CAS Board of Directors
A board of directors position offers a fascinating range of creative opportunities at the top management level. The responsibility that comes with this job has increased significantly in recent years. With our further education program "CAS Board of Directors" board members can make targeted investments in their knowledge and skills.
Overview CAS Board of Directors
Course Starts
Venue
Duration
Application Deadlines
February 8, 2026 (spring)
June 30, 2026 (summer)
ECTS
Program Language
Program Fees
Est. 2016
Why choose the CAS Board of Directors of Rochester-Bern?
Learn more about the program: Our students explain, what they value about the study and how it has moved them forward.
CAS Board of Directors Details
Goals & Benefits
With the CAS Board of Directors, you can professionalize your board activities. You will benefit from exchanging ideas with directors in other industries and deepen your practical and theoretical knowledge.
This university-based continuing education program focuses on the Swiss SME landscape and ensures knowledge transfer for long-term success.
Degree
Upon successful completion, you receive the “CAS Board of Directors” from the University of Berne and the “Certified Board Member” certificate from Rochester-Bern, proving your knowledge and skills as a board member.
Modules, Dates & Professors
The November Class is fully booked (there is a waiting list).Please note that courses and dates can be subjects to change.
Applied Assignments
The performance assessments are an important part of the practical learning in the program. Following each module, you independently solve a practice-relevant knowledge transfer task in which you apply the knowledge you have acquired to your work on the board of directors or foundation board. Thus, the company benefits directly from your participation in the course.
Target Audience/Requirements
The course is aimed at active members of the boards of directors and foundation boards. Individuals interested without a mandate can apply sur dossier.
The course is designed for
- Members of boards of directors of companies with more than ten employees who currently hold a mandate or held one recently.
- Members of foundation boards with legal authority who currently hold a mandate or held one recently.
- Sur dossier candidates: Prospective board members with a suitable background (member of executive boards of organizations with at least ten employees, proximity to the company’s board of directors) and a letter of recommendation from a chairperson.
A diverse composition of the CAS class is important to us, and we therefore focus on the personal interview, which follows after you submit the application. Statements on your professional career, ambitions, (planned) activities on the board of directors, and your motivation for this further education program help us to optimally select course participants.
Program Fees
The fee for the five modules of the CAS Board of Directors is CHF 14,800. The fee for the seminar for foundation boards is an additional CHF 3,500.
The program fee includes participation in the program, electronic course materials, one dinner per module, refreshments during breaks, examination fees, and the closing ceremony. Participants are responsible for any overnight expenses.
The course materials are provided electronically; participants use their own laptop (or tablet) in class.
Discounts
Members of our partners can benefit from discounts. Our partners are listed here.
DAS/MAS Upgrade
It is possible to combine this degree program in a modular way with other Rochester-Bern programs. In this way, a "DAS (Diploma of Advanced Studies) in General Management" can for example be acquired with another CAS degree program and/or individual modules (as well as a final thesis) or a "MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) in General Management" or with two further CAS programs and individual modules (as well as a final thesis). The program management will be happy to discuss the details with potential participants.
Directors
Academic Management
Prof. Dr. Claudio Loderer, Delegate of the Board of Trustees, the William E. Simon Foundation, Switzerland
Co-Founder and Consulting
Franziska Hügli, lic.rer.pol. Entrepreneur and member of the board of directors of SMEs Prof. Dr. Urs Wälchli, lecturer, entrepreneur, board member and expert in entrepreneurial finance
Overall Responsibility
Prof. Dr. Petra Joerg, CEO, Rochester-Bern Executive Programs
Advisory Board
An advisory board of entrepreneurial leaders helps to define the focus, assure the quality and anchor the program in the business landscape.
- Olivier Chuard, Chairman of the Board of Directors Livesystem Holding AG
- Axel Förster, Chairman of the Board and CEO Rychiger AG
- Urs Nussbaum, Delegate of the Board of Directors of R. Nussbaum AG
- Gabriela Maria Payer, member of several boards and entrepreneur
- Alexander Schärer, Chairman of the Board of USM U. Schärer Söhne AG
- Pia Tischhauser, Senior Partner & Managing Director Boston Consulting Group
- Christian Wasserfallen, Chairman of the Board of Walo Bertschinger AG Bern, member of the Board of Tschudin AG
- Chairman: Dr. Claudio Loderer
Application
Admissions Interview
A personal interview will be conducted to determine if your qualifications and specific needs match the program.
Admissions Decision
The admissions decision is made after the interview.
Study Modules
Module 1
–
Governance of the Modern Board of Directors
The module addresses the legal and corporate rights and duties of board members as well as the essential control parameters for successful board of director activity.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Master the elements of good corporate governance
- Appoint steering committees (board of directors, executive board)
- Implement and manage contemporary risk management
Module 2
–
HR Management in the Board of Directors
The module addresses how a board of directors can manage the company’s HR strategy to ensure long-term success in an agile environment.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Select and appoint qualified and able members to an executive board and a board of directors
- Establish effective competency portfolios, compensation models and succession plans
- Attract, develop and retain skilled employees also from younger generations
Module 3
–
Financial Management by the Board of Directors
The module addresses the key elements for the successful financial management of the company by the board of directors.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Understand the benefits of systematic financial analysis
- Know the instruments in the financial cockpit of the board of directors, the basics of financial planning and tax effects
- Evaluate investment projects and financing methods
Module 4
–
Strategic Leadership in the Board of Directors
The module teaches you how a board of directors defines its strategic direction to ensure consistency and keep the company agile.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Know the elements and methods of strategy development
- Ensure sustainable competitiveness
- Turn the owner’s strategy, vision and mission into measurable, lived principles
Module 5
–
Leading the Board of Directors in the Context of Digitalization and Innovation
The module addresses the role of the board of directors in terms of innovation, digital transformation and change, which have a significant effect on the future development of the company.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Know innovation sources, methods and processes
- Understand the responsibility of the board of directors in the digital transformation
- Influence the ability of the company to change
Seminar for Foundation Boards
–
Optional
Optionally, you can attend a three-day module that prepares you for the special challenges of serving on a foundation board.
