Becoming Chartered: The Professional Review Process

Benefits

A c​​​ommitment to achieving Chartered Director status is a clear message to your colleagues, customers and network that you are serious about your role and the contributions you make to your organisation. Becoming a Chartered Director is an endorsement of your skills, professionalism, and knowledge of corporate governance best-practice.

Chartered Directors demonstrate continuous commitment and ongoing professional development to maintain the level of effectiveness and practitioner excellence that exemplifies Chartered status and an outstanding contribution to their boards and organisations.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply for Chartered Director status, applicants must meet all the following criteria:

Membership

• Applicants must be a member of the Institute of Directors and maintain their membership in good standing.

Qualifications

• Applicants must have obtained the IoD Certificate in Company Direction.
• Applicants must have obtained the IoD Diploma in Company Direction within the last 10 years.
  • Where the Diploma was achieved more than 10 years prior to application, applicants must retake and pass the International Role of the Director and the Board examination (a module within the Certificate in Company Direction). The examination must be passed within 12 months of and an application for Chartered Director must be submitted within a further 12 months. 

Experience and Competence

• Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of three consecutive years' experience in one organisation, gained within the five years immediately prior to application, in one or more of the following capacities: 
  • A director on a formally constituted board with at least three directors, OR
  • A senior leadership role with full involvement in organisational governance.
• Applicants in senior leadership roles are not required to hold a formal board appointment but must demonstrate substantive involvement in governance, including setting rules and standards, shaping organisational strategy, ensuring compliance, and influencing board level decision-making.
• Must have a clean professional record relating to professional and business conduct.
• May present more than one role from the same organisation.
• Must be able to evidence experience against the IoD Director Competency Framework. 

Interested applicants should ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, familiarise themselves with the assessment process and be confident that they can fufull the ongoing requirements to maintain Chartered Director Status if successful.

The Professional Review Process

Before starting this process, it is advised that candidates attend an online Chartered Director (CDir) Working Session. The next CDir Working session will take place online on Wednesday 26th August 2026 from 12:30pm to 1:45pm. Please contact the Learning & Education Team for the Zoom link to the next session.

• Stage 1: Submit an Expression of Interest Form
  • Submit an Expression of Interest Form. You must ensure you are eligible before submitting this form. To get a link to this form or to discuss your eligibility, please contact  Learning & Education Team. 
• Stage 2:  Roles, Verifier and Overview of Experience
  • Once your Expression of Interest Form has been submitted you will receive an email from the IoD UK with a link to the system where you will submit your application. Candidates will be asked to submit their roles, verifier details and an overview of experience.
• Stage 3: Interview 
  • Attend an interview with two peers drawn from an IoD UK panel consisting of Chartered Directors, Members and Fellows of the Institute. Interviews will take place online.
  • The purpose of the interview is to obtain further information about the applicant's experience and contribution as a Director, as outlined in the overview of experience. 

Fee 

Please note: The Chartered Director Programme offered by the Institute of Directors in Ireland does not include the fees required for the application process for the Profession Review Process step. This fee is payable to IoD UK with the candidate’s application. The current fee for the professional review process leading to Chartered Director accreditation is £770 plus VAT.

Accreditation 

• The IoD UK awards both the Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction under the provisions of its Royal Charter and leads to qualifications credit rated by Qualifications Scotland.
• Qualifications Scotland, under Scottish Government legislation, is both an accreditation body and an awarding body, providing a wide range of high quality, internationally recognised qualifications and associated services. For further information and details on awards and qualifications, visit the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework section of the Qualifications Scotland website.
• Chartered Director (CDir): The Professional Qualification of Chartered Director is awarded by the IoD UK and is obtained following successful completion of the Professional Review Process. This requires you to provide evidence on how you work within the context of your board, how you use your knowledge and skills to the benefit of the organisation, and how you discharge your duties as a director.  The qualification comprises three stages which assess your practical experience as a director. These include: application; portfolio of experience; and formal interview conducted by two Chartered Director interviewers. Before you can apply for the Chartered Director qualification you must meet both the pre-requisite requirements and the eligibility criteria. These must be met before proceeding to the application stage.