Years of growth had layered complexity onto governance at a leading, global bank. Committees had proliferated, meeting cycles were dense, and papers were long — all of which diluted focus and consumed leadership time.
As the Group Company Secretary put it, “The Bank had become, in some respects, over‑complicated. This was our chance to start afresh with a simpler way of working — simplifying governance so the Bank becomes an easier place to do business.”
This was our chance to start afresh with a simpler way of working.
We launched Ways of Working with a pilot in Europe, built on two complementary strands:
A disciplined review of the committee landscape to confirm what was required from a legal or regulatory standpoint, what added clear decision value, and what could be merged or demised.
The Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy for Europe noted, “As a rule of thumb, only the legal‑entity committees — boards, the executive committee, and key risk forums — are mandated. Our long list exceeded 300 committees; over 200 lacked a regulatory basis, and we were able to demise more than 50.”
A redesign of the end‑to‑end meeting cycle and information flow. We focused on tighter agendas, clearer questions, and concise papers so discussion time centred on the decisions that matter.
In the words of the European Chief Executive, “Quality rose because discussion improved. By shaping the agenda in advance and being explicit about the questions to answer, meetings became quicker, people more engaged, and decisions better.”
Meetings became quicker, people more engaged, and decisions better.
of meetings removed or streamlined
shorter papers on average
As the Group Company Secretary summarised, “The initiative simplifies our governance structures and makes the Bank an easier place to do business.” And from the European Chief Executive: “The approach helps us execute more quickly, be more specific about what we want to achieve, and ultimately make better decisions.”
The initiative makes the Bank an easier place to do business.
Work with Board Intelligence’s team of board effectiveness experts to set your board up to succeed.
Find out more35% of meetings identified for demise or streamlining, saving 13,500 executive hours annually.
Board papers 40% shorter; 30–60 minutes saved per meeting.
Fewer, sharper forums; better‑prepared discussions and faster decisions.
