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Case Study
How TSB transformed their board papers with Board Intelligence
Find out how leading retail bank TSB tapped into…
technology
Four things that make fund service providers switch to Board Intelligence
From Waystone to Ocorian, the world’s largest…
Interview
Sarah Rapson: “We are taking the opportunity to bolster the Code where we feel the reporting is weaker.”
Sarah Rapson is deputy CEO at the FRC. She…
Interview
Jill Shedden MBE: “Non-executives need to turn up as people, rather than their CVs.”
Jill Shedden, MBE is Centrica's Chief People…
Interview
Dervilla Mitchell CBE: "We need to overcome the inertia of ‘doing what we have always done'"
Dervilla Mitchell CBE is Deputy Chair at Arup…
Interview
Kiersten Barnet: “When it comes to boosting social mobility, hiring is just the first step.”
Here, Kierstan shares how the NY Jobs CEO Council…
Interview
Jenny Hanlon, Adnams: "I relish not being the CFO you would expect to meet"
Here, Jenny shares her thoughts on how to best…
Interview
Julia Woodhouse: "Exceptional leaders bring the human touch to the role"
Julia Woodhouse is a non-executive director at…
Think Tank
Transparency was yesterday. Tomorrow is about vigilance. Four questions boards need to ask
Boards must prepare for a new era in which…
Interview
Elizabeth Chambers: “It takes a great chair to ensure there is enough oxygen in the room.”
Elizabeth (Libby) Chambers is Operating Partner…
Interview
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne: “Keep things simple and fight against complexity creep.”
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne is the founder of Genius…
Interview
Bruce Van Saun: “Anything other than a striving mindset will let you down.”
Bruce Van Saun is CEO and Chair at Citizens…
Think Tank
It’s fine to set up a youth board, but what is your company doing about intergenerational fairness?
Boards and leadership teams are tackling the…
Think Tank
Migration — the fairness test to come
“Who is my neighbour?” will increasingly loom…
Interview
Susanne Chishti: “It felt like the world was being changed right in front of us.”
Here, Susanne shares the key ingredients for a…
Interview
Kathryn Roberts: “It's a no-brainer to focus on the next generation.”
Here, Kathryn shares how boards can foster the…
Interview
Joel Ripley: “The perennial challenge is taking data to information, to insight, to action.”
Here, Joel shares how CFOs can contribute to a…
Interview
Sally Lake, CFO, Beazley PLC: “The scariest thing for CFOs today is also the most exciting thing — it’s change.”
Sally Lake, Group Finance Director at Beazley…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: how healthy governance steered the NHS through the pandemic
Read about our latest CoSec Meetup, where Katie…
Interview
Kerensa Jennings: “The great risk for board members is being left behind.”
Kerensa Jennings is Group Director, Data…
Think Tank
We need to talk about purpose — but also about values!
The Purposeful Company offers us 6…
Interview
Silvana Bonello: “Knowing which questions to ask is more powerful than knowing everything.”
Here, Silvana shares her advice for how the board…
Learning
Social mobility: The part of the Corporate Governance Code everyone’s forgotten about.
Social mobility is a blind spot for the majority…
Think Tank
Does your company’s core activity help humans thrive?
Can you genuinely say your company’s activity…
Interview
Rachel Turk: “People like to say you should think outside the box; I think that what’s in the box is just as important.”
Rachel Turk is Group Head of Strategy at Beazley.…
Interview
Patrick Butcher: "Our superpower as a species is our ability to cooperate"
In our latest CFO interview, Patrick Butcher,…
Interview
Stuart Jackson, CFO, Octopus Energy: “Let things go and see what flourishes.”
Stuart Jackson, CFO and co-founder of Octopus…
Think Tank
Thinking like an owner — a precious by-product of capitalism
Capitalism displays many faults, but…
Interview
Susie Timlin: “If you get the people bit right, the rest follows.”
Susie Timlin is COO at UK Government Investments.…
Interview
Heather Tierney-Moore OBE: “As a non-executive, your value is in asking great questions.”