Switzerland is home to a diverse foundation landscape. The demands on foundation boards are constantly increasing, and the need to professionalize the highest body is growing. In the seminar, you will acquire the tools you need for participating competently in the foundation board. Participants of the CAS – Board of Directors who attend the seminar receive an extended certificate from Rochester-Bern.
Specialization Module for Foundation Boards
The seminar for Foundation Boards provides the theoretical and practical tools for professional action in a challenging environment.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Know the best practices in foundation governance
- Understand the basics of foundation formation and the legal framework
- Conduct effective fundraising and analyze the impact of foundation funds
Seminar "Competence for the Board Presidency"
–
Optional
Optionally, you can attend a three-day module that prepares you for the special challenges of serving as a Chairman of the Board of Directors.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors, you not only lead the Board of Directors, but also the Executive Board. You set the tone for dealing with special situations, monitor liquidity and raise capital, and shape the company’s culture, strategy and innovative strength with your leadership. The first university-level continuing education program in Switzerland, led by Prof. Dr. Petra Joerg, CEO of Rochester-Bern, and Heinz Karrer, multiple board member, provides board presidents with important tools and enables an exchange of ideas at eye level.
The seminar “Competence for the Board Presidency” strengthens existing and prospective board presidents of SMEs through up-to-date knowledge inputs, best-practice exchange with peers and practical application.
Learning Objectives (selection)
- Anticipate trends and changes in the environment
- Foster a fruitful boardroom culture with constructive critical discussions
- Approach special situations consciously and know when/where a task force is needed
Class Statistics
In our classes, we seek to combine a diversity of profiles to provide you with the most beneficial classroom experience and professional network possible. Here you can find the statistics of a typical class.
SME-Focus
Industry
| Gender (female students) |
Average Age |
| 29% | 51 |
Your Benefits of Education for the Board of Directors
Course with University Certificate
Rochester-Bern set new standards in 2016 as Switzerland's first continuing education course for BoD members with a university certificate. Upon successful completion, participants receive both a CAS Board of Directors from the University of Bern and the Certified Board Member qualification from Rochester-Bern. Hundreds of BoD members already hold these titles.
Practical and Applied Approach
Three elements characterize the program: Lecturers from the Rochester-Bern network teach the theoretical bases and lead applied sessions. Experienced individuals encourage the participants to exchange ideas and self-reflect. Practical knowledge transfer tasks ensure that you can apply what you learned directly to your own situation.
Specific Focus on Swiss SMEs
Switzerland is a country of small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the economy. The course focuses specifically on the needs and challenges of BoDs in SMEs. In addition to the typical tasks of BoDs, overarching topics such as succession, digital transformation or sustainability are repeatedly addressed.
Top-class Advisory Board
An advisory board whose members are experienced board of directors from various industries helps to define the focus and assure the quality for further developing the program. Careful selection of individual advisory board members ensures applied knowledge transfer across industries and anchors the program in the Swiss corporate landscape.
Platform for Exchange
The courses provide the perfect backdrop for networking in an exciting environment. Each module includes breaks and meals together, providing ample opportunity for stimulating discussions. Participants are encouraged to learn from each other as well as with each other. The course group is made up of high-ranking executives, the vast majority of whom serve on one or more boards of directors, which increases the chances of winning new mandates or filling them adequately.
What Our Clients Say
“The CAS was a valuable experience for me to stay up to date in my current board positions. As an active board member in various areas, I take my responsibilities very seriously. The modules combined theory, practical aspects, and participants’ applied knowledge, thus providing me with valuable tips for my work as a board member.”
“The course has given me a lot of confidence because it broadened my expertise and expanded my network. Among other things, I found the ideal board member for my company among my fellow students.”
“What remains from the CAS Boards of Directors is not only the theory and the good inputs from the speakers’ practice, but above all the networking and exchange in the class itself. This is particularly valuable because the class was very well mixed, both in terms of gender, age, expertise, education, etc. Stimulated discussions and an exchange beyond the duration of the course are thus guaranteed.”
“The interactive exchange between lecturers and course participants, but also the continuing contact after completion of the CAS, are very valuable. The good class composition sparked a spirit in us, with noticeable energy for the topics of the board of directors and challenges of our time. What counts in the end is the security gained, a network and many learnings from the practical work.”
The program offered me a concentrated load of new knowledge that I can apply very aptly to my work as a board member. A concrete example where I was already able to use what I learned was in the strategic development of a business model in a new company.
The continuing education program helped me a lot to better structure my work on the Board of Directors, to deepen my knowledge and to ask the right questions in crucial situations. The mixture of concrete content, theory, practical examples and lecturers with a lot of experience made all the difference. At the same time, I got to know interesting people from different industries and company sizes. In this atmosphere, I was able to acquire a great deal of knowledge in a short space of time.
Next Info Sessions
Get in touch with us!
Do you have questions about the program? Our team is happy to answer them.