Board conversation

Brief the board the way AEA judges read an entry

A MENA board brief on L&D should fit ten minutes: the constraint, the intervention, one dated number the CFO already trusts, and the decision you need. That is also the spine of an AEA Awards nomination. Register interest before 20 October 2026.

What not to bring into the boardroom

Completion rates, vendor logos, and “learning hours delivered”. Those are activity. Boards fund outcomes.

If you cannot fill four lines, you are not ready for capital allocation — or for a judging panel.

How to run a ten-minute L&D board brief

  1. 1

    Open with the operational constraint

    One sentence the COO would recognise.

  2. 2

    Name the intervention and population

    What you did, for whom, for how long.

  3. 3

    Show one dated number

    Source system, baseline, result. No unnamed benchmarks.

  4. 4

    Make one ask

    Budget, access, or a decision — not a catalogue refresh.

Frequently asked questions

Should we mention AEA Awards in the board brief? +

Only as independent scrutiny you are preparing for — not as the reason the programme exists.

Arabic or English in the board pack? +

The language of that board. Quality must be equal.

How does this map to categories? +

The same four blocks become the nomination. Then pick the category that matches the programme, not the slide title.

When do nominations open? +

20 October 2026.

Where is a worked example? +

Read the CEO briefing article and nomination examples.

2027 cycle

Register your interest before nominations open on 20 October 2026

AEA Awards is the MENA Learning & Development benchmark. Leave your details and we will remind you when the entry window opens.