Heather Tierney-Moore OBE is chair at Supply…
Think Tank
From Jack Welch to Paul Polman — what a change in just 15 years!
We have begun to recognise that the employee is a…
Interview
Janice Ellig: “You cannot hire integrity. Great leaders have good character at their core.”
One of the “World’s Most Influential…
Learning
A guide to board portals
Read our guide to digital board portals, what…
Interview
Zena Couppey: “Robust governance takes discipline”
Zena Couppey is CEO at Altum Group. Here, shares…
How to craft an Executive Summary that hooks readers from the start
Learn how to write an effective executive summary…
technology
Switching Board Portals? Here are 4 tips to get you started
Switching board portal can seem overwhelming, but…
Learning
Financial crime — the next big thing
There is a ‘tectonic shift’ underway in the…
Learning
Consumer Duty — tick tock. Time is running out
A report by the FCA assessed how the UK’s biggest…
Case Study
How Nationwide switched board portal and calculated a 45% time saving
Nationwide switched board portals, and the…
Interview
George Magrath: “Connecting with patients keeps things in perspective.”
George shares what his clinical background taught…
Think Tank
Nadhim and Ram: two tales about fairness
Most of the coverage of the Nadhim Zahawi story…
Interview
Andy Boteler, CFO, Riverford: “Net zero is a chance to say yes.”
Andy Boteler, CFO at Riverford Organic Farmers,…
Interview
Simon Collins: “Leaders of large organisations are like conductors of an orchestra.”
Here, Simon shares his views on the value of…
Interview
Harriet Green: “Speed rather than elegance.”
One of Radio 4’s 100 most powerful UK women and…
Learning
Setting your CoSec career up for success
Advice on building your CoSec career from a panel…
Think Tank
What companies do you most admire?
What companies do 15 year olds most admire and…
Interview
Eve Henrikson on organisational agility: “Learning what will drive you forward often necessitates learning what won’t.”
Eve is the general manager for Uber Eats EMEA and…
Learning
CoSec Meetup: Deliveroo’s company secretary shares her keys to success
Read about our latest CoSec Meetup, where…
Interview
Julie Pomeroy: “Ask the naïve questions; it’s likely others are thinking the same thing.”
Here, Julie shares lessons learned from her…
Interview
Christiana Figueres: “We live in a truly exciting moment in the history of our species, with a great capacity to improve the world around us for each other.”
Christiana shares her insights as chair of the…
Interview
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Muriel Thorne
Read our latest blog featuring Muriel Thorne,…
Interview
Saker Nusseibeh: “The market can’t solve problems without social cohesion.”
Saker Nusseibeh is CEO at Federated Hermes…
Think Tank
Labour and the Twenty-First Century Economy — a twelve point plan for building a better capitalism
What is Labour’s plan for building better…
Interview
Interview with Adam Banks, NED & former CIO of Visa & AP Moller Maersk
Adam reflects on the moments that shaped his…
Learning
Board Intelligence and The IoD Inquiry: Governance and Innovation
Board Intelligence have provided research support…
Think Tank
What does respect for employees mean in the age of the algorithm?
What questions should boards ask when deploying…
Interview
Andrew White: “To deliver any kind of transformation, you need to put people at the heart of the process.”
Andrew White is a senior fellow in management…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: spotlight on Catherine Sukmonowski, company secretary at Deliveroo
Catherine, a company secretary who’s worked on…
Think Tank
What if the Chancellor were an Anthropist?
A naïve Autumn statement from Mark Goyder.
Interview
Tim Ward on organisational agility: “Governance itself doesn’t do anything, but it allows people to be their best.”
Tim Ward is the former CEO of the Quoted…
Think Tank
Echoes of a better future
A reflection on the Anthropy conference 2023
Think Tank
How can boards align company success with the needs of the planet and society?
A discussion from non-executive directors around…
Think Tank
Harvest economics
A sentimental throwback or idea whose time has…
Learning
What can a 1,400-year-old carpenter teach you about agility?
