AI Governance for Leaders - 5 Day Executive Course
30th November - 4th December 2026
Equip your organisation to adopt AI with confidence, manage emerging risks and build responsible AI governance.
About this Programme
Equip your organisation to adopt AI with confidence, manage emerging risks and build responsible AI governance.
This intensive five-day executive programme, co-delivered with Saros Consulting, equips board directors, C-suite executives, senior managers and organisational leaders with the knowledge and practical tools to govern AI confidently, responsibly and in line with emerging regulation.
The programme fee is €4,950. This fee includes a class evening dinner in Galway City on 2 December, as well as all lunches and tea/coffee refreshments throughout the programme.
Designed around real-world organisational challenges, the programme brings together expert-led teaching, hands-on learning and peer discussion to help leaders move from AI ambition to practical governance and implementation. Participants will learn how to assess AI-related risks, navigate emerging regulation, build organisational capability and establish governance frameworks that support responsible AI adoption.
By the end of the programme, participants will have developed practical, board-ready outputs that can be applied within their organisation, including an AI Charter, governance operating model and 90-day implementation roadmap.
Why this programme?
AI poses as many leadership questions as it does technological ones and organisations are still working out what that means in practice. Boards and executive teams are being asked to make decisions about AI adoption, risk and accountability often without frameworks or confidence to do so well.
We designed this programme to narrow that gap. Working alongside Saros Consulting, we've built a course grounded in real organisational challenges, one that gives senior leaders practical, board-ready tools they can put to work immediately.
What makes this programme distinctive is the calibre of peer learning. Participants leave not only with frameworks but with a network of leaders who are grappling with the same questions, across sectors and organisations. This combination of rigorous content and shared experience is what gives leaders the confidence to translate AI ambition into responsible and confident action.
This programme helps leaders develop the confidence and capabilities to:
- Govern AI effectively across their organisation
- Navigate emerging regulation, including the EU AI Act
- Identify and manage AI-related risks
- Build organisational AI capability and readiness
- Establish effective governance frameworks
- Strengthen stakeholder trust and accountability
- Move from fragmented AI initiatives towards a coherent governance approach
- Balance innovation, compliance, risk and long-term organisational value
The focus is firmly on practical application, giving participants frameworks and outputs they can take back into their organisation and put into use.
Who is this programme for?
This programme is designed for senior professionals with responsibility for AI strategy, governance, risk, compliance or digital transformation.
It is particularly relevant to:
Board Directors
Seeking greater understanding of their responsibilities for AI oversight, risk and accountability.
C-suite Executives
Leading organisational AI strategy and looking to balance innovation with governance and regulatory requirements.
Senior Managers
Responsible for implementing AI initiatives, managing risk or developing organisational capability.
Organisational Leaders
Working across the public, private or not-for-profit sectors who need to establish a clear and responsible approach to AI adoption.
Participants will also learn alongside experienced senior leaders from a range of sectors and organisations, creating opportunities to share perspectives, explore common challenges and exchange practical approaches to AI governance.
What will you learn?
Over five intensive days, you will develop the knowledge and practical capabilities to govern AI effectively within your organisation.
You will learn how to:
- Understand the changing AI governance and regulatory landscape
- Navigate emerging requirements such as the EU AI Act
- Assess and manage AI-related risks
- Develop effective AI governance structures and policies
- Build organisational AI capability and readiness
- Address questions of ethics, trust and accountability
- Strengthen resilience and decision-making
- Embed governance by design
- Align AI strategy, investment and organisational priorities
- Develop a practical roadmap for implementation
Programme at a Glance
Course Instructors
Prof Eoin Whelan
Professor of Business Analytics and Society, University of Galway
Eoin is the Programme Director for the MSc in Business Analytics, and is also the School lead on AI. He is also a visiting professor at the Institute d’Economie Scientifique et de Gestion (IESEG), France.
His research explores the psychology underlying engagement with interactive digital media such as GenAI, smartphones, social media, fitness tracking apps, and online gambling and gaming sites. In other words, how do different attributes of digital media interact with the person's motivations, personality, beliefs, cognition, and situation, to influence the processes and outcomes such as wellbeing, conflict, and performance.
