BDTI has teamed up with UCLA Anderson Executive Education andprofessional firmsto provide world-class director training programs in Japan. For more details, click here to downloadPress Release, or read the full text below.
For Immediate Release
The Board Director Training Institute of Japan Certified as a “Public Interest” Corporation, Joins Forces with UCLA Anderson Executive Education and Major International Professional Firms
· Unique non-profit responds to needs of globalizing Japanese firms by combining training in corporate governance, law and management
· A new way for the public and investors to support safe, sustainable growth. An example of the government’s new policy at work
July 20, 2011–Board Director Training Institute of Japan (BDTI), a grass-roots non-profit foundation in Japan led by prominent academics and practitioners in Japan, announced that the Japanese Cabinet Office has approved it as a “public interest corporation”.
BDTI also announced that it has teamed up with UCLA anderson Executive Education, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC Enterprise Risk Services, and major law firms such as White & Case LLP, to provide group programs to prepare Japanese boards and the managers who report to them for the mounting complexities of today’s global markets. Instruction will cover corporate governance, risk management, key strategy and management themes, and related legal topics.
BDTI Representative Director Takaaki Wakasugi, Emeritus Professor at Tokyo University and a recognized pioneer in the field of corporate governance in Japan, said, “We are pleased that the Cabinet Office and its Approvals Committee agreed that BDTI’s E-Learning program serves the public interest because it enables firms to inexpensively spread essential knowledge about company law and corporate governance to mid-level managers and employees. Like other countries in Asia, Japan’s corporate governance ratings lag most in the area of ‘corporate governance culture’. By addressing this gap, our 10-hour E-Learning program can help prevent missteps and improprieties, and improve corporate performance”.
Representative Director Nicholas Benes, an ex-investment banker and trained lawyer who also sits on the Financial Service Agency’s Corporate Governance Liaison Committee, commented, “With this diverse team, BDTI is perfectly positioned to provide “best-of-breed”, world-class training to Japanese executivesbefore they are nominated to sit on the board. That’s when they need to get it. And we can provide part or all in English, as desired. Currently, such comprehensive training is simply not available in Japan, – and this puts both managers and companies at risk. UCLA Anderson Executive Education has operated one of the most renowned and effective director training programs in the U.S. for many years, and Deloitte and White & Case are leading practitioners in their respective fields. These organizations complement BDTI’s own team and bring a huge amount of wisdom and up-to-date insight to the table.”
BDTI’s new status as a public interest corporation means that individual donations to it will henceforth be tax-deductible to Japanese taxpayers, and donations by corporations will be subject to fewer limitations. BDTI board member and Professor of Law at Chuo University Law School Kenichi Osugi said, “BDTI is an excellent example of how new types of Public Interest Corporations can help Japan’s economy grow in a safe, sustainable way. Especially after considering recent events worldwide, individuals and institutional investors will want to contribute to the improvement of responsible governance at Japanese companies by supporting our activities. This will enable us to provide a with a range of essential training programs at affordable cost.”
BDTI has also been approved by Give2Asia as eligible for donor-advised gifts that will be tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. (Details: http://give2asia.org/bdti )
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About BDTI
The Board Director Training Institute of Japan (BDTI) is a newly-established non-profit foundation (a shadan hojin) dedicated to the improvement of corporate governance and related management processes at all levels in Japan, from venture businesses to large listed firms.Its major focus on training directors, statutory auditors and managers in the fundamentals of corporate governance and effective practices for strategic boards, fills a pressing—and unmet—need in Japan. BDTI was established as a non-profit foundation because, and to clarify, that it only seeks to improve governance in Japan in the public interest, and to avoid the possibility that it could be dominated by a single person or group.
BDTI’s founders and advisors consist of opinion leaders and experts on corporate governance with distinguished academic, industry, and government backgrounds. Its cross-cultural board includes Takaaki Wakasugi, Emeritus Professor of Tokyo University; Yoshio Omori, a former Executive Managing Director of the Japan Corporate Auditors Association; Professor Kenichi Osugi of Chuo Law School, who served on METI’s Corporate Governance Study Group Group; and Nicholas Benes, a Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and a member of the FSA’s Corporate Governance Liaison Committee.
On its web site’s discussion forum and data library, BDTI currently provides timely information and materials related to corporate governance, corporate/securities law, and related topics in management fields. (URL:http://bdti.or.jp/; http://bdti.or.jp/english/)
About UCLA Anderson Executive Education
Founded in 1954, UCLA Anderson Executive Education develops customized programs for leading organizations worldwide to meet their specific business objectives. Through a unique combination of global management perspective, leadership acumen and strategic thinking, and using the latest learning technologies, UCLA provides the hands-on applicability and tools executives need to ignite success enterprise-wide. Programs can be held in Japan, the U.S., or any location worldwide. (URL: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x24218.xml)
About Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC, Enterprise Risk Services
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC is a Japanese member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC is among the nation's leading professional services firms and provides audit, consulting, enterprise risk services, and IPO support services. These services are delivered to many clients including multi-national enterprises and major Japanese business entities through nearly 5,500 professionals in almost 40 cities of Japan. Enterprise Risk Service professionals help organizations build value by taking a Risk Intelligent approach to managing financial, technology, and business risks. This approach helps Deloitte member firm clients; focus on their areas of increased risk; bridge silos to effectively manage risk across organizational boundaries; and pursue not only risk mitigation, but also intelligent risk taking as a means to value creation. (URL:www.tohmatsu.com)
The Board Director Training Institute (BDTI) is a "public interest" nonprofit in Japan dedicated to training about directorship, corporate governance, and related management techniques. It is certified by the Japanese government to conduct these activities as a regulated nonprofit. Read a summary about BDTI here, and see a menu of its services for both corporations and investors here.