This company was agile enough to outlast the…
Interview
Bridget Rosewell: “Most CEOs tell me they have more experiences of boards that complicate things than of boards being effective.”
Bridget is chair of Atom bank and M6 Toll.
Learning
How to kill your bureaucracy
Why do we need to bury our bureaucracy to make…
Interview
Paul Polman: “Being ‘less bad’ isn’t good enough anymore.”
Paul Polman, who helped develop the UN Global…
Think Tank
What do we mean by growth and why do we want it?
Start with what helps people flourish.
Interview
Simon Devonshire on organisational agility: “Right now, the biggest risk for corporates is the risk of being boring.”
Simon is is a serial entrepreneur, the chair of…
Think Tank
Education should broaden minds. Too often we are doing the opposite.
Leonardo da Vinci would be horrified.
Think Tank
Kwasi Kwarteng’s growth “plan” — a twentieth-century response to twenty-first century challenges
The Chancellor’s speech turns us back to the 70s.
Learning
Communication: the hard truth about this soft skill
If communication is so important, why are we so…
Think Tank
Saving ESG requires a radical change in its definition of “governance”
Learn about the challenges facing ESG governance…
Interview
Serge Krancenblum on organisational agility: “The key isn’t asking ‘How do I make the right calls?’, it’s ‘How do I give others the right support for them to make the right calls?’”
Serge is the founder of IQ-EQ, one of the world’s…
Think Tank
A little less wishful thinking, a little more listening, please
Running things isn’t governing.
Learning
Could Socrates have saved Kodak?
Why asking the right questions matters.
Learning
The FCA’s Consumer Duty: Revolution, not evolution.
In July 2022, the FCA published the Consumer…
Interview
Clare Holt on organisational agility: “Your governance, too, should accelerate change.”
Clare Holt, head of corporate strategy at St.…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Monica Pahwa
Monica Pahwa, Group Company Secretary at…
Events
What’s in a name? How the title “Company Secretary” underplays the significance of this evolving role.
The role of the company secretary is evolving.…
Think Tank
Fairer Future case study: Greg Turner-Smart
Greg Turner-Smart, Group Inclusion and Diversity…
Think Tank
Chaos, crisis, and hope
Building a new manifesto for Britain.
Interview
Graham Singleton: “For the regulator, board packs ballooning with compliance can be seen as a canary in the coal mine.”
Graham Singleton is the CEO of National Friendly,…
Interview
Neil Hayward on organisational agility: “Innovation shouldn’t need to seek permission.”
Neil is a NED with a track record in agile…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Caroline Tolhurst.
Caroline Tolhurst, NED, and Former Company…
Think Tank
What DAOs teach us
Will crypto’s nonsense birth better governance?
Think Tank
Net or not?
Isabelle Green, Research Executive from the Board…
Interview
What unexpected joy can be found from shorter board papers?
Shorter papers may be good for the board, but…
Think Tank
Climate gloom — from chair action to share action
We can do more than glueing ourselves to chairs.
Interview
Orna NiChionna: “Boards remain the ultimate arbiter, but the frequency of their meetings has stopped being what determines how fast decisions can be made.”
Orna is SID of Burberry and Saga, and is a…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Rachel Youngman
Rachel Youngman is the Deputy Chief Executive of…
Interview
The ExCo’s guide to shorter papers: Spotlight on Rachel Turk, Group Head of Strategy, Beazley
Rachel Turk, group head of strategy at Beazley,…
Interview
Gavin Hayes: “Nearly a quarter of boards do not even articulate the kind of culture they want.”
Read our conversation with Gavin Hayes, , Head of…
Think Tank
How lazy labels about business purpose fuel the indignation industry
Polarisation poses tough choices for companies.
Interview
Michael Jary: “Chairs are rightly praised for developing collective purpose and building consensus, but if taken too far these inhibit challenge of the norms.”
