Edwin Ward, CEO of advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather Malta, will put the case for Brand Value and the Board in an IOD presentation to Malta Chamber and IOD Malta branch members on April 28 at the Malta Chamber in Valletta.

Mr Ward will explore what constitutes a brand as an intangible asset on the balance sheet and its value to shareholders. He will demonstrate the limited extent to which brands are being acknowledged in the boardroom.

He will explore brands and their central role in profit earnings and why the majority of boards are unaware of their monetary value - and their potential earnings capabilities.

Now that the value shift from tangible to intangible assets has been clearly established as a result of the divergence between the net asset value of companies and their market capitalisation, both acquired and internal brands are recognised by accounting standards on the balance sheet. But that shift has not been fully-acknowledged in the boardroom. As a result, the real value of a company cannot be used to build true shareholder value. In fact, several studies have attempted to estimate the contribution that brands make to shareholder value. A study by Interbrand and JP Morgan concluded that, on average, brands account for more than a third of shareholder value, revealing that brands create significant value either as a consumer or as a corporate brand, or a combination of both.

This seminar is the fourth in a series of six seminars called Directors' Forum given by the Institute of Directors at the Chamber in Valletta. The Directors' Forum is a joint initiative by the Institute of Directors (Malta Branch) and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. Anthony Griffiths, who was to be the designated speaker at this forum, has been unavoidably detained as a result of the Icelandic ash clouds over Europe.

For more information on this or other seminars in the Directors' Forum, please contact Dorianne Bonanno on 2123 3873 or send an e-mail to dorianne.bonanno@maltachamber.org.mt or visit the link or www.maltachamber.org.mt.