The Setting Up of the MIoD

The MIoD was officially incorporated on 18 January 2008 as a not-for-profit company under the Companies Act 2001, but was already operating with an interim Board of Directors as from 16 July 2007. The project was to set up an Institute of Directors primarily to advance corporate governance in Mauritius by establishing a professional forum for directors and managers within the public and private sectors. It was entrusted to the National Committee on Corporate Governance (NCCG) which in 2006 commissioned 2 consultants, Anne Molyneux and Pierre Dinan, to develop a Business Plan. Pierre Dinan was subsequently approached by the NCCG to become an individual founder shareholder and a director of the Institute, and eventually became the first Chairman. From October 2007 to January 2008, the Interim Board met every month to deal with matters pertaining to the setting up of the Institute, ranging from the drawing up of the constitution to the proper title and designation of the new organisation.

On August 17, 2007 the Institute was officially launched at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel by the then Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon Rama Sithanen, in the presence of Mr Tim Taylor, Chairman of the NCCG.

On August 23, 2007, the IFC Global Corporate Governance Forum (GCGF) organised a training workshop at St George’s Hotel, Port Louis, attended by several members of the Interim Board.

And the first Board of the MIoD, duly registered as a public company, met on 18 February, 2008. The first Board members were:

The directors were appointed in their individual capacity on the basis of their skills and their corporate governance experience.

The first board meeting was held at the offices of the Mauritius Employers Federation (MEF) in the MEF-MCCI Building at Ebene. Meetings continued to be held at the MEF-MCCI Building until November 2008, when the MIoD offices were located at its newly registered office, 3rd Floor, Plantation House, Port Louis.

Pat Mahony, a South African national and Corporate Secretary, was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer on 1 October 2008.  He was succeeded in April 2010 by Jane Valls.  

Leadership

As from April 2010, Jane Valls took up the leadership of the institute. She remained the CEO of the MIoD until January 2016. She eventually left the institute for a new post in Dubai and was succeeded by Juan Carlos Fernandez Zara, an international expert in corporate governance, in May 2016 until September 2017. The MIoD has appointed a new CEO in the person of Eddy Jolicoeur May 2018 to July 2019. The MIoD has hereafter appointed an Interim CEO, Dr. Linda Mamet since August 2019.

Key Milestones

• 17 August 2007 Official launch of the Institute
• 23 August 2007 IFC Global Corporate Governance Forum (GCGF) Board Leadership Workshop
• 18 January 2008 Incorporation
• 19 January 2008 First MIoD Training Workshop held with Warren Black
• 19 January 2010 Director Development Programme launched
• 23 April 2010 MIoD moves to its new offices in Ebène                                           
• 19 October 2010 MOU signed with the Ethics Institute of South Africa
• 06 July 2011 MIoD celebrates its 500th member
• 15-17 September 2011 First International Conference on Corporate Governance & Sustainability at Sugar Beach Hotel, Mauritius 
• 7 December 2011 Launch of the Directors Register
• 16 January 2012 First meeting of the Directors Forum
• 17 May 2013 MIoD celebrates its 5th Anniversary
• 23 July 2013 First meeting of the MIoD – KPMG Audit Committee Forum
• 01 August 2014 MIOD celebrates its 1000th member at L'Aventure du Sucre
• 2015 - Launch of the Company Secretaries Circle
• 2015 - MOU signed with Transparency Mauritius
• 2016- Launch of the Women Directors Forum
• 2017 - First Conference on the Initiative on Gender Diversity
• 2017 - MOU signed with the Stock Exchange of Mauritius
• 2017 - First conference on Innovation
• 2017 - Launch of the Women Directors Forum Mentorship Programme
• 2018 - MIoD celebrates it 10th Anniversary
• 2018 - MOU signed with University of Mauritius
• 2019 - MOU signed with Open University of Mauritius
• 2019 - Launch of the Director Development Programme with Open University of Mauritius