Category: Roles and Governance

Information Governance Professional (IGP)

Also known as: IGP, Certified Information Governance Professional, IGP certification

Simply put

An Information Governance Professional (IGP) is a person who holds a certification, offered by ARMA International, that recognizes competency in the strategic practice of information governance. The credential is intended for practitioners who design and oversee programs to manage an organization's information assets across areas such as policy, risk, and value. The IGP is one of several professional credentials in the information field and should not be confused with certifications focused more narrowly on records or content management.

Formal definition

The Information Governance Professional (IGP) is a certification administered by ARMA International that defines and validates the competency requirements associated with effective information governance practice. According to the certifying body, an information governance professional creates and oversees programs to govern the information assets of the enterprise and partners across organizational functions to do so; the credential is positioned as dedicated to the strategic, enterprise-level practice of information governance rather than to the operational control of records alone. The credential is earned by passing a multiple-choice examination; per the evidence available, the exam comprises 140 multiple-choice questions administered over 2 hours and 45 minutes, with a passing score reported as 650 out of 900. Because information governance is a broader accountability framework than records management, the IGP is distinct in scope from records-management-specific or content-management-specific credentials, and holding the certification indicates demonstrated competency against a defined body of knowledge rather than a statutory or licensed professional status.

Why it matters

As organizations accumulate information across an expanding range of systems and formats, the accountability for how that information is governed increasingly spans functions beyond records management alone, including policy, risk, privacy, security, and the realization of value. The IGP credential exists to recognize practitioners who can operate at this strategic, enterprise level, and its scope reflects the broader accountability framework of information governance rather than the operational control of records. For hiring managers and organizations building governance programs, a defined credential offers a reference point for the competencies associated with this cross-functional role.

It is important to understand what the credential does and does not signify. Holding the IGP indicates demonstrated competency against a defined body of knowledge, as validated by ARMA International's examination; it is not a statutory license or a regulated professional status, and it does not by itself confer legal authority. Professionals should also distinguish the IGP from certifications focused more narrowly on records management or content management, since conflating these credentials can lead to mismatched expectations about a practitioner's scope of expertise.

Because information governance responsibilities and the regulatory obligations that inform them vary by jurisdiction and sector, the IGP is best understood as evidence of familiarity with a general body of governance practice rather than as assurance of compliance with any particular national regime. Organizations typically pair credentialed expertise with jurisdiction-specific legal and compliance advice when designing programs.

Who it's relevant to

Information governance leads and program owners

Practitioners responsible for designing and overseeing enterprise-level governance programs are the credential's primary audience. The IGP is oriented toward the strategic coordination of information assets across policy, risk, and value, and toward the cross-functional partnering that such programs typically require.

Records managers considering broader roles

Records managers whose responsibilities are expanding beyond the operational control of records may find the IGP relevant, since information governance encompasses a wider accountability framework. Such professionals should note that the IGP differs in scope from records-management-specific credentials rather than replacing them.

Compliance, privacy, and risk professionals

Because information governance intersects with policy, risk, and privacy functions, professionals in these areas may pursue the IGP to demonstrate familiarity with governance practice as a coordinating discipline. Its scope is general rather than tied to any single jurisdiction's regulatory regime, so it typically supplements rather than substitutes for jurisdiction-specific expertise.

Hiring managers and organizations building governance capability

Employers evaluating candidates for enterprise governance roles may use the IGP as one reference point for competency against a defined body of knowledge. It should be read as evidence of demonstrated competency, not as a statutory or licensed professional status, and confirmed alongside other qualifications and current certifying-body requirements.

Inside IGP

Professional Certification Credential

The Information Governance Professional (IGP) is a certification that recognizes competency in information governance rather than in records management alone. It is oriented toward the broader accountability framework spanning policy, risk, privacy, security, and information value, and is distinct from certifications focused narrowly on the recordkeeping lifecycle.

Cross-Disciplinary Scope

The credential typically reflects the multidisciplinary nature of information governance, drawing on records management, legal and compliance obligations, data protection and privacy, information security, and information technology. It emphasizes the coordination of these functions rather than expertise in any single one.

Strategic and Governance Orientation

Rather than centering on operational tasks such as classification or disposition, the IGP is generally intended to signal capability in establishing governance structures, aligning information practices with organizational objectives, and managing information-related risk at a policy and accountability level.

Relationship to Recordkeeping Competencies

Records management competencies form part of the knowledge base the credential draws upon, but they sit within a wider frame. Understanding records as authoritative evidence of activity, their lifecycle, retention, and disposition remains relevant, while the credential extends beyond these to information more broadly.

