What is Boardcraft?
Boardcraft is a 1.5-day, in-person capability-building Lab for directors and senior executives, led by Dr Peter Crow. It runs in Auckland on 14–15 October 2026, with a small, curated cohort.
Who is Boardcraft designed for?
Current company directors, aspiring directors with significant executive experience, board committee members, C-suite executives, senior executives who report directly to boards, founders of growing companies, family-business leaders, and senior professionals preparing for governance roles.
Do I need to already be a director?
No. Boardcraft is built for people who sit at the board table, report directly to boards, work closely with boards, or are credibly moving toward governance roles — not only current directors.
Is Boardcraft suitable for someone new to governance?
Boardcraft is not designed as an introduction to governance. The cohort is deliberately kept small and comparable in seniority, and the value of the room depends on the experience and candour of everyone in it.
Is this board director training?
Not in the conventional sense. Boardcraft is capability-building rather than training — it is built to change what participants do in the room: how they frame a decision, ask the questions that matter, and hold a position under challenge.
What will I learn?
Participants strengthen their judgement when information is incomplete, the questions that expose what actually matters, board–executive dynamics, strategic oversight without drifting into management, constructive challenge and productive disagreement, decision-making under pressure, and confidence and clarity when the stakes are high.
Who is Peter Crow?
Dr Peter Crow, CMInstD, is an accredited director and chair who has served on private, PE-controlled, and family-business boards, and advised boards, chairs, institutional investors, and governments. He holds a doctorate in corporate governance and strategy and is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors.
What format does the programme use?
It runs across 1.5 days in person, built around seven disciplined sessions, one continuous boardroom case study, and one crisis scenario, plus a facilitated programme dinner on the evening of Day One.
What happens during the case and crisis work?
Participants work through a single continuous boardroom case across the 1.5 days, testing assumptions, asking questions, and making decisions as new information and a crisis scenario develop.
Where is it held?
The Northern Club, Auckland, on 14–15 October 2026.
What is included in the price?
The price of NZD 1,735 + GST per participant covers participation in all seven sessions across the 1.5 days, arrival coffee, catering and refreshment breaks on both days, and the Day One programme dinner.
Is Boardcraft suitable for executives who report to boards, not just directors?
Yes. Session 3, on boardroom dynamics and the board–executive relationship, is a core focus specifically for executives who report to boards, alongside directors and other senior participants.
Why is the cohort kept small?
A small, comparable-seniority cohort is what makes the discussion candid and the peer value real — Boardcraft is deliberately curated rather than run at scale.
How is this different from a conventional governance course?
Boardcraft is run as a single continuous working room with one facilitator, one case study, and one crisis scenario across 1.5 days, rather than a series of lectures or a rotating speaker panel. The emphasis is on changing behaviour in the boardroom, not adding to a folder of notes.
How do I register?
Places are limited to a small cohort. Request a place via the form below or by emailing info@catoltd.com — CATO confirms fit before a place is secured.
What happens after I request a place?
CATO reviews your role and board or executive context to keep the cohort comparable in seniority. Once your place is confirmed, we send you a payment link along with full event information.
