Engage Governance

In this podcast, Ben Fielding, Head of Sales for Global Entity Management at TMF Group, talks about the challenges facing organisations in carve-out situations. Ben explains that these deals usually involve part of a large business being sold, and therefore ‘carved-out’, to allow it to get the attention and investment it needs to be successful. Ben outlines the importance of timelines and planning to make the transition period smooth for both clients and employees. Among other things, this involves understanding local requirements and cultural quirks and factoring in the time it takes to set up a bank account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Peter Fowler, Managing Director at Lumi UK, looks at how annual general meetings (AGMs) are changing. Peter believes the hybrid format is the most effective because it allows physical and virtual attendance and provides equal opportunity for all shareholders to participate and put questions to the board. Hybrid meetings also allow the board to construct a more thematic Q&A session and give the company more opportunities to manage potential disruption from activist shareholders. Peter also describes how the move to virtual or hybrid meetings coupled with the priorities of the modern-day shareholder are refocussing the event on true business matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Jennifer Sundberg, Co-CEO of Board Intelligence, discusses her company’s theory of collective intelligence, which advocates moving away from superstar CEOs and board-centric decision-making to recognising the whole organisation’s potential to make great decisions. In practice this means applying Board Intelligence’s core principles throughout a business not just in the boardroom. For example, asking simple questions to spark critical thinking. Jen says we need to rediscover our childhood tendency to ask questions and unlearn writing conventions that stop us communicating clearly. She adds that the approach is particularly important now when the ability to move fast and take quick decisions is what sets a business apart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Jennifer Sundberg, Co-CEO of Board Intelligence, discusses her company’s theory of collective intelligence, which advocates moving away from superstar CEOs and board-centric decision-making to recognising the whole organisation’s potential to make great decisions. In practice this means applying Board Intelligence’s core principles throughout a business not just in the boardroom. For example, asking simple questions to spark critical thinking. Jen says we need to rediscover our childhood tendency to ask questions and unlearn writing conventions that stop us communicating clearly. She adds that the approach is particularly important now when the ability to move fast and take quick decisions is what sets a business apart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Daniel Roach, Senior Technical Lead at Company Matters, discusses the latest developments in ESG reporting. The conversation covers both voluntary and mandatory ESG requirements, looking particularly at the new ISSB standards, the TNFD and the proposed changes to the UK Corporate Governance Code. Daniel discusses increasing investor pressure on companies in relation to ESG, why ESG matters to governance professionals, and how to decide which ESG standards to report against. He argues that understanding your stakeholders will help you identify the correct ESG focus for your business and that good ESG reporting is honest and transparent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Sophie Paton-McDermott, a partner at Make Happy, explains how to approach and conduct difficult conversations. She argues that being skilled at having difficult conversations can make you more effective and advises being strategic about the conversations you have. Sophie says it’s important not to put off tricky conversations and describes how reframing a conversation in your mind, as well as using breathing techniques, can help you cope. She says it’s natural to become defensive and/or emotional and advises naming emotions to achieve a constructive conversation. Sophie argues the best conversations happen in person when the timing is right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Alex Efthymiades, Director and Founder of Consensio, discusses workplace conflict. Alex argues we aren’t taught the skills we need to successfully navigate conflict; therefore, we avoid it because it feels uncomfortable. However, Alex believes conflict can be positive, enabling us to clear the air and become more productive. She says it’s important to create a workplace environment where healthy conflict can flourish. This can be done by establishing psychological safety where everyone feels able to speak up without being punished. This is particularly important in the boardroom, where constructive challenge is needed to avoid groupthink. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Sharon Constançon, CEO of Genius Boards, offers advice for company secretaries and governance professionals on managing the challenges they face in their role, from gaining feedback and stretching themselves to learning tactics to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Sharon advises compartmentalising the noise of the role to gain control of it. She describes how to handle the inevitable left hook and the value of being the trusted expert who absorbs panic rather than creating it. Sharon highlights the power of conversation initiated by the governance professional to fix a broken relationship, as well as discussing how to own up to a mistake and how to avoid being seen as a ‘blocker’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses how organisations and boards can evolve their risk management practices in response to a changing risk landscape. James outlines how non-financial risks are becoming more prominent and discusses the challenges in managing these less tangible, more complex risks. He argues that their universal nature means that organisations can no longer afford to forgo risk oversight and governance. James describes how many organisations are innovating to ensure they are equipped to manage what is becoming an increasingly complex space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Susan Stenson, a partner at Independent Audit, discusses the impact that environment, social and governance (ESG) issues are having in the boardroom. She outlines the importance of linking these areas back to the overall purpose and strategy of the organisation to enable directors to understand which issues they should focus on and how they should communicate their approach to their stakeholders. Susan outlines how governance lays the foundations for a strong response to ESG issues from boards of directors. She also argues that if the board is honest about how it has decided its ESG priorities, its approach is much more likely to be successful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Patrick Skinner, General Manager for UK and Europe at