Enter the Boardroom lifts the veil on the secretive world of boards, giving you the information you need to get more board roles and become better board members. Join Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings as he sits down with the extraordinary people shaping the world's boardrooms.
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Joy Harcup is an executive coach and board reviewer at Praesta Partners and author of The Art & Psychology of Board Relationships. Dame Una O’Brien is on the boards of Lloyd's Register Museum and Ashmolean Museum. A former Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health, she is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Government. Tune in to hear their thoughts on: Can you explain the 7 archetypal negative dynamics you’ve identified? (2:53) Can you talk through how some of the specific archetypes have played out for you in the boardroom? (8:46) Can we use the above example to look at the psychology of see-sawing? (12:21) What do the terms “projection”, “transference” and “pairing” mean in a boardroom context? (16:55) What would you say to those who dismiss these ideas as psychobabble? (19:21) Can you give a boardroom example where you have resolved someone’s projection? (21:34) How have you experienced the doomsday scenario in the boardroom? (24:45) Can you talk through the “stand-off” dynamic in boardrooms? (33:50) ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(36:50)
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Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School, best-selling author of The Shift and The Hundred Year Life, Advisor at Pictet Group and Skills Builder, and Founder of HSM Advisory. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How can board members help execs redesign work to create a competitive advantage? (2:49) Can every organisation have purpose and meaning? (4:38) Can you talk through your idea of different “modes” of work? (5:47) Do you have any data on the optimum mix of remote versus in-person work? (9:28) Given the lack of data, should board members encourage execs to experiment? (13:22) How can boards balance individual and structural factors when designing work? (15:46) How do you ensure fairness across teams when structuring work? (20:41) How do you use personas when thinking about internal talent? (22:50) What patterns do you see in organisations redesigning work effectively? (25:12) Where do you see them going wrong? (27:21) Why isn’t there a clearer link between poor CEO behaviour and share price? (28:03) Are those who redesign work to be more employee-focused at risk of losing out to those who don’t? (32:34) What key levers can board members focus on to help execs learn and develop? (34:47) How should board members think about investing in managers? (37:40)⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(39:32)
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Lord Mervyn Davies is Chair of LetterOne, the LTA, Glyndebourne Opera and a variety of high growth companies and SID at Teneo. Formerly, he was a Labour peer and Minister of State and CEO of Standard Chartered plc. As Standard Chartered CEO, was the board a help or hindrance? (1:42) What are the key lessons you’ve learnt from mentors? (3:03) What were the biggest strategic challenges you faced, and how did the board help? (4:53) As a CEO, did you get better at getting value from your boards? (8:50) How should CEOs prepare for board meetings? (10:18) What would your biggest boardroom critics say you got wrong? (11:27) What happened at LetterOne after Russia invaded Ukraine? (15:18) How do you manage stress, with such a full portfolio? (19:28) How did you decide to stay rather than leave at LetterOne, and how did you persevere? (21:02) What did you learn about communication through the crisis? (24:34) What did you learn through the crisis at Garden Bridge Trust? (28:44) What did it teach you about media relations? (31:52)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(33:39) Audience Q&A (37:23)
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Vicky Gosling is Chair of GB Surfing, Board Director at the British Olympic Association, Board Member at Invictus Games UK, and CEO of GB Snowsport. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What was your strategy for developing such an elite program at GB Snowsport, given the lack of resources? (0:48) How did you do things differently to your competitors? (3:11) Would you have made the same decision if you had unlimited funding? (9:05) How has the board helped on the GB Snowsports journey? (11:57) Has the board ever been a hindrance? (14:10) How do you strike a balance between constructive and unconstructive tension? (15:09) As a CEO, what have you learnt about Chair transitions? (18:55) What are the most valuable things your board could have offered you as CEO? (21:20) How do you manage being a Chair and CEO at the same time? (25:43) Any tips for those looking to get roles on sport boards? (29:31) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:01)
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Mary Ann Sieghart is SID at Pantheon International plc, Remco Chair at Guardian Media Group and best-selling author of The Authority Gap. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What is the authority gap? (0:56) What would you say to those who challenge the idea women are taken less seriously than men? (2:15) Why should men close the authority gap, apart from it being the right thing to do? (8:16) Why has the authority gap developed in the first place? (11:12) Why aren’t more organisations making the most of the arbitrage opportunity of female talent? (15:52) Why hasn’t the market corrected the authority gap? (17:38) How does the authority gap manifest on boards? (20:26) What can board members do to counteract their bias? (22:27) How can boards assess their inclusivity? (25:09) Have you come across organisations that have closed the authority gap successfully? (27:55) What can men do to promote female voices in the boardroom? (30:45) Do men and women add different value to boards? (33:22) What have been the highlights and lowlights of the board dynamics you’ve experienced? (38:22) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:09)
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Cedi Frederick is Chair of NHS Kent & Medway and the Centre for Healthy & Empowered Communities, and NED at Sage Homes and Impact Healthcare REIT plc. Tune in to hear his answers to: What does work on a housing association board involve? (0:47) Practically, how does the Sage Homes board add value? (4:50) What risks do you worry about most on Housing Association boards? (9:38) What are the rewards of being on a Housing Association board? (12:46) What are your key areas of focus on NHS Trust boards? (15:10) Does the government need to spend more on healthcare? (19:01) What advice do you have for people with commercial backgrounds who want to join NHS Trust boards? (22:55) Have you ever felt discrimination in the boardroom? (26:27) Where have you seen the most positive impact of diversity? (28:28) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(31:19)
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Dr Isabel Fernandez-Mateo is a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School, where she holds the Adecco Chair. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What have you learned about rejections that those involved in board hiring should be aware of? (0:53) Have you noticed any demographic differences? (3:11) What are the practical implications for organisations hiring board members? (4:02) How can applicants get the most out of rejections? (5:09) Does an organisation's rejection process impact its performance? (7:17) What are the most common barriers to gender diversity? (9:16) What can board members do to remove them? (12:05) What data do boards need to diagnose and address the problem? (14:47) How do organisations know what their demographic targets should be? (15:53) How should boards define someone’s qualifications for a role? (18:38) Why should board members be more aware of their organisation’s internal professional relationships? (20:15) How can board members monitor these relationships? (22:00) What would you say to those who feel that relationships should be measured by gut, rather than analytics and data? (24:12) What are the ways in which relationships are influencing career outcomes which would be most surprising for our listeners? (25:33) How can people identify which relationships to invest in? (27:34) What is people analytics, and where do people get it wrong? (29:24) Do you have any examples of best practice? (34:17) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(36:09)
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Dan Gardner is the international best-selling author of Superforecasting, How Big Things Get Done, Risk and Future Babble. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are the key things boards need to get things done on time, within budget? (1:06) Can you explain how board members can “build with lego”? (4:25) What would you say to boards that don’t have climate risk at the top of their agenda? (7:16) How does our emotional response impact our assessment of risk? (10:44) When should board members use their gut, and when, their intuition? (18:01) Does gender impact risk perception, and what are the boardroom implications? (20:39) How do the availability, anchoring and representative heuristics impact our decision making? (25:17) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:26)
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Dan Gardner is the international best-selling author of Superforecasting, How Big Things Get Done, Risk and Future Babble. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are the key insights from Superforecasting for board members? (1:15) Can you expand on the idea of probabilistic thinking? (10:00) Practically, how can board members apply concepts like epistemic humility and base rates to their decision making? (12:56) Can board members be victims of their own success? (14:43) Do people account sufficiently for luck in previous successes? (17:04) How can boards make sure members get sufficient feedback on their decisions? (20:53) How can boards assess a prospective member’s judgement? (23:55) Why do smart people consistently underestimate the costs of projects, especially fat tail risks? (25:01) How can board members use base rates for IT and building projects to challenge and support? (31:52) Have you established any base rates for budgeting? (37:51)