Michael is chair of Duchy Originals and Itad, and…
Think Tank
Fairer Future Case Study: why TSB signed the Good Business Charter
Kate Osiadacz, head of responsible businesses at…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Silvana Glibota-Vigo
Silvana Glibota-Vigo, Group Head of Secretariat…
Think Tank
Stuart Kirk — a finance professional handicapped by his education
Fiduciary duty extends beyond finance.
Think Tank
The bewilderment brew — how technology, privatisation and outsourcing combined can make life hard for customers
Hard-to-use products reflect insulated boards.
Interview
Ruth Handcock: “Having the discipline to talk about all stakeholders is not easy, but eventually it becomes second nature.”
Ruth is the CEO of Octopus Investments — a B Corp…
Think Tank
Fairer Future Case Study: Marnie Millard
Marnie Millard, chair of UA92, talks business and…
Think Tank
What would make us proud of our country?
The Jubilee is a time to revisit our qualities.
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Sir Ken Olisa
Sir Kenneth is a technology business leader and…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: David Bennett
David Bennett chairs the boards of Virgin Money…
Interview
The ExCo’s guide to shorter papers: Spotlight on John Tonkiss, CEO, McCarthy Stone
John Tonkiss, CEO of McCarthy Stone, shares how…
Think Tank
Trust and Russian money — time for the City to look in the mirror?
Can we be accused of wilful blindness?
Interview
Hanneke Smits: “You can’t react quickly enough if your modus operandi is just to escalate problems all the way to the board.”
Read our conversation with Hanneke Smits, CEO of…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Shaun Coles
Shaun Coles, Global Director of Governance, Banco…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on our event panellists
Hear from Chris Taylor, company secretary at…
Think Tank
The Madness, Let Alone Unfairness, of US Executive Pay
Share-price-driven pay is a dangerous game.
Learning
Are your board papers slowing you down?
The antidote to boardroom bottlenecking? Shorter,…
Think Tank
What Will It Take To Get Companies to Care About the Next Generation?
Values-driven companies act ahead of the law.
Interview
Gavin Patterson: “As board information evolves, so will board members.”
Gavin is the president and chief revenue officer…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Baroness Patience Wheatcroft
Baroness Patience Wheatcroft is a journalist,…
Think Tank
Too polite to make progress? Social mobility in the boardroom calls for a rude awakening
Is now the time for a review of social background…
Think Tank
Football’s Ownership Problem: Empower the Fans
What can British clubs learn from a Swedish bank?
Events
How to help the board buy into your vision - the CEO event series
How can you get the “yes” from the board? This…
Interview
Danuta Gray: “One of the biggest changes has been the increased breadth of topics that must be discussed by the board.”
Read our conversation with Danuta Gray, chair at…
Think Tank
Culture — The Gaping Hole That Undermines B Corp’s Credibility
Certified B Corps can have toxic cultures. Why?
Opinion
Will You Lead With Algorithms, or Be Led by Them?
Sophisticated tools can easily become blunt…
Think Tank
Master or Servant — A New Agenda for Teaching Business
Business is about profitably serving others.
Case Study
Case Study — Sykes Cottages
View our Sykes Cottages client case study & see…
Interview
Vindi Banga: “People make or break your organisation, and they should be discussed every time you meet, not once a year.”
Vindi is the chair of UKGI and Marie Curie, as…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Richard Burge
Richard Burge is chief executive of the London…
Think Tank
Lithuanian Chocolates and Global Shocks
What questions must boards ask in a warring world?
Interview
Ed Warner: “You need the right motivations to chair a sporting governing board”
Read our conversation with Ed Warner, Chair of…
Opinion
Culture — Are We Missing the Point?
Rethinking how we think about culture.
Learning
Want to impress the board with better papers? Try this.
How can you help report writers deliver the…
Think Tank
The High Road To Improved Productivity
Wealth creation requires more than higher public…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Sir Brendan Barber
Sir Brendan Barber is deputy chair of the…
Think Tank
Yes to Levelling Up. No to Divisiveness and Ignoring Nature.
How can long-term focus be sustained?
