The two week certification program saw participation of 30 senior officers representing all three services

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) in partnership with Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) conducted the second batch of its program for the senior defence officers from 5 th May 2025 to 16 th May 2025, at the IICA Campus in Manesar, Gurugram.

This two week certification program had 30 senior officers representing all three services, of the ranks- Air Marshals, Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, Air Vice Marshals, Major Generals, Brigadiers, Colonels & Group Captains.

The valedictory session was chaired by Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG & CEO, IICA. The valedictory session also had addresses by Lt. Gen. SBK Singh, SM, Director General, DGR & VAdm. Rajaram Swaminathan, where they drew parallels of the experiences in the armed forces similar to that being in the corporates. They further highlighted that the pre-requisites for good governance practices in the corporates- ethics & integrity, are already present in the armed forces, and these essentials, combined with the wide array of skills, knowledge and experiences, position the veterans as changemakers in the dynamic Indian corporate scenario.

Shri. Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, DG & CEO IICA, brought out the vital aspects of the roles expected to be played by the veterans in the emerging Indian corporate scenario. His address emphasised on the higher efficiency & productivity achieved by the armed forces in their specialised areas of work and highlighted how this experience will enable the veterans in nation building by being a part of the Indian corporate sector. Shri. Singh furthered his thought by stating that the competencies achieved by the armed forces, should be utilised in areas complimenting those experiences, and eventually leading to the achievement of Viksit Bharat. An important aspect covered by Shri. Singh in his address to the program participants was to focus on entrepreneurship development leading to employment generation, not only for the fellow veterans, but also for the country at large, by stressing upon the critical role played by the MSME sector in the country.

Dr. Niraj Gupta, Head School of Corporate Governance & Public Policy, IICA, addressed the participants by thanking their presence for the entire duration of the program, despite, the exigent scenarios. He stressed upon the convergence & divergence points between the ideas of public governance, military governance & corporate governance. He emphasised that the two-week program was designed with the objective of: (i) orienting the participants with the conceptual and regulatory understanding on corporate governance; (ii) the roles and responsibilities of the Independent Director and; (iii) help them contribute to the corporate boards.

The certification ceremony & program proceedings were conducted by Dr. Anindita Chakrabarti, Principal Research Associate, IICA & CS Asheesh Kumar, Senior Research Associate, IICA. IICA acted as the catalyst & reservoir of knowledge on corporate affairs, regulatory framework working between the regulators, ministry, corporates & other entities.

The institute continues to champion initiatives promoting good governance and responsible business practices.

Independent Director training enables senior defence officers to transition into corporate governance roles and contribute to boards. IICA and DGR ran a two week certification programme for thirty senior defence officers to orient them on corporate governance and the roles and responsibilities of Independent Director, with the objective of enabling veterans to contribute to corporate boards. The programme highlighted the convergence of military ethics and corporate governance, promoted entrepreneurship and MSME engagement, and aimed to build capacity for veterans to assume governance roles within the corporate sector.