ListenSir Nigel Rudd is former/Chair of Pendragon plc, Pilkington, Invensys plc, Heathrow Airport, Business Growth Fund, Signature Aviation plc and Meggitt plc. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Are listed boards entrepreneurial enough? (1:15) Why has private equity superseded conglomerates? (3:08) Should board members have skin in the game? (5:40) How do you approach negotiations? (8:51) How do you think about risk? (12:50) How do you assess business propositions? (15:26) How do you think about strategic acquisitions? (17:26) What should board members do if the board isn’t listening to them? (21:14) What have you learnt about Chair succession? (23:19) About CEO succession? (25:41) And about the Chair-CEO relationship? (28:49) How do you develop a strategy? (29:49) Do Chairs need sector knowledge? (31:23) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:26)
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Lucy Walker is Chair at Aurora Investment Trust plc, SID at Henderson International Income Trust plc, Audit & Risk Committee Member at SportsAid and Founder at AM Insights. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why did you build a non-exec portfolio so early in your career? (0:34) How have different kinds of pro bono roles helped you in your non-exec career? (3:51) How did you transition from pro bono to paid roles? (6:38) What have been the biggest challenges for you as a relatively young non-exec? (8:54) How can investment trusts reach younger retail investors? (10:54) Should investment trusts be going direct to consumers? (13:12) How are you thinking about the cost of shareholder acquisition? (14:46) What value do the boards add at Aurora and Henderson? (16:05) What process do you use to develop strategy? (19:24) Is there ever tension between what shareholders want and what will produce the best returns? (25:38) How would you assess a potential merger? (29:27) Any tips for others wanting to transition from NED to Chair? (31:14) As a Chair, what are you looking for in prospective board members? (33:46) Can you walk me through a board skills matrix you’ve done recently? (35:26) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:17)
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Suranga Chandratillake OBE is General Partner at Balderton Capital, where he sits on nine portfolio company boards, Advisory Board Member at Cambridge University Endowment Fund and Founder of Blink, which he took public and achieved a market cap of $1bn. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What role did the board play in your highs and lows as a Founder? (0:41) Where did the board add most value for you? (1:56) What were the biggest highs with the board? (3:44) What were the biggest lows? (6:40) What advice do you have for Founders / CEOs, pre-exit? (8:35) What makes a good and bad investor director? (10:37) How can CEOs deal with bad investor directors? (13:32) When should investor-directors swap out? (17:58) What have you learnt about investor-directors through tough recent times? (20:14) What lessons can we learn to make sure investor-directors don’t flip into panic mode? (22:59) How can boards help CEOs make tough decisions? (26:46) When should business first have boards? (29:39) What’s your playbook for selecting Chairs? (31:06) And⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:42)
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Rebecca Robins is Founder & CEO of a consultancy at the intersection of brand, culture and leadership, lecturer at Cambridge University, advisor at Chartered Management Institute and Quilt.AI, and former NomCom Chair at EY Foundation. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Can you summarise what you see as the five generations opportunity? (0:57) What can we do to foster more intergenerational collaboration? (3:13) What role do respect and humility play? (6:49) Practically, how can boards get the benefit of younger perspectives? (11:30) Why did you start the next gen board at Interbrand? (17:10) What were the challenges? (22:04) What lessons can we learn from next gen boards at the FT and Pentland Group? (27:25) Where do next gen boards go wrong? (33:34) How would you advocate for the opportunities of next gen boards? (36:20) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:45)
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Evan Epstein is host of the Boardroom Governance podcast, #1 governance podcast in the US, executive director at the Centre for Business Law, adjunct professor at University of California Law and founder and managing partner at Pacifica Global. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are your top five insights from your podcast guests? (0:54) What level of involvement do board members need to be non-amateurs? (3:52) What is the value of independent board members? (5:27) Can you talk about Tyler Shultz’s insight “fraud is not a trade secret”? (10:05) What lessons can board members take from Theranos? (15:59) How would you sell governance to a sceptical CEO? (18:49) What went wrong at Open AI? (21:51) What could the Open AI board have done differently? (28:01) What patterns do you see in silicon valley governance explosions? (30:43) What options do boards have with high-risk, high-return Founders? (33:02) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:06)
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Priya Guha is a venture partner at Merian Ventures, NED at Herald Investment Trust, Digital Catapult, and Reach plc, and Chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the UK amongst many others! Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why have you built your portfolio career? (2:34) What were the biggest challenges of moving into a non-exec career? (5:29) What role have expertise spikes played in your applications? (6:49) What are the key challenges you’ve faced on listed boards, and what have you learned? (8:03) What value does your investment trust board add to the manager? (10:06) As a tech expert, how are you thinking about AI and LLMs on your boards? (11:32) What should non tech-experts be reading to get up to speed? (14:03) Can you compare your government and listed roles? (15:01) Why do you do government roles? (16:49) How do startup boards compare with government and listed? (17:52) How can boards do more to support female founders? (19:56) How do your advisory roles compare to your fiduciary ones? (25:04) Why do you do non-profit roles? (26:35) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(29:19)
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Jim Strang is Chair at HgCapital Trust, Adjunct Professor at London Business School, Senior Advisor at Bain & Company, Verdane and CVC Capital Partners, and NED at Pictet Alternative Advisors and BGF Group. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: How does the HgCapital Trust board add value? (2:18) Where do your interests/risk appetites potentially diverge from HgCapital’s? (3:35) What are the different products you’re considering, and how do you assess their potential value? (4:48) How do you review strategy and performance? (6:20) How do you think about how you will win? (8:30) When would you consider changing your investment manager? (12:27) How do you think about risk? (14:13) In the face of growing geopolitical risk, what options do boards have? (17:58) How can boards react to the risk concentration in cloud computing? (19:15) Where can investment trust boards add value in terms of accounting policies? (22:15) As a Chair, how concerned are you with valuations of portfolio companies? (24:01) What are the things to look at for, which you’ve got wrong in the past? (26:55) How do you get comfortable with revenue recognition policies? (28:11) How do you think about board composition and succession planning? (29:42) How are you thinking about discount to NAV? (33:28) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(34:55)
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Dr Smart is Chair and Founder of ghSMART, a global leadership advisory, which has published three bestselling books: Who? A Method for Hiring, The CEO Next Door, and PowerScore. Tune in to hear his answers to: Where do boards go wrong with hiring? (0:57) Why do boards continue to over-rely on gut feelings and referrals? (2:36) How can boards embrace diverse candidates, without relying on hypothetical questions at interviews? (5:10) What’s best practice for drafting role scorecard briefs? (8:44) Why don’t organisations search more thoroughly when they hire board members? (13:11) Can you talk through the four interviews that constitute your selection process? (19:21) Can you outline the “Who” and “Focus” interviews? (24:19) What do you think of cognitive ability and psychometric testing? (33:43) What do you think of job specific testing? (37:52) Why doesn’t the disclaimer “past performance is no guarantee of future results” apply to individuals? (39:12) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:40)
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Paul Pester is Chair at Tandem Bank, NED at National Bank of Bahrain and former CEO of Virgin Money and TSB Banking Group. Tune in to hear Paul’s thoughts on: Where did the Virgin Money board add most value to you as CEO? (2:07)Can you talk about the rotating Chair concept? (3:44) Where could the board have added more value to you? (4:52) How did the Santander board help during the banking crisis? (7:56) How much detail should board members get into? (11:03) Why do things go wrong, in spite of experienced boards? (15:03) What keeps you awake at night as a board member? (17:17) How can boards impact company culture? (20:23) Are there quantitative frameworks boards can use to work on culture? (26:14) Do you have data that demonstrates how brand impacts revenue? (27:41) How did you start your board career? (31:23) How do you understand the role of the board? (33:10)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:45)
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Shuo Chen is an investor, board member and faculty member at IOVC, Stanford, UC Berkeley, EY, California Mental Health Commission, Google Female Founders, Reed Smith, Forbes China and Decode amongst others. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have you built your plural career? (2:36) How should board members be thinking about the future of work? (7:34) What are the practical implications of fractional work for board members? (10:13) How can boards tread the line between diversification and di-worsification? (13:02) How should boards be thinking about AI now? (16:57) How should boards think about innovation/value capture versus focus? (28:20) What’s your experience of boards as an entrepreneur? (34:28) Where have you seen start-up boards add and destroy most value? (37:03)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(40:43)
