AI literacy your directors can defend, not just attend.
Boards across ANZ are being asked to oversee AI without the literacy to do so - and director duties don't pause while you catch up. Bouddi runs sector-tailored board education for regulated industry, general commercial and not-for-profit boards, plus a 45–60 minute conference keynote on the state of AI governance for business and technologists.
Why board education exists as a practice
The "informed director" defence doesn't work without informed directors.
Regulators, courts and shareholders are increasingly clear about what they expect of directors overseeing AI. Bouddi's board education practice exists because the gap between that expectation and the literacy on most ANZ boards has become a director-liability issue, not a training opportunity.
What's changed for directors
Five things have shifted in the last two years that compress the timeline for boards to get AI literate. Education that was nice-to-have in 2023 is load-bearing in 2026.
Bouddi's board education engagements are calibrated to your sector, your AI footprint and your director cohort. Every session leaves with a board-paper-grade artefact that survives the next AC/RC and the next regulator letter.
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01
FAR / BEAR for ADIs and insurersSenior executives - including directors in some cases - are personally accountable for outcomes including AI-affected decisions. The "I didn't know what the model did" defence is unavailable.
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02
APRA's expectations have crystallisedAPRA's Information Paper on AI, CPS 220 risk-management expectations and CPS 230 critical-operations framing have moved AI governance from "watch this space" to "explain how you're handling it".
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03
ASIC and OAIC have started speakingASIC chair speeches and OAIC AI guidance have sharpened the questions a board should be asking. Audit Committees are increasingly expected to demonstrate they've asked them.
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04
ISO/IEC 42001 is the new ISO 27001 momentCustomers, regulators and assurers are converging on ISO/IEC 42001 as the management-system standard for AI. Boards that don't understand what certification implies will sign off on programmes they can't defend.
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05
VAISS is a likely on-ramp to a mandatory regimeThe Voluntary AI Safety Standard's ten guardrails are being treated by Treasury and DISR as the foundation for what may become mandatory for high-risk AI use within 12–24 months.
Engagements
Four ways to get your board, your audience or your sector AI literate.
Three sector-tailored board sessions and one conference keynote. Every engagement is calibrated to the audience and the operating context - content, case studies and deliverables shift accordingly. Indicative pricing is available in the Prospective Clients area.
Board & Executive Education - Regulated Industry
- Deep dive on ISO/IEC 42001:2023, ISO 31000 and APRA CPS 220 / 230 / 234
- Director duties under FAR, BEAR and the Corporations Act
- Live regulator posture - APRA, ASIC, OAIC, AHRC and DTA
- Sector case studies - banking, insurance, super, mutual ADIs, health, government
- Confidential Q&A on your specific AI footprint and material exposures
- Pre-read briefing pack and a board-paper-grade follow-up for the next AC / RC
Board & Executive Education - General Commercial
- AI strategy fundamentals - where AI matters, where it doesn't, what good looks like
- The board's role in AI investment, oversight and risk appetite
- Common AI pitfalls and director liability - drawn from real ANZ cases
- Setting AI strategy and risk appetite at board level
- Q&A on your AI footprint and management's posture
- AI literacy primer and a board-paper template you can re-use
Board & Executive Education - Not-for-profits
- AI for mission delivery - opportunities, limits and ethical considerations
- Donor data, vulnerable populations and the duty of care for AI-mediated services
- Lower-cost, proportionate path to good AI governance - without enterprise overhead
- Funder and grantor expectations on AI use and disclosure
- NFP-specific case studies - health, social services, advocacy, faith
- NFP-tailored briefing pack and a one-page board paper for the next meeting
- 30% of fees donated back as an unrestricted contribution to your organisation.
Conference Keynote
- The state of AI governance in 2026 - ANZ and global, what's working, what's failing
- The convergence of ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act, APRA CPS and VAISS
- Director duties, executive accountability and the next 12 months of regulation
- Audience-tailored examples - business audience or technologist audience
- Live Q&A and post-event resource sheet for attendees
- Slides delivered to the host the morning after the event
What's included
What every board session leaves in the room.
Every Bouddi board engagement is designed to leave the directors with something they can take into the next meeting and the next regulator letter - not just a memory of a good session. Below is what comes out of the room with you.
Format & logistics
How a session actually runs.
The mechanics most boards ask about before booking. Anything not covered below - happy to answer in the first conversation.
Half day or full day?
Regulated industry tier is full day (6–8 hours including breaks). Commercial and NFP tiers are half day (3–4 hours). Format reflects the depth of standards content and the case-study load - not negotiable down. Negotiable up if your board wants more.
In-person, hybrid or virtual?
In-person is preferred for board sessions, especially regulated industry. Virtual works for commercial and NFP sessions where geography or scheduling makes in-person impractical. Hybrid (some directors in the room, some on video) is supported with an upfront 60-minute facilitation check.
How much customisation?
Standard customisation is included in every fee - your sector, your AI footprint, your regulator, your operating model. Deeper customisation (specific cases, named directors, prior incidents) is available as an add-on, scoped during the prep phase.
How long is the prep timeline?
Four to six weeks from booking to delivery is typical. Two weeks for pre-reads, two weeks for customisation, plus calendar lead time. Faster turnaround possible for material-incident-driven sessions; reach out and we'll work the calendar.
Travel and hosting
Sydney metro is included in the fee. Outside Sydney metro, travel and accommodation at cost (reasonable economy / 4-star). Conference keynotes outside ANZ are quoted separately.
What if our board is split on AI?
Not a problem - and frankly, ideal. Boards where everyone agrees about AI tend to agree on the wrong things. Sessions are designed to surface and work the disagreements rather than smooth them over.
Your speaker
Michael O'Keefe.
Twenty-five years across technology governance, regional operating model design, partner compliance oversight and Microsoft cloud - most recently as Senior Director of Asia Partner Sales Excellence at Microsoft, owning governance, strategy and operational outcomes across six Asia sub-regions.
Sessions are anchored to the international standards Australian and New Zealand regulators are converging on - ISO/IEC 42001:2023, ISO 31000:2018, APRA CPS 220 / 230 / 234 - and to the Australian-specific instruments shaping responsible AI: VAISS, the National Framework for AI Assurance in Government, NSW AI Ethics Policy and AIAF. AB-731 (AI Transformation Leader) certified; Prosci-certified change practitioner.
- Sydney-based · serving boards and conferences across Australia and New Zealand.
- Mutual NDAs available on request before any session.
- Sessions co-prepared with the Chair, Company Secretary or Conference Director.
Engage
Start with a confidential conversation.
Tell us about your board, your audience or your conference. The first thirty minutes are no-obligation and covered by NDA on request - particularly relevant for sessions triggered by a regulator letter or a material AI incident.