Interview
Mark Winlow: “Nobody is nobody. How you interact with people is important.”
Read our conversation with Mark Winlow, Chair of…
Think Tank
Fresh Voices: The Benefit of Foresight
The new generation of workforce are highly aware…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Stephen Welton
Stephen Welton was founder CEO of BGF and is now…
How to give the board more confidence in your plans
How can you provide the right balance of…
Think Tank
Stewardship — A Joint Responsibility That We Have Yet to Crack
Shareholders and directors share the same duty.
Think Tank
Stakeholder Capitalism - Fink Again
Exploring "stakeholder capitalism" with a focus…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Deborah Gilshan
The focus on transparent decision-making has…
Think Tank
How Do We Stop Organisations Doing Stupid Things?
Discomfort now can prevent stupidity later.
Use the ace up your sleeve for an agile 2022
Learn how to write papers that drive nimble,…
Think Tank
Has Private Equity Lost Its Way?
PE pioneers thought in terms of stewardship.
Interview
Sir Jan du Plessis: “If anyone at board level still thinks it’s not their job to tackle the tough questions asked by society, they’re delusional.”
Read our conversation with Sir Jan du Plessis,…
Think Tank
Fairer Future Case Study: Louise Parkes
Louise Parkes, CEO of GOSH Charity, talks EDI…
Three items that should be on every board’s agenda in 2022
There’s no silver bullet for what 2022 has in…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Miranda Craig
Miranda Craig — Director of Strategy and Change…
Think Tank
What Is the Role of Business in Creating a Fairer Future?
The Think Tank 2021 inquiry’s findings are out.
Think Tank
Listening Is OK. Acting on What You’ve Heard Is Harder
If your organisational design sucks, what then?
Think Tank
Leading the Change: David Dickson
David Dickson chairs Family Business Matters,…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Lord Bob Kerslake
Lord Bob Kerslake is the chair of Peabody and the…
Think Tank
Leading the Change: Sarah Flannigan
Sarah Flannigan chairs Riverford, Yeo Valley…
Think Tank
Guilty — of Reshaping Someone’s Mind?
Thinking through unintended consequences.
Events
In conversation with Ian Stuart, CEO HSBC UK
HSBC's CEO talks candidly about his experiences…
Learning
Governance Game Changers: Spotlight on Chris Taylor.
Read how Chris Taylor, company secretary at…
Think Tank
More Foxes, Please
Why are our debates — and thinking — so narrow?
Interview
Susan Hooper: “If you’ve learned how to succeed in business, you’re capable of learning how to deal with this. So just get on with it.”
Susan is a co-founding director of Chapter Zero:…
Think Tank
Where’s the Pulse?
Our understanding of governance holds us back.
Think Tank
Governance — My Gut Instinct
Good governance comes in many forms.
Opinion
We don’t need a CEO salary cap to solve inequality — We need this...
We don’t need to wait for a mandated CEO salary…
Think Tank
Make the Journey Your Own
Beyond “Don’t worry; everybody does it.”
Learning
Executive Summaries — your secret sauce for writing winning reports
How can you write Executive Summaries that set…
Events
Enabling growth - in conversation with Susanne Given, chair of Made.com
Susanne Given, chair of Made.com, shares her…
Think Tank
Our Better Nature?
Your board’s language can reveal its assumptions.
Interview
Sir Michael Rake: “You have to be violently calm during a crisis.”
In this interview, Sir Mike Rake shares his…
Think Tank
On Behalf of Which People?
Prioritise citizens, not consumer rights.
Interview
Conversation With Andrew Kakabadse, Governance & Leadership Professor
In this interview, Professor Andrew Kakabadse…
Interview
David Roberts: “I want directors who bring their best self at board meetings; not just their smartest self.”
Read our conversation with David Roberts, chair…
Think Tank
Stewardship Could Deliver What ESG Cannot. Here’s How
Fund managers aren’t croupiers.
Think Tank
Rebellion and the Boardroom
Will directors stand in the way of change?