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Dominic Joseph co-founded Captify, the world’s second largest independent holder of search data, after Google. Now a plural NED and Chair of tech scale-ups, Dominic is also founding partner at Creative Capital Ventures Group, a growth consultancy for post Series-A companies. Tune in to his discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: When and why did you first have a board at Captify? (2:15) How did you set your first board up? (4:00) What kind of value did board members bring individually versus as a group? (4:41) What was the balance between presentation and discussion in your interactions with the board? (6:26) Where did the board add most value to you as CEO? (7:22) What do you think about annual budget setting and tracking versus a more agile approach? (12:07) What touch points did you have with board members between formal meetings? (14:53) Which board members did you rely on for what? (16:09) What value did you get from being challenged in the boardroom? (19:49) What advice would you give to founders thinking about board composition? (21:35) Did you have a former CEO on your board? (23:45) Did you work with coaches? (25:58) What tools can board members use to help founders in growth journeys? (27:56) How can founders get the most from investor-directors? (30:14) How can investor-directors add most value to founders? (32:45)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(34:30)
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Anne de Kerkhove is Chair of Eagle Eye Solutions, and SID & Committee Chair at 888 Holdings and Blackbird plc. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have your exec successes as SAAS scale-ups informed your non-exec work? (2:23) What are the key metrics boards need to focus on? (3:54) How much detail should boards ask for? (5:44) What do boards need to focus on for acquisitions? (6:49) Why do people underestimate how long mergers take? (8:33) What do you wish you’d known when you started international expansion? (9:20) What are the common mistakes organisations make with data? (11:18) Do you want to see first-hand data? (12:58) What are your key lessons from nomination committees? (14:22) Who owns the nominations process? (16:58) What have you learnt about asking board members to step down? (19:44) What’s best practice for job specs for board positions? (24:27) What training do you do for your boards? (27:04) Where have you added the most value as a SID? (28:35) How do you approach an underperforming Chair? (31:58) What advice do you have for those at the start of their board careers? (34:03) How can you differentiate yourself as a board candidate? (36:33) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:13)
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Lord Charles Allen, Baron Allen of Kensington, CBE, is Chair of Moelis & Co, Balfour Beatty Plc, Global Media & Entertainment Group, and The Invictus Games. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: As a CEO and NED, what have you learnt from your Chairs which you now replicate as a Chair? (2:26) What are the bad Chair examples you’ve learnt from? (5:39) What have been your most challenging experiences hiring and firing the CEO? (8:04) How do you evaluate incumbent CEOs? (10:07) What role do your NEDs play in the CEO evaluation? (12:10) What are the most effective ways of developing under-performing CEOs? (13:31) Have you ever considered stepping into the Exec Chair role? (17:29) As a Chair, are you still too slow to fire people? (20:19) What have you learned about assessing prospective CEOs? (21:28) What have been your biggest mistakes with CEO succession? (22:36) How do you do due diligence for prospective Chair roles? (24:32) How does your due diligence differ if your prospective Chief Exec is a charismatic Founder-CEO? (26:38) Is there a right time to become a Chair? (27:40)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(28:37) And audience Q&A: first-time NEDs, challenging dynamics, different styles, ESG, regrets, skin in the game & compensation (34:08)
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John Maltby is Chair of Allica Bank, Max Nicholas Renewables, and The West Brom Building Society and NED at Nordea. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his responses to: Can you talk through your transition from CEO to Chair? (2:07) What bad Chair experiences did you learn from? (4:47) What did you do to prepare for the role? (8:54) Do Chairs need prior experience in their firm’s sector? (11:13) Why should firms not go for Chairs who have done exactly what they’re looking for before? (14:11) What are the essential things organisations need to look for when hiring Chairs? (16:21) How can you stand out as a Chair candidate? (18:54) Do you have a framework for assessing Chairs? (21:21) How do you think about board tenure? (25:10) How do you think about risk? (28:50) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:48)
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Dawn Marriott - Chairing high-growth companies: getting the best from CEOs, investor-directors and NEDs . Dawn Marriott is a partner at HG, a private equity firm, where she Chairs two portfolio companies. A serial PE Chair, Dawn is also a board member at Geomatikk and Aztecs, where she was formerly CEO. Tune in to Dawn’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: What’s the role of a Scale-Up Board? (2:21) As a Chair, do you have a particular methodology to draw value out of board members? (4:23) Practically, how do you assess the contributions of each board member? (6:20) How do you think about new board members versus external consultants when you need specific functional expertise? (9:38) What is the different value of independent and investor directors? (12:28) How do you think about chairing versus executive chairing? (19:16) Do you have a framework for thinking about where and how you amplify CEO performance to best effect? (21:53) How do you figure out where you can add most value to CEOs need? (24:49) How do you assess both prospective and incumbent CEOs? (26:39) Have you spotted any patterns in CEOs who don’t make the cut? (29:50) How do you think about board composition and archetypes? (34:15) Do you consider the balance of personality types on your boards? (37:19) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(39:21)
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Alex Denny is Committee Chair at the Association of Investment Companies and Trustee at the Nautical Archeology Society. He is a former Managing Director at Pantheon Ventures and Head of Investment Trusts at Fidelity International. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: Can you give us an overview of the investment trust sector and its appeal for board members? (2:06) What are the hallmarks of the best and worst investment trust boards you’ve seen? (5:32) How many board members are brave enough to split with eponymous fund managers? (7:56) How can investment trust boards hold their managers to account? (11:09) What do you see the best investment trust boards doing around strategy? (19:08) How are the best boards addressing discounts? (26:41) How have you built your plural career in investment trusts? (30:25) How have your non-exec roles influenced your executive career? (33:56) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:05)
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Baroness Morrissey is former/Chair of Altum Group, Fidelis Insurance Group, Investment Industry Diversity Project, AJ Bell and The Investment Association. In this conversation with Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, she answers: Did you see the fee issues at St James’s Place coming? (1:42) How can board members challenge the status quo successfully? (5:52) How do you decide when to stand down and when to dig in? (12:00) What do you know now which you wish you’d known at the beginning of your non-exec career? (13:36) As a board member, how do you build honest and trusting relationships with colleagues? (15:28) What are your most effective board rituals as a Chair? (18:07) How do you formulate strategy with management? (25:19) How can Chairs be more inclusive? (29:25) What is the board’s role in supporting working parents? (31:04) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(39:54)
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Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School, Member of the Sustainability Council of Novo Nordsik, and author of Many Contain Lies. In this conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings, Alex covers: Do diverse boards lead to better corporate culture and performance? (1:44) Where have diversity-performance studies gone wrong? (3:37) Does inclusion have an impact on performance? (6:05) Why don’t you think anyone has managed to prove the positive impact of diversity on company performance? (7:01) Does good corporate governance improve performance? (10:11) Do boards work? (12:01) Do financial incentives work? (13:36) Which truths do boards need to be more aware of? (15:43) What is the relevance of confirmation bias and binary thinking to decision-making? (17:37) Why did you focus on these two biases, over any others? (20:00) Can you talk through the “ladder of misinference”? (23:39) Have you ever been challenged that experience trumps evidence? (28:29) What role do you see for experience and intuition on boards? (29:55) What are the most important insights board members can take from May Contain Lies? (31:01) What have you learned about challenging in the boardroom? (34:22) What’s been your emotional experience of challenge? (37:22) And⚡The Lightning Round (39:02) ⚡
