BDTI Update and 2014 Fund-Raising Drive

Thank you for your continued support, both morally and financially.

I would like to give you an update about BDTI’s progress, and invite you to participate in our fund-raising drive for this year by making a donation, which is now possible by both bank remittance (best) and credit card (also welcome!). 

During the last fiscal year, BDTI significantly expanded its “reach” and impact.  We trained 510 people at “drill-down” seminars,185 persons at intensive director training or global compliance courses (vs. 67 last year), and 442 persons at other custom-made programs and/or speeches. In addition, we delivered our E-Learning to 60 new users.  As a result, during the last fiscal year BDTI managed to break even again, if you count donations and even considering the fact that I received my first small salary.
Thanks to the support of our donors and other supportive parties, BDTI and its leaders achieved a number of milestones last year in its quest to improve corporate governance in Japan.  These include

  •  Improving the quality of our directorship programs in both Japanese and English
  • Adding a course for “global compliance” that also includes key governance topics
  • Adding a new English course on “Reading Financial Statements as a Board Member”
  • Addressing key topics raised by amendment of the Company Law in drill-down seminars
  • Renewing our web site to simplify it and add new content
  • Adding on-line signup, video capability (scroll down), and credit-card payment for donations
  • Launching a smart phone version of our web site
  • Supporting the government regarding the Stewardship Code and other governance-related reform efforts
  • “Thought leadership” regarding such as the LDP’s proposals for a Corp. Governance Code and rules about director training

However, it is still not easy to attract new applicants to our most important offering, our Japanese one-day course, simply because the concept of external training - or in many cases, the concept of any meaningful orientation for board members -, is new here.  Expansion in terms of numbers will take time and will require more investors express their opinions publicly, and to companies, about the importance of director and governance education. Expansion of our activities would be helped most of all by the promulgation of a Corporate Governance Code (or simply, a TSE rule) requiring companies to disclose their policy about director training – whether they have a policy, and if so, what it is.  At the same time, we at BDTI must constantly seek to improve our course materials, and make them as relevant and cost-effective as possible for executives and board members. 

Any donation that you could consider making in this new fiscal year, if that is possible, would be very much appreciated. Or, if you can encourage any investors or institutions you know to step up and “put a bit of money where mouth is”, it would help a lot. Lastly, if you would kindly please “like” us on Facebook, and “register” BDTI’s YouTube channel (see below), we would greatly appreciate it.  In particular, the latter will help us expand our offerings.  (I will be happy to explain why separately.)  

By the way, BDTI’s popular English-language “Director Boot Camp” will next be held on June 12th.  Kindly please tell anyone you think may be interested. We will offer our next Japanese language 「国際ガバナンス塾」 directorship program on June 30th.   Descriptions and on-line signup forms for both programs can be found here. 

As you may know, last year we successfully moved BDTI’s office to a room in my house in order to save costs. If you have not noted them, please see the address and new numbers attached below.