Atticus, discusses the importance of the verification process in ensuring that statements included in regulated documents such as annual reports aren’t misleading. Patrick highlights relevant regulatory considerations and discusses the risk of shareholder activism and reputational damage associated with making misleading statements. He also considers verification in the context of greenwashing risk and TCFD disclosure. He argues that automating verification can help combat the risk of human error in what can sometimes be a repetitive and tedious process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses the concept of individual accountability, which was first developed in the financial services sector. James explains that to apply the concept an organisation will undergo a process of defining and communicating its senior individuals’ accountabilities. James considers whether the lessons learned in financial services from applying this regime could be extended to other sectors, arguing that outcomes such as a sense of responsibility coupled with a strong degree of clarity could be universally beneficial. James suggests practical steps that company secretaries or governance professionals and their boards can take to implement individual accountability at their organisation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Sharon Constançon, CEO of Genius Boards, describes company secretaries and governance professionals as wise owls in the boardroom who use their influencing skills to defuse tension and allow conversations to remain logical and constructive. Sharon highlights the power of the innocent question to cut through tension and explains how to negotiate successfully with warring parties to regain harmony. She argues that having a wise owl on the nominations committee can help achieve a more balanced board that is fit to address the modern agenda. Sharon also explains how to recognise and address bias in the boardroom and how doing so can help address infighting and groupthink. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses stakeholder capitalism and its significance for businesses today. He argues that stakeholder engagement is the means by which to achieve stakeholder capitalism because it allows the business to understand different stakeholders and therefore act in their interests. James argues that the convergence of many monumental events over the last two years has brought stakeholder capitalism into the limelight and front and centre for boards. He outlines innovative methods for engaging with two important stakeholder groups: customers and employees. James argues that organisations need to develop more sophisticated data points for understanding stakeholders, focusing on qualitive rather than quantitative data to bring stakeholder experiences to life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses the boardroom of the future. He considers how its directors will use what are currently emerging technologies to fulfill their duties and carry out their responsibilities more effectively. James contemplates the potential for improving board effectiveness through using virtual assistant technology or chatbots in the boardroom, as well as taking into account the potential risks this functionality poses. James believes today’s boards are ready to embrace technology but warns against solutions for solutions’ sake, highlighting that the use of technology shouldn’t be at the expense of overall board effectiveness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Sharon Constançon explains how company secretaries and governance professionals can use their communication skills to improve the effectiveness of the board, creating the perfect environment for decision-making. Sharon outlines how company secretaries can learn communication skills as part of their career development and how they can use them to handle a range of difficult conversations. She describes tactics for tailoring communication styles to individuals to ensure the message is best received, enabling company secretaries to build trust while remaining authentic and allowing them to be a confidante for the directors. Sharon argues that communication is most effective when we take a caring, empathetic approach that acknowledges the human side of our colleagues and the challenges they face. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Kerry Round, Founding Director of Round Governance Services, outlines how the governance of a company will change following an Initial Public Offering (IPO). She covers board structure, responsibilities, composition, and the need for board diversity. The discussion outlines how an IPO will affect important stakeholders such as employees, the policies the company will need to have in place, what disclosures will be required, and which external bodies the company secretary or governance professional will find themselves dealing with on a regular basis. Kerry describes an IPO as a career highlight and the role of the company secretary or governance professional in a listed company as fabulous. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Sharon Constançon, CEO of Genius Boards, discusses how to address issues that are impeding board effectiveness that aren’t always easy to identify. Sharon likens the scenario to an octopus, where all the issues are linked to a common cause, represented by the head of the octopus. She goes on to outline how enhancing the emotional quotient (EQ) of the company secretary, the chair and the individual directors will allow the board as a whole to defuse those hard-to-identify issues it faces and allow it to achieve its full potential. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Deborah Garlick, Founder of Henpicked and CEO of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, describes the realities of the menopause transition for women in the workplace. She explains that it’s about more than hot flushes and affects women in different ways at varying ages and stages in their life and career. Deborah outlines compelling reasons why menopause should be taken seriously by the board, from how it affects the bottom line to how it can influence brand and reputation. She also suggests practical steps company secretaries can take to help their board address menopause, highlighting a shift in public mood that makes this an urgent issue requiring immediate action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Sharon Constançon discusses different tactics a company secretary can use to help their board identify any unaddressed issues that are making it ineffective. Once it has been identified, Sharon outlines tactics to address and overcome the elephant in the room. The conversation covers how to get the unspeakable topic on the table, how to address disputes and bullying among directors and how to make sure critical risks are really being addressed. It looks at how the company secretary can empower the board through coaching directors and facilitating governance improvements on behalf of the chair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.