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Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE is a former Mi6 Chief, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Advisory Board member at American International Group, and Chair at Ascot Underwriting, to name a few. In this conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings, Sir Richard covers: How do you make sure you are receiving accurate information from execs? (1:41) What lessons did you learn from the implosion of AIG? (4:16) What are the most valuable lessons you can offer someone on a government board, based on your experience working with politicians? (7:40) How can board members manage the court of public opinion? (11:30) How can we make more room for risk-taking and mistakes? (13:17) How have your best board members offered you support? (15:58) What have you learned about getting your point across in the boardroom? (17:36) How do you balance expertise with common sense? (19:10) How do you assess risk, especially geopolitical? (24:36) What do boards need to be thinking about when it comes to China and Russia? (29:20) What lessons have you learned about crisis management? (33:40) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (35:46)
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Stuart Roden is Chair / former Chair of Lansdowne Partners, Hetz Ventures, Lewis Advisors, Tresidor, the Design Museum and Unlocking Potential, NED at LSE and Trustee at the National Gallery and Centre for Social Justice. In this conversation with Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, Stuart covers: When you were an investor, did the quality of the board come into your investment evaluation? (1:34) Do boards justify their costs? (4:48) Do you think the board is more about governance than value creation? (8:15) Where and why have you made mistakes, hiring the CEO? (12:38) How do you build the best relationship with your CEO? (19:39) Practically, as a Chair, how do you make sure you are discussing what you need to with your CEO? (24:01) How do investors add value as board members? (25:47) How do you think about capital allocation and return on resources in the boardroom? (28:53) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:04)
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Baroness Dambisa Moyo is a current board member of Chevron and Conde Nast, investment committee member of the Oxford University Endowment, and co-principal of Versaca Investments. Join her and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a conversation which covers: Which of your boardroom experiences have been the most challenging? (1:44) How do the best boards deal with uncertainty and risk? (4:31): How do you think about the Risk Committee? (12:43) What do you know now which you wish you’d known when you first entered the boardroom? (14:32) How aligned are board members on the role of the board? (16:28) What have you learnt about adding value across strategy, CEO succession and culture, which might not be intuitive to an experienced executive? (20:02) How can people from non-conventional backgrounds best position themselves for board roles? (22:06) Should boards have strategy and audit sub-committees? (24:57) What is your dual-tracked approach to strategy? (29:35) You once had four CEOs in six years - what did you learn? (34:13) What is the remit of ethics committees? (36:48) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (40:43)
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Roger Martin, ranked the world's #1 management thinker, considers the following in the second part of his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings: What is the board’s role in developing strategy? (2:13) What is the board’s role in communicating strategy across an organisation? (7:37) Do you think every organisation has the potential to build a winning strategy, or are some lost causes? (11:20) How can boards hire the best people? (21:49) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(23:01)
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Roger Martin, ranked the world's #1 management thinker, has advised the boards of Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, BHP, Verizon and more. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Do you see value in boards? (2:06) Where do you see value in NFP and private, investor-backed boards? (5:13) Can boards perform their monitoring function effectively? (10:05) Why do you think boards struggle to perform their stewardship role? (11:26) How do the best boards think about strategy? (17:33) How can boards determine whether their strategy will win? (18:53) Are there a finite number of ways organisations can win? (23:17), and what is the board’s role in developing strategy? (26:02)
ListenIn recent years, Cathy has built a broad plural career at listed companies, with current NED positions at Lloyds Banking Group plc, Rentokil plc and Spectris plc. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her thoughts on: How did you get your first NED position? (1:50) How did you turn that first position into a plural career? (7:55) To what extent has your performance in current positions created more non-exec opportunities in the future? (11:28) What have been the most challenging moments in building your non-exec career? (14:55) Where do you go for support as a board member? (19:18) Did you consciously develop a board expertise spike in remuneration? (21:30) What are the different archetypes people can lean into to develop their board careers? (24:51) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(28:55) and (Audience question) How do you pitch yourself as a first-timer versus someone who had a portfolio of non-executive roles? (32:52)
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Dr Dembkowski has led board reviews for firms across the FTSE 100 and DAX amongst others, and her academic work on the subject is internationally recognised and peer-reviewed. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her thoughts on: Why do a board review? (1:38) Are private companies less inclined to board review, and if so, why? (4:29) What do you say to those who think board reviews are ineffective and overpriced? (6:29) Where do boards most commonly go wrong with reviews? (8:39) What is the most important data to capture in board reviews? (12:58) Given the impossibility of an A|B test, how do we know what “effective” looks like? (14:27) What are the key factors that go to your definition of board effectiveness (18:39) What characteristics do the worst boards have in common? (25:47) Should we review individuals or the board as a whole? (27:21) What can boards do to better implement feedback? (28:56) Should board reviews look at the board’s ability to undertake specific tasks like hiring and firing the CEO? (31:05) How valuable do you think observers are for making boards more effective? (33:35) What aspects of board reviews are you sceptical about? (36:03) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:26)
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On top of his Cabinet Office role, Anand is a NED at Saga plc, Polar Capital Holdings plc and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: Was being a portfolio NED always the plan? (1:03) What advice do you have for people in the early stages of their board careers? (1:57) Pre-interview, how did you make yourself stand out as a candidate? (4:00) What role did your entrepreneurial background play in your applications? (6:03) Are the same things that helped you stand out, the ones that help you add value to your boards? (7:31) What executive experiences have been most valuable as a non-exec? (8:37) What was the biggest surprise when you started as a board member? (11:04) What was your thinking around taking on pro bono roles? (11:48) How do government and charity boards compare? (16:46) What is the Cabinet Office board and what does it do? (19:46) How is your role as Lead Non-Exec different from non-exec? (26:03) How do your listed company boards compare to government and charity? (31:31) What have you learned about managing time across your portfolio? (33:59) Are there any rituals common to the highest performing boards you’ve seen? (34:54) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (39:06)
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Andrew is Chair of a series of investor-backed businesses, including Ainscough Crane Hire, Winoa Group, Joloda, Detertech, ETL Systems, Hydraroll and Senior Advisor at Blackstone Credit. Tune in to his discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: What inspired you to move from CEO to Chair, and how did you prepare for it? (1:43) How have you identified and got the most from mentors? (4:23) What prompted you to do a self-assessment as a Chair? (11:31) What lessons have you applied from the self-assessment? (16:52) How do you navigate complex stakeholder dynamics as a Chair? (18:58) What have you learned about managing private equity investors? (26:13) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(31:38)
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As CEO of Board Intelligence, Jennifer has seen what works and what doesn’t across thousands of boards - insights crystallised in her recent book Collective Intelligence. Listen to Jen’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Do boards still matter? (0:46) How can we determine which decisions need to be made by the board? (2:16) How can boards measure their organisation’s collective intelligence? (5:33) What does critical thinking look like in board papers? (7:27) How can board members encourage execs to do more critical thinking? (8:58) Have you noticed any recurring rituals across the highest-performing boards you see? (16:17) How can boards identify the most important questions they need answered? (18:13) How do the best boards balance thinking in and outside of the boardroom? (19:49) What are the respective roles of execs and non-execs in developing strategy? (22:17) How do you see the ideal Chair-CEO-NED dynamic? (27:42) What are the most common mistakes boards make with communication? (29:00) Does communication really matter? (31:13) What should board members take from your final chapter, “when it all goes wrong?” (34:08) How can boards inoculate themselves against belief perseverance? (35:58) Do you feel like you’ve got it right with your own board? (37:23) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(39:00)
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Sir Nicholas is Chair / former Chair of Historic Royal Palaces, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Fashion Council, Professional Publishers Association, Condé Nast Britain and Provost-Designate at Eton College. Tune in to hear his answers to: As a Chair, where have you been most and least effective leading through difficult times? (1:25); How did you know you could handle rapid expansion at Conde Nast? (8:14); When you were Chair of Conde Nast International, how did the board think about cost-cutting? (16:33); What do you think about voluntary redundancy, and how do you balance the welfare of those staying with that of those going? (23:50); What is your approach to fundraising? (27:49); To what extent do boards have an obligation to hold their organisations to account for their history? (33:58) and⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:34)
