Foundation for Governance Research and Education 

       A Charitable Company focused on thought leadership and                                               governance best practice

Overview

The Foundation for Governance Research and Education (FGRE) is a not-for-profit charitable company limited by guarantee, chaired by its founder Professor John Mellor, a former Citibank Vice President, and Professor of Banking Governance and Finance.

Introducing FGRE

The Foundation for Governance Research and Education (FGRE) has its origins in the Non Executive Director’s Forum, a pioneering initiative in NED education at the time of the Cadbury Report into Corporate Governance in the 1990s. The Forum was founded and directed by Professor John Mellor with the support of NatWest Bank and in association with the University of Exeter. Following a name change to the Foundation for Governance Research and Education it was granted charitable status in 2008, turning its attention to governance in banking. In 2021 it launched a pilot seminar led by Sir Win Bischoff and attended by Mark Tucker, Chair of HSBC, and other non-executive directors. Later seminar leaders have included Bruce Carnegie-Brown, former Vice Chair of Banco Santander, and William Fall, Chair of Allied Irish Bank (GB).

FGRE is supported by HSBC and assisted by Slaughter and May.

FGRE's Bespoke Seminars

FGRE’s objective is to stimulate professional development of chairs and NEDs of banking subsidiaries by harnessing the experience of senior banking board directors in bespoke seminars, conducted under the Chatham House Rule of confidentiality. This allows the free flowing exchange of views, questions and discussion and at the same time, by limiting the number of attendees to 8, the opportunity for participation is assured. A senior chair or NED with wide experience of banking governance assumes the role of seminar leader, and the topics comprising his/her introduction are first agreed with John Mellor. A legal perspective is provided by a senior lawyer and adviser to bank boards on legal and regulatory matters, and the seminars are chaired by John Mellor.

The value of this unique model of seminar has already been affirmed by feedback from participants.

The seminars are forward-looking and focus on generic topics addressing challenges confronting NEDs and chairs from a practical perspective.

May 2024

© 2021 Foundation for Governance Research & Education