Common questions

Answers to the questions practitioners most commonly ask about IGP.

Is an Information Governance Professional the same as a records manager?

No, though the roles overlap and are sometimes held by the same individual. Records management concerns the control of records as evidence of activity across their lifecycle, while information governance is a broader accountability framework spanning policy, risk, privacy, security, retention, and the value of information. An Information Governance Professional typically works at this wider, cross-functional level, whereas a records manager focuses more specifically on recordkeeping. In practice, the boundary depends on how a given organization structures its roles, and one person may carry both sets of responsibilities.

Does holding an Information Governance Professional credential make someone a legal or compliance authority for my organization?

Not on its own. The designation generally signals a level of professional knowledge across the disciplines that inform information governance, but it does not substitute for qualified legal, regulatory, or compliance advice. Statutory retention periods, privacy obligations, and legal hold requirements vary considerably by jurisdiction and sector, so decisions in these areas typically require input from professionals with the relevant legal and regulatory expertise for the applicable regime.

How does an Information Governance Professional typically work with other functions in an organization?

Because information governance is inherently cross-functional, the role often involves coordinating across records management, legal, compliance, privacy, information security, IT, and business units. This may include helping to reconcile competing priorities, such as retention needs against privacy or security considerations, and supporting the alignment of policy across these areas. The precise reporting lines and scope of the role depend on organizational structure and policy.

What kinds of responsibilities might fall to an Information Governance Professional in practice?

Responsibilities vary by organization but often include contributing to governance policy and frameworks, supporting risk assessment, advising on the lifecycle handling of information, and helping to establish accountability for how information is created, classified, retained, and disposed of. Whether the role extends to operational recordkeeping tasks, such as classification or applying disposition, or remains at a more strategic and policy-setting level, depends on how duties are allocated within the organization.

How does the role support decisions about retention and disposition?

An Information Governance Professional often helps ensure that retention and disposition are governed by defensible, documented policy rather than ad hoc practice. This can include supporting the development of retention schedules, clarifying that disposition may involve transfer or permanent preservation as well as destruction, and helping coordinate legal hold requirements where they apply. The specifics depend on jurisdiction, sector, and organizational policy, and legally sensitive decisions typically warrant input from qualified legal or compliance advisors.

How might an organization make use of someone in this role when implementing an information governance program?

Organizations often draw on the role to help establish governance structures, define roles and accountabilities, and bring coherence across the disciplines that touch information. This can involve helping to translate high-level frameworks into workable policies and processes, supporting stakeholder engagement across functions, and helping to measure or monitor program maturity over time. The extent of the contribution depends on the organization's needs, resources, and existing governance arrangements.

Common misconceptions

The IGP is simply an advanced records management certification.

While records management knowledge is relevant, the credential is oriented toward information governance as a broader accountability framework that also encompasses privacy, security, risk, and information value. Records management concerns the control of records as evidence of activity across their lifecycle, whereas information governance spans a wider set of disciplines and accountabilities. The two overlap but are not identical, and the credential should not be treated as a records-only qualification.

Holding an IGP means someone is qualified to perform all operational recordkeeping and compliance tasks.

The credential typically signals competency in governance, coordination, and strategy across information disciplines rather than proficiency in every operational activity such as detailed classification, disposition processing, or jurisdiction-specific legal compliance. Operational execution often depends on additional role-specific skills and knowledge of the applicable organizational policies and jurisdictional requirements.

The IGP reflects a single universal set of legal and regulatory requirements.

Information governance obligations differ across jurisdictions and sectors, covering matters such as retention, privacy, and access rights that vary by regime. A credential can indicate general competency in navigating these areas, but it does not substitute for applying the specific legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements that govern a given context.

Best practices

Treat the IGP as evidence of cross-disciplinary information governance competency, and pair it with role-specific and jurisdiction-specific knowledge when assigning operational recordkeeping or compliance responsibilities.

Use the credential to support governance and coordination roles that span records management, privacy, security, risk, and information value, rather than assuming it covers a single function in depth.

Ground governance decisions in the applicable organizational policies and the legal and regulatory requirements of the relevant jurisdiction and sector, since these vary and are not defined by the credential itself.

Maintain a clear distinction between information governance as an accountability framework and records management as the control of records across their lifecycle, and apply the appropriate discipline to each task.

Complement the credential with continuing awareness of developments across the contributing disciplines, since information governance draws on evolving practice in privacy, security, compliance, and recordkeeping.

Verify the specific competencies and scope associated with the credential against its current authoritative description before relying on it for a particular role, rather than assuming a fixed or universal set of qualifications.