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Wais is CEO / former CEO of PrivateDoc and Push Doctor, and NED & Committee Chair at Snappy Shopper, Reach Plc and The Gym Group. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: How did the Push Doctor board add most value to you as CEO? (1:24) Did you ever get frustrated by board members from big business not understanding the realities of early-stage organisations? (3:58) How did you keep your board engaged? (7:13) How did the board add value beyond their contributions to revenue? (9:54) How have the best boards supported you through challenging times as a CEO? (13:23) How did you think about changing your advisory board members? (21:20) How did you think about the advisory board’s ROI? (22:25) How did the advisory board fit alongside the main board? (25:07) What have you learnt about adversity, as a CEO and non-exec, which others might benefit from? (26:13) How do you think about time management as a CEO and non-exec? (30:21) Why do you sit on listed boards? (34:11), and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(36:51)
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As CEO of the Chartered Management Institute for over a decade, Ann Francke has spent some time thinking about what good management looks like and how organisations achieve it. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: How can we know that investing in leadership causes high-performance, rather than there just being correlation? (1:31) If investment into management training produces better outcomes, why are market forces not dictating more investment? (5:22) As a board member, how do you handle a visionary CEO who’s a bad manager? (9:13) If you were on the board of a highly-successful organisation and you heard a horror story about the CEO, what would you do? (11:29) How do you decide when to speak up and when to hold your tongue about what you feel is right? (16:22) How can board members evaluate their organisation’s management? (22:55) How do you balance intuition and data-led questioning? (27:52) How do you think about balancing technical and managerial competence? (29:13) What can board members do, practically, to help their organisation improve its management? (32:56) What other mistakes do boards make, which have the most negative impact on management? (36:27) How do you overcome groupthink in the boardroom? (39:22) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:09)
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How can boards help businesses keep hold of the value they create? In “7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy”, Hamilton identifies seven powers organisations can develop to protect themselves from competition. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover how you can use them as a board member. Hear Hamilton’s answers to: Why are your insights in 7 Powers relevant to board members? (1:58) How do the best boards define strategy? (5:20) How can they use the 7 Powers to inform their strategic input? (13:01) How can boards understand their competitors’ power? (16:51) How can boards assess the power of their brand?(19:49) How do you determine whether your power is subject to diminishing returns? (30:00) How can incumbents use the 7 Powers to respond to new competition? (34:44) Why do organisations struggle to marry strategy and execution?(38:09) How much time do the best boards spend on strategy? (43:30)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(46:53)
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Sarah is Chair of Bionic, Yeo Valley, Riverford Organic Farmers and Sawdays and Senior Advisor at OMERS Private Equity. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Why did you take on your first board roles whilst you were still a busy non-exec? (1:33) What do you know now which you wish you’d learnt then? (4:17) What was the biggest surprise of the boardroom? (7:09) In what ways did your exec and non-exec roles inform each other? (9:09) Did you consciously decide to leave your exec career and go portfolio? (10:53) How did you think about transitioning from pro bono to paid roles? (12:31) What were the most challenging aspects of the transition? (16:30) Did you have a breakthrough moment or was it just persistence? (19:12) How do your boards compare across different ownership structures? (20:43) What characteristics would you take from each structure to create the dream board? (25:57) What have you learnt about chairing which you wish you’d known before? (27:49) How would you design a perfect Chair role? (30:55) What have been the good and bad interview questions as a prospective Chair? (32:31) How do investor-backed Chairs ensure they are even-handed with CEOs? (35:01) How do you ensure your values shape your portfolio? (37:46) As a Chair, what do you look for in NEDs? (41:00) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(43:12)
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Martin sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to consider: How did the board add value during Aberdeen’s organic growth? (1:45) How did the board help through acquisitions? (3:45) How have you learnt from your mistakes? (7:35) How did you balance instinct with analysis? (8:54) How does the board’s role at Revolut compare to Aberdeen? (12:19) Has the world become less forgiving, and what can boards do to help? (17:30) Why do you take on roles at listed companies? (19:26) What value can CEO-NEDs add to boards (and vice versa)? (22:10) How do you identify high-risk / high-value employees? (24:49) What value have “future” sub-committees added? (26:18) How should boards manage their high-risk / high-value employees? (28:42) How can investment trust boards help their executive decision-makers? (33:15) What are the traits of the best investment trust board members? (35:44) Do investment trusts need cult fund managers? (39:43) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(43:49)
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Professor Kakabadse, one of Harvard Business Review’s most influential management gurus, has spent a lifetime working with boards, publishing 45 books and 250 scholarly articles on the subject. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: How do you define and measure the board’s role and effectiveness? (0:57) Can you unpack the meaning of “board stewardship”, with examples? (5:07) How can boards build requisite psychological resilience? (11:35) How can Chairs manage domineering board members? (16:14) What can board members do where they feel impeded by governance?(19:23) Where can boards deliver the most value today? (24:25) Which forms of diversity do boards need to add more value? (29:42) What can UK boards learn from other systems? (41:10) Should Chairs play a more dominant role for boards to be more effective? (43:09) What are the respective roles of CEO and Chair? (46:21) How do Non-Execs slot into a close Chair-CEO relationship? (48:51) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(53:05)
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Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia has worked with boards from most angles, across every business stage. Tune in to her discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings as she reflects on her journeys with Snoop and Virgin Money, and hear her answers to: How have you thought about fundraising for Snoop? (1:29) When and why did you first create a board? (6:01) How did your investor directors add value? (7:59) Were the boards more than just rubber ducks? (10:35) How have the best boards and Chairs provided you with support? (13:06) How do you think about getting the best out of your Chairs as a CEO or Founder? (18:23) Who sets strategy - the Board or CEO? (22:53) Are there downsides to customer-driven strategy? (26:03) Practically, how have you engaged with your boards over strategy? (27:47) What was your experience of chairing the company you founded? (31:44) How do you think about board composition at different business stages? (34:55) How did you think about board size at different business stages? (37:57) What mix of execs and non-execs has worked best for you? (40:17) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(43:13)
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After fifteen years as an investment banker, Matt joined the board of Prostate Cancer Research. Two years later, he was Chair - a job he now does full time. What made him make the leap? Tune in to Matt’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: What advice would you have for someone considering becoming a Chair? (1:36) How did you prepare for your Chair role? (3:36) Why did you want to become a charity Chair, given the risks? (6:29) How can you add the most value as a Chair? (8:36) What have you done to foster a culture where people feel comfortable innovating? (11:13) How have you thought about board composition / hiring? (12:01) What have you learnt about onboarding? (16:17) Does trustee engagement vary depending on how you recruited them? (18:08) What is your approach to fundraising? (21:45) How do you build a high-net-worth network? (26:10) What have been the biggest challenges of chairing a charity board? (27:14) Which areas did you need to improve the most when you started chairing? (28:59) To what extent do you choreograph meetings? (34:47) When do you encourage execs to come with recommendations versus points for discussion? (36:58) What due diligence do people need to do before accepting a charity Chair position? (38:59) How did you know you felt passionately enough about your charities? (42:26), and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(45:15)
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Do you aspire to Chair your board? Or better understand how your Chair thinks? Uber NED Roger Parry sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on his 20+ years chairing global organisations like YouGov and Future Publishing. Tune in to hear his answers to the following questions: How do you prepare to become a Chair? (1:24) What are the different Chair archetypes, and are some better than others? (3:54) Can you become a Chair without being a CEO or CFO? (8:04) What are the key things you learnt from your Chair mentors? (9:28) What is the Chair’s role, and how should it be distinct from the CEO? (11:48) How involved do you get with strategy, and how much time does it take? (15:05) When and where have you added most value as a Chair? (22:11) Where can Chairs add value, beyond managing shareholders? (26:06) When and where have you got it wrong as a Chair? (29:04) What else can you do to prepare to become a Chair? (36:43) How do you hire for genuine diversity of thought, and what is its value? (39:00) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(46:00)