Interview
André Zerafa: “Disagreeing isn’t the same as challenging.”
André is the managing partner of Ganado Advocates…
Learning
5 signs that your board deserves better technology
Thinking of improving your boardroom technology?…
Think Tank
ESG Isn’t a Noun; It’s an Adjective
Pigeonholing ESG will kill it.
Interview
Sir John Parker: “To effect change, the important thing is planting the flag.”
Read our conversation with Sir John Parker, chair…
Think Tank
Stewardship’s Quiet Hero
Remembering Simon Fraser.
Interview
David Kelly: “A lot of businesses don’t know what their ESG north star is.”
David Kelly is chair and non-executive director…
Interview
Richard Meddings: “When you sign up to a board, you sign up for the challenges.”
Richard is the chair of TSB Bank, a NED of Credit…
Opinion
Better Judgement
A better approach to procurement is needed.
Think Tank
First Steps Towards a Wealth Creation Manifesto
Governing well the good governance regulator.
Interview
Tom Ilube: “Diversity and inclusion aren’t issues to tackle and forget, they’re tools to hone so you can win.”
Tom is the CEO of Crossword Cybersecurity, a NED…
Think Tank
A National Discomfort Policy
What does it take to make us feel unfairness?
Interview
Sir Andrew Likierman: What independent judgment truly means for boards
Sir Andrew Likierman reveals how boards can…
Think Tank
The Better Business Act — A Charter for Pie Splitters?
Success depends upon what gets added to the pie.
Think Tank
Architects or Plumbers? The Big Four’s ESG Dilemma
As they focus on ESG, where do EY et al. stand?
Interview
Jane Hanson: “Each individual contribution may be good on its own, but put them all together and it becomes a great symphony.”
Jane is the chair of the Reclaim Fund as well as…
Interview
Matthew Westerman: “Good mentors know how to listen — and, just as importantly, to teach that skill.”
Read our conversation with Matthew Westerman, ,…
Think Tank
ESG and the Lucrative Market for Salvation
Balancing self-interest with serving others.
Interview
Sir Peter Gershon: “Beware the shadow you cast in a senior role.”
Read our conversation with Sir Peter Gershon,…
Interview
Terri Duhon: “In a ‘K-shaped’ recovery, you need to know which part of the ‘K’ you’re on and how you got there.”
Terri is chair of Morgan Stanley Investment…
Interview
Lynne Berry: “Reports have a natural tendency to hide the warts, and that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what the board does.”
Read our conversation with Lynne Berry, CBE,…
Learning
Is the Pen Still Mightier Than the Video Call? The Power of Good Business Writing
Writing can illuminate in a way that calls cannot.
Interview
Tom Colraine: “The chances of black swans don’t disappear, they just jostle for attention in our minds and agendas.”
Tom is chair of Marsh UK & Ireland.
Think Tank
From Hubris to Hybrid
Governance must reflect commitment.
Interview
John Allan: “Resist the urge to rush through the agenda — especially when the solution looks obvious.”
Read our conversation with John Allan, CBE, Chair…
Think Tank
None of Us Can Outsource Our Consciences
Health & Safety and ESG have something in common.
Think Tank
There Is No Wealth But Life
How can economic policy transcend economics?
Think Tank
Greed, Super Leagues, and Sewage
When does short-termism become a public matter?
Interview
Keith Skeoch: “As chair, you’re the person that has the last vote — but it’s a failure if you have to use it.”
Read our conversation with Keith Skeoch, chair of…
Think Tank
Private Sector Smugness and an Entitlement Mentality
No business endures unless founded on integrity.
Interview
Sir Anthony Habgood: “You need everyone to take board meetings seriously, and your board material should reflect these expectations.”
Sir Anthony is chair of Preqin — a provider of…
Learning
4 Tips for a Powerful CEO Board Report
Great CEO’s reports answer “What’s on my mind?”
Learning
How To Describe the Health of Your Business on One Page
Our top tips to distil it down to one side of A4.

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