Johannesburg / London / Mumbai  – 7 October 2026

CSIA and GAA Join Forces to Support 100,000+ Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals Across Global Markets.

The collaboration will create new opportunities for Corporate Secretaries and the wider governance community to exchange cross-market insights, specialist perspectives and practical expertise.

As boards face an increasingly complex operating environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, technological change, sustainability pressures and evolving stakeholder expectations, the ability to adapt governance practices across markets is becoming increasingly important.

Against this backdrop, the Corporate Secretaries International Association Limited (CSIA), whose 12 member associations represent more than 100,000 Corporate Secretaries and governance professionals across three continents, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Global Advisory Alliance (GAA) to strengthen the exchange of governance knowledge and practical expertise across international markets.

The collaboration will bring together CSIA’s international community and GAA’s advisory network to examine how organisations and boards are responding to the challenges of continuous disruption — and what governance professionals can learn from approaches being taken in different markets.

At the centre of the collaboration will be a thought leadership programme drawing on international research, surveys, online events and practitioner contributions. The programme will track emerging governance priorities, compare how organisations are responding across markets and share practical findings with governance professionals and boards.

“Strong governance practices are essential for long-term value creation. This collaboration reflects CSIA’s commitment to international dialogue and sharing governance practices that strengthen board effectiveness and stakeholder confidence,” said Funmi Ekundayo, President of CSIA.

For Corporate Secretaries and governance professionals, the challenge is increasingly to help boards navigate issues that cross traditional boundaries between governance, regulation, technology, strategy and stakeholder expectations.

“Corporate Secretaries increasingly sit at the intersection of regulation, board decision-making and some of the most complex issues facing organisations,” said Zahra Cassim, CEO of CSIA. “This collaboration will help our community learn from what is happening across different markets, access specialist perspectives and turn international experience into approaches they can use in their own organisations.”

The programme will place particular emphasis on board effectiveness in an era of continuous disruption, with the next executive briefing, “Board Effectiveness in an Era of Continuous Disruption”, providing an early platform for practitioners to examine how boards can respond effectively to an increasingly fluid operating environment.

Future initiatives will explore responsible AI and technology governance, board effectiveness, sustainability, climate-related risk and other emerging governance priorities.

The international nature of the collaboration is intended to ensure that governance perspectives are not developed in isolation.

“Some of the most valuable governance lessons come from seeing how the same challenge is being addressed in different markets,” said Kapil Lad, Founding Advisor and Emerging Markets Lead at GAA. “This collaboration brings experience from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas into the global governance conversation, while giving practitioners ideas they can adapt to their own markets.”

CSIA and GAA have already collaborated on the briefing and white paper “Reflections on the OECD 2025 Global Corporate Sustainability Report” as well as an executive briefing on governance amid geopolitical turbulence. We now invite you to join our next executive briefing, “Board Effectiveness in an Era of Continuous Disruption”.

The collaboration will build on this work by creating further opportunities for governance professionals, boards and advisers to share experience and examine how governance practices need to evolve as organisations face increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing risks.

“This is not about taking one approach to governance and applying it everywhere,” said Karel Krticka, Founder and Managing Director of GAA. “It is about learning from each other. CSIA members understand the challenges boards face in different markets, while GAA brings together advisers with experience across countries and sectors. By sharing that knowledge, we can develop practical ideas that boards and governance professionals can use.”

About CSIA

The Corporate Secretaries International Association Limited (CSIA) is an international federation representing Corporate Secretaries and governance professionals. CSIA provides a platform for its members and partners to exchange knowledge, experience and governance practices across jurisdictions. Through its international network, CSIA promotes collaboration, professional development and dialogue aimed at strengthening the governance profession and supporting effective governance globally.

About Global Advisory Alliance

Global Advisory Alliance (GAA) is an international alliance of independent advisory firms and senior specialists working with boards, companies, institutional investors and other organisations across governance, stewardship, sustainability, responsible investment and organisational transformation. The alliance enables members to extend their international reach, strengthen specialist capabilities, and assemble multidisciplinary teams for complex, cross-border client engagements.

Media Contacts

SOUTH AFRICA | Zahra Cassim
Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA)
Email: ceo@csiaorg.com
Web: https://csiaorg.com/

UK | Karel Krticka
Global Advisory Alliance (GAA)
Email: team@globaladvisoryalliance.com
Web: https://www.globaladvisoryalliance.com/

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