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Boards exist to make decisions. But how often does your board make the best ones? Dr Shefaly Yogendra is a Chair, NED and Advisor with a PhD in decision-making . Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover her answers to the following questions: What framework do you use to promote good decision making on your boards? (1:25) What tactics do you use to make boards feel comfortable with discomfort? (7:39) Where has emotion enhanced decision-making on your boards? (14:25) How can board members uncover biases that impact decision-making? (17:54) How good are boards at retrospecting past decisions to inform future ones? (23:32) How do you manage conflicts of interest when it comes to decision-making? (28:50) What impact do term-limits, director investments and compensation have on decision-making? (35:34), and⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡ (42:39)
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Now on the boards of two Fortune 500 companies, Shellye Archambeau began building her board portfolio whilst she was a Silicon Valley CEO. Tune into Shellye’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Why did you take on your first board role whilst you were still a CEO? (0:40) How did you make the time to be both CEO and board member? (4:29) How much time did you allocate for your board role? (6:04) How did you develop your non-exec skillset? (8:13) How did you use the audit committee to develop your strategic value? (9:46) How did you gain credibility as a non-exec in a new sector? (11:50) What’s your approach to reading board papers? (13:57) What are the right questions to raise in board meetings (versus outside them)? (15:48) What role have pro bono roles played in building your portfolio? (18:11) How have you thought about the overall construction of your portfolio? (19:48) How did you turn one board role into a portfolio? (21:24) How do you strike a balance between questions and advice? (24:12) What does a good board member look like to you? (26:34) When have you experienced impostor syndrome the most severely? (28:15) What tactics do you have for overcoming impostor syndrome? (31:56) What can boards do to minimise potential impostor syndrome? (34:31) How do you know when to quit, when to stick, and when to swerve? (36:48), and ⚡The Lighting Round ⚡(40:11).
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The tech revolution and Covid have brought seismic changes to the way organisations engage and assess their employees. Traditional approaches don't cut the mustard. So what do board members need to do to keep on top of their most valuable resource in the digital era? Daniel Kasmir has managed people issues for over 30 years, as a Chair, Remco Chair, Trustee and executive at TalkTalk, YouView TV and others. Tune into his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover: what are the pros and cons of combining the Chief People and Procurement Officer roles? (1:19); how do you calculate return on investment when it comes to talent? (5:19); why aren’t boards more excited by people analytics? (10:03); how do you show employees you're acting on their data? (12:27); how regularly do you have employee development sessions? (14:49); how are you approaching hybrid working? (16:43); are CEOs wrong to think in-person work is more valuable? (19:28); what is the role of the Remco, and how does it differ across ownership structures? (23:29); when can non-execs add the most value to Remcos? (25:34), and The Lightning Round (27:54).
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What are the key ingredients of high-performing boards? As High Mistress of St Paul’s, Clarissa Farr worked with her board of governors over a period of marked success. Now a trustee, fellow and board consultant - at the Royal Ballet School, Winchester College and British Museum amongst others - Clarissa shares her key characteristics of high-performing boards. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover: what value did the board add for her as High Mistress at St Paul’s (1:43); what were the key characteristics that made the board so effective (5:13); how did she balance high-performance with wellbeing (7:58); do enough boards think about how this balance is struck in their organisation (12:08); where does she think the boards she's worked with could have done better (15:08); does ageism work against older board members as well as younger ones (17:33); how can smaller boards access fresh perspectives without compromising on experience (18:38); what’s the best way to do reverse mentoring (20:11); what tactics can Chairs use to get the most out of board members (23:03); what are the different ways board members and consultants can add value (27:18); where does the Chair-CEO relationship most commonly run into problems (31:50), and the lightning round (36:38).
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Over 90% of startups fail. How can boards help founders beat the odds? Having begun life as a founder, Marta Krupinska has continued to work with start-ups as an investor (Google Startups UK, Climate VC) and Chair (Youth Business International). Marta sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on how boards add most value to founders and how founders add value to boards. She answers the following questions: what can boards do to stop start-ups failing (1:28); where do founders most often go wrong with their boards (4:11); when have you seen investor-directors add the most (and least) value (7:35); do you have any hacks for founders or CEOs wanting to get more from their board members (12:57); how do you measure the value of your board members (15:37); what common problems have you seen people run into as boards scale (17:59); what is the value of independent directors (22:42); why do you sit on boards as a founder (26:24), and the lightning round (31:59).
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How can board members have difficult conversations about topics like diversity and inclusion? As a founder, coach, chair and NED, Rory Campbell has deep experience of this question in theory and practice. Join Rory and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion that covers: how we can have difficult conversations in the boardroom (1:33); examples of conversational best practice (4:48); the pros and cons of asynchronous conversations versus dialogues (7:58); whether we really communicate more effectively in person (12:33); the toughest challenges boards face with diversity (19:42); what makes Rory an expert on diversity (24:46); examples of D&I best practices (29:12); what board members need to do to ensure their leaders’ outlooks are evolving (33:31), and the lighting round (37:45).
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In 2019, Jane Routledge decided to leave her impressive executive career behind and take a new non-executive path. After initial set-backs, she now has three board positions. Jane sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on lessons learnt from the journey. Tune in to discover: why Jane decided to make the non-exec leap (1:28); the biggest surprises of the board world (3:22); how she knew she had what it took to be a NED (4:02); her strategy for getting board roles (5:37); how she differentiated herself as a candidate (7:36); how she dealt with rejection (10:36); how she prepared for interviews (12:42); the best and worst questions she was asked (16:21); the one thing she wished she knew before she started applications (18:33); the impact of pro bono work on her commercial board career (19:38); the advisory experience of MAT boards (22:30); her best and worst onboarding experiences (24:52); tactics for speeding up regulation-bogged discussions (28:30), and how to humanise boardrooms (31:38).
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Is there a playbook for startup board success? As Managing Partner at Superseed, Mads Jensen has sat on dozens of startup boards. He considers the following with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings: does the existence and/or composition of a board impact Mads’ investment decisions (0:44); what does the archetypal problem-solving board meeting look like (2:03); should start-ups hire board members to preempt problems or respond to them (4:17); is it sometimes better to hire inexperienced NEDs with more hunger to prove themselves (6:48); how do you measure board effectiveness (9:11); do you have any examples where boards have failed to add proper value (14:39); have you ever experienced boards where you felt you couldn’t help because of some dynamic (16:14); how do you build trust with executive leaders (18:34); should founders share personal problems with their board (20:02); beyond situational skills, what are you looking for in board members (21:21); what are the candidate red flags (25:20); what do you see as the main threats and opportunities of AI (27:29); how are you using AI on your boards (30:38), and what three key insights would you want listeners to take away from this (31:44)?
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As Founder and CEO of finnCap, an end-to-end financial services firm for high-growth companies, Sam Smith hit a roadblock at 17m annual revenues. But then a chance conversation sparked a mental gear change that broke the stasis. Tune in to discover how non-execs, mentors and business culture drove this extraordinary entrepreneurial success story forwards. Specifically: Where did Sam find support in the early stages of finnCap (1:11)? What behaviours did Sam need to change to unlock growth (8:31)? How can leaders carve out time to think about strategy (11:21)? How did Sam’s Chair help her in the growth journey (14:18)? What are the commercial benefits of inclusive cultures (18:49)? How can boards measure inclusivity (21:32)? Where do organisations most commonly go wrong with their culture (25:28)? How do you onboard in a way that allows board members to add value quickly (28:01)?
