The GCC Board Directors Institute (BDI) has selected Jane Valls as its new Executive Director to lead the non-profit company in developing high-performance boards in the GCC region. Ms Valls is the former CEO of the Mauritius Institute of Directors, among the fastest growing Institutes in the world according to the World Bank.

Mr. Mohammed Al-Shroogi, Chairman at GCC Board Directors Institute, said: "Jane Valls is highly seasoned and an expert in business governance; we are pleased to welcome a senior executive of her calibre to the GCC Board Directors Institute. Her experience in international and multi-cultural relations makes her the ideal suitable for taking this leadership function to the next level.".

"Her previous experience will be particularly essential when engaging with other director institutes across the globe. I have no doubt that she will assist us become a network of quality by fostering relationships and growing our subscription base of top magnate including directors, financiers and regulatory authorities.".

Rapidly changing market conditions and the opening of local stock markets to foreign financiers indicate that there is higher focus on corporate governance and openness. BDI efforts to raise the level of board governance and effectiveness requirements primarily by conducting directorship development programs and board evaluations, sharing understanding on latest corporate governance patterns and best practices, and by promoting the growth of the largest and most influential network of board directors in the Gulf area.

BDI is the leading and pre-eminent GCC not-for-profit company that guides board directors of companies, from state owned enterprises and family-owned businesses to listed companies, to obtain the expertise and the tools to reach and sustain reliable governance.

Advising a large range of top-tier organisations throughout the GCC, BDI now deals with near to 700 board directors representing over 1800 flagship companies, offering them with the tools and expertise so that they can adapt to shifting economic and regulatory conditions.

"The Institute has developed an excellent performance history over the last nine years in driving higher board effectiveness throughout the area. I anticipate taking a focused and practical technique to dealing with Boards and promoting higher levels of business performance," said Jane Valls, Executive Director at GCC Board Directors Institute.

Ms Valls has actually been granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the University of Middlesex for services to company, ladies's empowerment and social justice, and she was recently decorated by the Republic of Mauritius as a Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (CSK) for services to industrial governance.