His publications have appeared in MIT Sloan Management Review, R&D Management, Information Systems Research, Information Systems Journal, Journal of Information Technology, and the European Journal of Information Systems.
The findings of his research have also been featured in mainstream international outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Financial Times, Fortune, Reuters, Irish Independent, and the Irish Times. He also regularly consults corporations on matters relating to his research.
Prof Rónán Kennedy
Rónán is Programme Director for the LLM in Law and Digital Innovation and co-lead for the Technology and Rights research cluster in the School of Law.
He has a background in information technology and information systems, including spending much of the 1990s working in the industry as a programmer, analyst and webmaster.
He has published peer-reviewed articles on topics such as ‘rules as code’, consumer protection in the Internet of Things, and e-regulation and the rule of law.
In 2020, he was a Science Foundation Ireland Public Service Fellow in the Oireachtas (Parliament of Ireland) Library and Research Service, working on a report on ‘Algorithms, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in the Irish Legal Services Market’.
He has been a contributor to several reports published by AI4People on ethical and legal development and deployment of artificial intelligence.
Lee
Bristow
Director of Cyber and AI Governance, Saros Consulting
Lee is the Director of Cyber and AI Governance at Saros Consulting.
He brings deep expertise in cybersecurity, risk, and emerging technology governance, with a strong focus on helping organisations navigate the complexities of AI adoption responsibly and securely.
Lee works closely with clients to establish robust governance frameworks, strengthen cyber resilience, and ensure that innovation aligns with regulatory, ethical, and business priorities. His work spans a range of sectors, supporting executive teams in building the structures needed to manage AI and cyber risk with confidence.
At Saros, Lee combines strategic advisory with hands on delivery experience, helping clients move from governance frameworks on paper to practical, embedded practices.
He is committed to providing independent, vendor neutral guidance, ensuring that organisations can adopt new technologies responsibly while remaining secure, compliant, and aligned with long term business value.
Ray
Armstrong
Co-Founder and CEO, Saros Consulting
Ray is Co-Founder and CEO of Saros Consulting, an independent IT consulting and project management firm helping organisations make better technology decisions. He is passionate about strategic business and IT alignment and is an innovative and adaptable professional with a highly effective mix of ICT and business skills.
Ray has a proven track record of increasing operational efficiencies, controlling project costs and schedules, and implementing and maintaining technology initiatives to support multinationals globally. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with executive teams across a range of sectors, including financial services, retail and pharma, helping organisations align their technology investments with broader business objectives.
As Co-Founder and CEO of Saros, Ray is committed to providing independent, vendor neutral guidance that puts client interests first. He combines strategic thinking with hands on implementation experience, ensuring that recommendations are practical, grounded in real world delivery, and focused on enabling better decisions and reducing risk for the organisations Saros works with.
What will you take away?
By the end of the programme, participants will have developed:
- Greater confidence in overseeing AI adoption
- A stronger understanding of AI governance and emerging regulation
- Practical approaches to identifying and managing AI risk
- A clearer framework for organisational AI oversight
- Greater insight into organisational readiness and capability
- Practical tools for strengthening trust, accountability and responsible adoption
- Board-ready outputs that can be applied within their organisation
- A 90-day roadmap for taking the next steps
The programme is designed to help leaders move from understanding AI governance to putting it into practice.
Why Study Here?
Hear from our President
“J.E. Cairnes School has a strong track record of working with industry and society to ensure its education remains relevant to the changing needs of business. Its outlook is firmly connected to the region while engaging with the challenges and opportunities shaping organisations on a global stage.”
Professor David Burn
President, University of Galway
Hear from our Dean of School
“Our school stands among the top 1% of business schools globally.
It speaks to the rigour of our scholarship, our leadership in sustainability, and our public good commitment.”
Professor Karena Yan
Dean, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway
Study at one of the world's top 1% of business schools
The AI Governance & Leadership Executive Education Course is delivered by J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at University of Galway. Ready to strengthen your organisation's approach to AI?Develop the knowledge, frameworks and practical tools to lead AI governance with confidence.
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