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Digital disruption shook the education industry to its core. As CEO of Pearson, a global education publisher, John Fallon was at the heart of this upheaval. John joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discuss the board's pivotal role during Pearson's transformation. Dive into discussions on how boards help: reshape established cultures (1:03), marry disruption with alignment (5:35), build trust with top executives (11:21), gauge team alignment (14:03), leverage data to manage change (17:01), ensure oversight without stifling leadership (20:09), craft robust go-to-market strategies (23:03), manage the repercussions of profit warnings (27:41), and navigate the risks associated with focus (30:03). Tune in for a masterclass in board leadership and change management.
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As former Lumos Nigeria CEO and current NED at Wolseley UK and Ibstock plc, Peju Adebajo has navigated the CEO-board dynamic from both sides of the fence. Peju started her first board role in 2021. So her reflections on finding one’s non-executive voice and how boards can be more inclusive are rooted in recent lived experience. Join Peju and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion which covers: how Chairs build trust with CEOs (1:02); what CEOs need from board members (9:02); how boards can become more inclusive (16:37), and what new board members can do to find their voice quickly (27:08).
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"Cyber is not a technical matter. It is a business matter. It is something that should be actively managed by the board. If you don’t ask the questions, you are going to miss something.” Join Dimitri Chichlo, non-executive Vice-Chairman and Chair of the Operations & Digital Committee at Ukreximbank (Ukraine’s third largest bank) in a discussion about cybersecurity. Drawing on his experiences in the War in Ukraine, Dimitri covers: where cyber disasters have taken businesses under (1:16); different cyber risks and their respective motivations (4:27); the most common points of cyber failure (10:47); key questions boards need to ask to understand their cyber resilience and risks (14:54); what non-technical boards can do to get up to speed re risks and resilience (18:43) ; how boards can counter risks (19:56); the importance of recovery over defence (24:18); the risks posed by board members themselves (28:16), and three things board members can do to help their organisations with cyber security today (31:17).
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As Founding CRO of Hubspot, Mark increased annualised revenue from $0-100 million through to IPO and grew his team from 1 to 450 employees. Join Mark and Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, as they discuss how board can use science-based thinking to make better decisions. Specifically: how Mark applies science-based growth lessons from Hubspot in his role as a board member (1:54); how to determine how fast your company can scale (6:52); how boards can break companies by mandating irresponsible growth (12:34); how board members can plan effectively (and why they don’t) (16:19); the pros and cons of remote and in-person board meetings (18:09); what boards need to understand about pricing (24:49), and how organisations can get the most advisory value from their boards (31:02).
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How do Chairs build and run high-impact Scale-up boards? Drawing on decades of experience creating and operating boards in the scale-up space, Frog Capital Founder Mike Reid discusses his 5 part framework for thinking about the role of the Chair. Join Mike and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion which covers how high-value boards: approach strategy; balance executive support and challenge; apportion time to different stakeholders; manage investor directors, and avoid boardroom dysfunction.
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How do education boards go about measuring success? And in one of the world's most complex and idiosyncratic education systems, how do you begin to know where to build a career? As Trustee of the Reach Academy Trust and Deputy Chief Executive at the Chartered College of Teaching, Jen Baxter offers wisdom from a lifetime on education boards. Join Jen and Nurole CEO Oli Cummings in a discussion which covers: how to measure success; MAT and Governor roles - the similarities and differences; hiring best practice - the best questions (and answers), and how to balance passion projects with family life.
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Forty percent of executives last less than 18 months at a company, at a cost of 10-30x the executive's salary. The price tag is higher when it comes to the most senior executive - the CEO. What can boards do about this? Transition coach Navid Nazemian offers answers in a discussion which covers: the top 3 reasons for C-suite transition failure; people, politics and culture - how boards need to help; why boards should focus on the last 90 days of incumbents; CEO onboarding best practice, and how boards can master their own transitions.
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What's needed to Chair a board in FTSE's high-growth market? With 15+ years' non-executive experience, latterly as Chair of AIM quoted TomCo Energy and Harland & Wolff, Malcolm offers a hard-earned perspective on what it takes to succeed at the helm of high-growth firms. Amongst other things, he considers: the particular qualities AIM boards look for in NEDs; evaluating risk, return and success; building strong relationships with CEOs; getting the most out of non-execs (and weeding out the egotists); managing investors, and how to become Chair of a high-growth company. Essential listening for current or aspiring NEDs operating in the AIM market.
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Most organisations face extreme pressure to create and pursue meaningful ESG strategies. But in a sea of acronyms, greenwashing and generalities, it can be hard to know where to begin. In this episode, Nina Spencer, CEO of Addidat, an ESG data and analytics company focused on the AIM market, offers an ESG booster shot for boards. Amongst other things, she considers: the meaning of ESG; where firms go wrong with strategy; how to assess the potential ROI of different schemes; quick wins; the redundancy of diversity without inclusion, and mental health and cybersecurity best practice. Essential listening for anyone interested in understanding, contextualising and benchmarking their organisation's ESG performance.
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Experienced AIM Chair, Jeremy Asher, discusses how small cap firms can practise good governance on a tight budget. Drawing on his wealth of experience of the AIM market, including his current experience as both CEO and Chair of Tower Resources, he considers: the art of transparency; the pros and cons of narcissistic CEOs; how to manage underperforming chairs; the role of equity in compensation, the challenges and opportunities of the combined role of CEO and Chair, and much more. Essential listening for current or aspiring non-execs at AIM or small cap firms, and anyone that enjoys a choice turn of phrase.
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Through the compelling entrepreneurial success story of Genius Foods, Lucinda brings to life: (i) the relationship between investment, authority and decision-making; (ii) how boards help Founders and CEOs say “No”; (iii) the importance of board rotation; (iv) the different value boards can add at different business stages, and (v) the communal, unsexy and mission-critical nature of chairing. Lucinda is a Founder, Chair, Advisor and NED with deep scale-up experience and expertise. She founded Genius Foods, and she is currently Chair at Scotland Food & Drink, Mentor at Creative Destruction Lab Oxford, Advisor at the Royal Society, NED at the ScaleUp Institute, and Advisor at the University of Edinburgh.
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Gillian is a Chair and NED in technology, digital transformation, SaaS, retail and consumer brands, based in London, Switzerland, Europe and California. She chairs Zoo Digital plc, Xpediator plc, Synalogik and JISP. Gillian joins Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, to discuss: Creating a culture for success as a Chair, Time Management as a Chair, the challenges of listed boards and managing board perception amongst executives.
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Nicolina is a highly accomplished commercial solicitor who has spent much of her executive career offering her legal expertise to boards and business leaders. Her past positions saw her working at leading firms like Beale & Company as well as major corporations like Atlas Copco, where she continues to work as a Senior Corporate Counsel. These experiences left her well-prepared for an equally impressive NED career in which she serves on boards in the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors, including as a member of the Advisory Board for LexisNexis’s Halsbury’s Laws of England publication. Nicolina was recognised in the Cranfield 100 Women to Watch 2020 list.
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Julius Weinberg has spent the most recent decade on the boards of Ofqual, Ofsted, Kingston University, City University, Latymer Upper School, Ormiston Academies Trust, and Buckinghamshire Culture and the Secular Society to name a few. As a former vice-chancellor, Julius has a wealth of knowledge and experience in leadership. He has led significant change management programmes which have often addressed issues such as academic promotion and progression. Julius has also been instrumental in managing the attainment gap of individuals from diverse backgrounds, establishing major building programmes and delivering financial stability.
