Our Foundation
Values & Ethics
Not merely aspirational statements — operationalised standards against which CILG holds itself, its staff, and all its members accountable.
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Section Six
The Eight Core Values of CILG
The institutional values that guide every aspect of CILG's work and every standard it promotes in the profession. Each value is a binding institutional commitment — not an aspiration.
⚖️
Integrity
CILG maintains absolute honesty and transparency in all its activities — in the accuracy of its communications, the rigour of its assessments, the independence of its governance, and the courage to uphold standards even when doing so is inconvenient or commercially costly.
🏆
Excellence
CILG is committed to the highest achievable standard in everything it does — from qualification quality and assessment rigour, to member services and research calibre. Good enough is never good enough.
🛡️
Accountability
CILG holds itself to the same accountability standards it promotes in the profession. Board, Secretariat, and Committee members are individually and collectively accountable — publicly and transparently.
🔍
Transparency
CILG operates with maximum feasible transparency in its governance, finances, standards, and decision-making. Members, employers, and the public should always understand how CILG makes decisions and deploys resources.
🌱
Purpose
Every decision CILG makes is guided by its ultimate purpose: the advancement of the public interest through excellent governance and leadership. Commercial considerations, reputational pressures, and institutional convenience are always subordinated to this purpose.
🌍
Inclusivity
CILG is committed to making world-class governance education accessible to every qualified professional regardless of geography, background, gender, ethnicity, or disability. Governance excellence should not be the exclusive domain of the privileged.
💡
Innovation
CILG actively seeks new and better ways to fulfil its mission — in qualification design, technology application, new governance frameworks for emerging challenges, and advancement of governance research methodologies.
🤝
Stewardship
CILG understands its role as a steward of the governance profession — not its owner. This orientation informs CILG's humility in standard-setting, its commitment to consultation, and its obligation to develop the next generation of governance professionals.
6.2 — The Ethical Framework
The CILG Code of Professional Conduct
These seven principles constitute the binding ethical standard to which all CILG members are held — across every sector, every geography, and every career stage.
Being honest, truthful, and transparent in all professional dealings — rejecting dishonesty, deception, and misrepresentation in any form. For governance professionals, this means providing boards and stakeholders with complete, accurate, and appropriately presented information at all times.
Principle 02
Professional Competence
Maintaining the level of professional knowledge and skill required for the responsibilities undertaken — through continuous professional development, honest self-assessment, and the willingness to seek support when facing challenges beyond current competence.
Principle 03
Accountability
Accepting responsibility for professional decisions and their consequences — not deflecting accountability to others or to circumstances. Governance professionals have a specific accountability obligation to the stakeholders they serve.
Principle 04
Transparency
Proactively sharing information that stakeholders need to make informed decisions — not selectively withholding information to protect professional or organisational interests at the expense of those stakeholders.
Principle 05
Respect & Inclusivity
Treating all people — regardless of background, identity, or organisational position — with dignity and respect. Actively promoting inclusion in governance bodies and the organisations they govern.
Principle 06
Professional Independence
Maintaining the independence of professional judgment that governance roles require — resisting undue pressure from executives, major shareholders, or other powerful stakeholders to compromise professional assessments or advice.
Exercising governance responsibilities as a steward of the interests of all legitimate stakeholders — not as an agent of the most powerful, the most vocal, or those most able to reward or harm the governance professional personally.
Hold Us to These Standards
CILG Practises What It Promotes
Every value and every ethical principle on this page is a standard against which CILG invites scrutiny — from its members, from regulators, and from the public. Our institutional governance is subject to independent external review on a triennial basis.