operates and of all the so-called stakeholders, companies must be able to draw on a set of skills and experiences that the top management, however versatile, cannot have accumulated alone.

One of the areas of greatest interest and reflection is the acquisition of a broader risk culture. When you think about the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the organization of work, on supply and distribution chains, just to name a few examples, it is clear that the Company Management may need the effective collaboration of the Board of Directors that contributes to analyze and guide the market and social context in all its aspects, while respecting the decision-making prerogatives of the delegated bodies ".

The new professional category, if we can define it as such, of the so-called Board Members is today a well-known reality in Switzerland and now also in Ticino, with the recent establishment, at the end of November 2021 in Lugano, of the Board Forum Svizzera italiana, the first association in sud delle Alpi dedicated to people active on the boards of directors of companies, companies and organizations. The purpose, as stated in the statute, is to "enhance the competence and knowledge of individuals who carry out the activity of Board member, favoring the interaction between members and the promotion of training and information activities of interest for the exercise of this function ". The association was born in the context of the 'Certified Board Member' continuing training course promoted by Alma Impact AG (with the scientific collaboration of Avv. Sharon Guggiari and Karin Valenzano Rossi) and organized in collaboration with the Tax Competence Center (CCT) of the School professional university of Italian Switzerland (SUPSI). The association is constituted by three professionals who strongly believe in the importance of the skills and continuous updating of the members of the Board of Directors and who are also the three current members of the Steering Committee: Massimo Michaud; Karin Valenzano Rossi, lawyer and notary and member of the BoD of Banca Raiffeisen Switzerland; and Alberto Stival, co-founder of Alma Impact AG and president of pr suisse.