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As CEO of ACEVO, the growing network of civil society leaders that works to develop skills and connections within the charity sector, Trustee at the social investment trust ACCESS and the Chair of Trustees at Reach Volunteering, Jane's contributions to the charity sector have distinguished her as a devotee to social change. Join Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, as Jane shares how her opinion of the way to lead Trustee Boards and the CEO-Chair dynamic has changed.
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When building a board, governance often takes a backseat to areas that may seem more pressing. The further your company progresses, however, the more obvious it’ll become that governance strategy is the backbone of performance. As a former lawyer, Chair of Adaptive Financial Consulting, CEO for the Academy of Board Excellence and Programme Lead for the Governance and the Role of the Non-Executive Director Course at the Institute of Directors, Janhavi Dadarkar knows that good governance is a staple in the boardroom. With over two decades of experience advising corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, Janhavi joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to share her insights into how Chairs, CEOs and board members benefit from more structured governance.
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Bushra Ahmed's journey to the boardroom was an unexpected and unconventional one. Having lost her family business in the 2011 England riots, Bushra mobilised to raise awareness and funding for those affected by the event. Rising to become a charity sector trustee for organisations like the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and Home-Start UK, Bushra is a shining example of how charity boards can benefit from differing perspectives and lived experiences.
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As a strategic and commercial expert in digital solutions, Hema Patel has spent her career developing an in-depth understanding of how to accelerate growth and lending her functional expertise to various startups to help guide them through their Seed and Series A stages. Informed both by her current board roles at tech startups like ReMake and her executive career at industry-leading institutions like Microsoft, Facebook and Adobe, Hema joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings for a retrospective of her journey into the boardroom that explores the opportunities unlocked by investing in board talent at an early stage.
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Though he started his professional career as a city lawyer in the heart of London, Owen Eastwood is better known for his performance coaching work for sports teams like Team GB and his roles supporting corporate leaders. His internationally bestselling book, Belonging: The Ancient Code of Togetherness, draws on his Maori roots to deliver team-building and leadership insights grounded in anthropology and cultural traditions. Join Owen and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings as they discuss the role of belonging cues in enabling performance and how frameworks can be used to guide teams towards harmony and success.
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In addition to her board roles within the venture capital, private equity and social impact sectors, Schroder BSC Social Impact Chair Susannah Nicklin's professional background in financial services has made her well-versed in risk management and maximising return on investment. In a close conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings, Susannah discusses the core strategic and cultural differences between sitting on public and private boards, the evolution of investment trusts at the board level and the role of risk management in keeping boards goal-oriented and fiscally secure.
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Before sitting on the advisory boards of Salary Finance and Natter, Anne-Marie Headley was an award-winning HR professional with over two decades of experience building high-performance cultures for major organisations like Uber, Google and Cisco. Now she sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to explain how her non-traditional expertise makes her and others like her invaluable to board-level discussion. providing a fresh perspective on leadership that will give contemporary boards the tools they need to put people and culture at the centre of strategy.
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There are few board leaders more well-versed in the education industry than Mary Curnock Cook CBE. In addition to her roles as the Chair of the Dyson Institute, Pearson Education Ltd. and Emerge Education, Mary has developed a portfolio of board-level positions at the London Interdisciplinary School, The Student Loan Company and more. Join Mary and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings as they discuss the challenges of balancing private and public sector appointments, the importance of training and development for boards and adopting an outcome-focused approach in the boardroom.
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As a titan of the British financial services industry and a veteran Chair, Sir Donald Brydon has lent his insight to the boards of leading corporations like the Royal Mail and the London Stock Exchange as well as fast-growing FinTech disruptors like PrimaryBid and Tide Holdings. Now, he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discuss how seasoned Chairs tailor strategy, composition and assessment frameworks to tackle the unique, situational challenges of each board they lead. With topics including overboarding, key performance indicators and the differences between boards at different growth stages, this episode will resonate with experienced and aspirant board leaders alike.
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As one of Europe's largest renewables investment managers with over £7 billion in assets, Greencoat Capital has provided significant opportunities to accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Founder and Managing Director of Greencoat, Richard Nourse, has used his experiences leading energy teams at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Grenfell to drive the company's commitment to revolutionise the industry. Now, he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discuss the future of renewable energy and how boards can best invest their time, talent and resources to navigate it.
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Former record-breaking professional rugby captain, current Chair for Worldwide Cancer Research and founder of the School for CEOs, David Sole OBE, discusses the importance of relationship building in mitigating the challenges of working with and as the Executive Team. His experiences cover subjects ranging from how to tactfully rotate key leadership roles and the most effective styles of questioning when recruiting new board members to proven frameworks for achieving strategic alignment between the CEO and the board.
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Patrick Dunne has been a committed advocate for social change as the Chair of major charitable organisations like the EY Foundation and ESSA (Education Sub-Saharan Africa). Now he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to explain how Youth Advisory Boards, a practical approach to meaningful board diversity, and how universally agreed-upon board vision and purpose can help boards to resonate with stakeholders and achieve better results.
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Experienced Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair Lynne Weedall uses her knowledge of employee engagement to discuss how boards can drive sustainable growth by developing employee-focused strategies. With roles at major companies like Treatt, Greggs and Stagecoach, Lynne's HR background has given her an in-depth understanding of balancing data with employee feedback, commission schemes as a motivator and the differences between short-cycle and long-cycle loops.
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Executive Director on the boards of companies like Benenden Health and the Alliance Homes Group. In this episode, he details how data-driven insights from psychological profiling to customer experience can be broken down to benefit board performance.
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Before she was a Non-Executive Director and Risk Committee Chair at Morgan Stanley and Rathbone Brothers, Terri Duhon struggled to secure a board-level role as an accomplished Risk Manager at J.P. Morgan. Join Terri and Nurole CEO Oli Cummings as they discuss the steps executives can take to understand and prove their expertise to board hirers and how risk committees add value to their organisations.
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17/05/022 - Though she currently Chairs the boards of the Stafford Railway Building Society and the Shepherd's Friendly Society, Joanne Hindle is an experienced non-executive director who has worked with companies such as Campbell Page and Unum. Now, she shares some of her experiences leading boards to give insight into what Chairs can do to promote healthy and productive board dynamics.
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From starting his first business at 14 to receiving an MBE for his services to business and the economy in 2018, Vikas Shah’s corporate journey has given him a detailed knowledge of executive teams and boardrooms. Now, Vikas shares his methods for creating high-impact boards using frameworks such as KPIs and feedback channels with CEOs and founders.
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As a former Microsoft VP, Neil Thompson’s journey to the boardroom began with the company’s meteoric rise. Now, as a non-executive director at Keyword Studios, Neil explains how cultural and strategic consistency in the boardroom drives commercial growth.
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PhotoBox co-founder and startup advisor Graham Hobson discusses his journey from founding and successfully exiting his own tech startup to applying the lessons he learned to board-level leadership roles. From unlocking healthy communication with investor directors to establishing an executive team that drives commercial growth, Graham details the ins and outs of being a boardroom entrepreneur.
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Hot off the heels of his new Channel 4 series The Money Maker, Tech Nation board member, founder of Impact X and former president Obama appointee Eric Collins provides insight into how he builds relationships with executive teams and allocates his time to get the best results.
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Experienced medtech Chair and scale-up savant Meinhard Schmidt breaks down his hands-on approach to start-up strategy and how best to drive transformational change beyond the boardroom by supporting CEOs
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As an Independent Director at Chrysalis Investments, Margaret O’Connor has played a part in some of the most daring international ventures in finance. Tune in to hear her insights into scaling start-ups, evaluating board-level performance, and managing corporate risk.
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Chair Lucy Armstrong provides insights into driving your boardroom career as she recounts her unconventional journey from sitting on a prison board fresh out of university to leading a number of successful non-executive teams.
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