The Better Boards Podcast Series

Send us a textBoards today face technological, geopolitical, demographic, and environmental changes at an incredibly rapid pace. How can Company Secretaries help ensure boards are ‘Future-fit’ to be able to tackle these changes effectively?Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, I am delighted to talk with Loren Wulfsohn, Global Head of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Corporate Governance & Secretariat at HSBC about ‘The role of the Company Secretary in creating future-fit boards’.I am Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards. We make the boards of the most ambitious organisations more effective. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfil our mission, we give a voice to all who care about creating better boards.Before her current role, Loren was Company Secretary of HSBC Bank plc and Regional Company Secretary for Europe. She has previously been Head of Shareholder Services at HSBC and was formerly Group Secretary and Head of Governance at Standard Bank Group for 10 years. Loren moved to Australia in 2012, where she consulted on strategic governance and board practice to a range of both financial and not-for-profit entities in Australia, the US and across Africa, prior to her move to the UK.  This year, Loren was also voted one of the Hot 100 for innovation by the DMJ Recruitment Governance Hot 100 awards.  Loren draws upon her experience from her governance career across HSBC and Standard Bank Group to provide real, practical advice for how Company Secretaries can ensure a board is ‘future-fit'. This includes insights into the behaviours and skills Company Secretaries should be prioritising to be at their most effective. How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us at info@better-boards.com. The Better Boards Podcast has been selected as one of the Top 15 Corporate Governance Podcasts by Feedspot. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textMuch has been written and said about gender diversity and inclusion. Progress has been made, but we have still a way to go to achieve gender parity.Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, I am delighted to talk with Sabine Kohleisen, member of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Human Resources and Director of Labour Relations, and Denise Wilson, CEO of the Hampton-Alexander Review. In this episode, we will be discussing “Diversity and inclusion, insights from the U.K. and Mercedes-Benz”.I am Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards. We make the boards of the most ambitious organisations more effective. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfil our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards.Sabine and Denise provide real-life insights into achievements, measures and practical tips for individuals and organizations about how to bring diversity and inclusion to life. Sabine is someone who has risen through the ranks of Mercedes and as a member of the Board of Management is responsible for achieving the next stage of diversity targets. Denise, who as the CEO of the Hampton-Alexander Review, shapes the debate about gender diversity with facts and figures like no other in the U.K.The Better Boards Podcast has been selected as one of the Top 15 Corporate Governance Podcasts by Feedspot. How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us at info@better-boards.com. Thank you for listening.Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textStudies provide clear evidence that boards with members of diverse backgrounds govern organisations that have better business results than those with less diverse leaders but it does not stop there.  We see similar patterns when it comes to innovation. The Hampton Alexander report in the UK highlights that we have come a long way in integrating women on the board, but there is still quite a way to go when we look at race and reviews like the Parker Review.Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, I am delighted to talk with Chris Pirnie about “Punks in the boardroom.” Chris provides us with facts, figures and real-life insights into the challenges of integrating people with diverse backgrounds and what he has seen is working. I am Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards. We make the boards of the most ambitious organisations more effective. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfil our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Christopher Pirnie has been a company secretary and board member for over 20 years with organisations such as Swiss Re, E&Y, Clifford Chance and previously was Head of Secretariat and Director of Governance Operations and Policy at Fidelity International for over a decade.  Leaving Fidelity in 2020, Christopher joined Kuberno Consulting and has also set up his own governance professional coaching group, RPP NextStep Coaching, which provides tools and guidance to company secretaries, INEDs and executive directors with their career challenges and development needs.   This year, Christopher was also voted one of the Hot 100 for innovation by the DMJ Recruitment Governance Hot 100 awards.  The Better Boards Podcast has been selected as one of the Top 15 Corporate Governance Podcasts by Feedspot. How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us at info@better-boards.com. Thank you for listening.Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textThe relationship between the Chair and the CEO is widely considered to be one of the most significant, if not the most significant, in any organisation. If the relationship is working well, it is a powerful alliance that can energise and uplift a whole organisation. But if the relationship is broken, the effects are felt throughout the organisation. What is more, the state of a broken relationship provides a good story for the media, resulting in broken careers and tarnished reputations. Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, Dr Sabine Dembkowski speaks with Sir John Tusa.Sir John is the most eminent chairman of cultural institutions in the UK. His illustrious career has included the likes of the National Portrait Gallery, the English National Opera, the Wigmore Hall and the British Museum.Currently, he serves as Chairman of the British Architecture Trust Board and is Co-Chairman of the European Youth Orchestra. He is also the author of 'On Board: The Insider's Guide to Surviving Life in the Boardroom'.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfil our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the months, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us on info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textI can not recall a single board evaluation nor a single event I attended in Pre-Covid times where the need for challenge in the boardroom was not stressed. At the same time, I know from hundreds of interviews with members of boards how hard it really is to challenge constructively. Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, Dr Sabine Dembkowski speaks with Professor Karthik Ramanna.Professor Ramanna is Professor of Business & Public Policy and Director of the Master of Public Policy Program at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government.Prof Ramanna recently produced a study for one of the Big 4 Audit firms entitled 'Building a culture of challenge in audit firms.' Lessons from this report can be applied to building a culture of challenge in the boardroom.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us at info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textRecent board evaluations have laid bare how much Covid-19 has accelerated the digitisation and transformation of organisations.  Independent of the industry and independent of the country boards realise that they need different skills and behavioural traits in order realise their strategic ambitions. I thought that it is a good time to hear from two board search professionals what it takes and get a seat on the table and what dilemmas boards face.  Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, Dr Sabine Dembkowski speaks with Carol Leonard and Angela Hocter of the Inzito Partnership.The Inzito Partnership is the UK's leading boutique executive search firm and Carol and Angela have been working together in the recruitment space for over 25 years.Carol Leonard is CEO and Head of the Board Practice at the Inzito Partnership. She specialises in the recruitment of Chairmen, Chief Executives, Non-Executive Directors, Finance Directors, General Counsel and other main Board roles. Carol’s prowess and hands-on approach has contributed to her being dubbed the ‘doyenne of boardroom headhunters’ by the Financial Times.Angela Hocter is Head of Research at the Inzito Partnership. Previously she led the research function within the Board Practice at Whitehead Mann. She was a director of Leonard Hull International before its acquisition in April 2004. She started her search career at Norman Broadbent where she spent four years, having previously worked with a French management consultancy based in Paris and London.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us at info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textCovid-19 is causing economic havoc around the globe but the impact is different and depends on the industry. In this podcast we examine the impact the pandemic had on boardrooms of VC-backed organisations. I am delighted to bring our listeners a view from the frontline from  one of the most active VCs in the UK. Welcome to the Better Boards podcast series. In this episode, Dr Sabine Dembkowski talks to Alexander Leigh.  Alex is Investment Manager in one of the most active Venture Capital Firms in the UK. As part of his role, Alex sits on the board of young Tech companies that receive funding from the bank. Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us on info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textIn this episode, Chris McColgan, Managing Editor of the Business Scout, steps in as host to speak to Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards about "Creating Effective Boards,  the Seven Hallmarks of Effective Boards"A lot has been said about the increasing challenges boards face – from governing an organisation through the pandemic to disruptive technologies, shifting demographics and geopolitical risks. Corporate failures have brought the importance of well-functioning and effective boards more to the fore. Dr Dembkowski is credited with having created the Seven Hallmarks of Effective boards, a framework for building more effective boards.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us on info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textMany of our clients say early on in our discussions that they do have an aligned board. However, when we walk into the boardroom with high expectations of a relatively smooth board evaluation process, we usually find - usually during the one-to-one interviews we conduct - that there are deep and significant gaps in consensus.  With the pace of change dominating the agenda, it is unrealistic to expect every member of the board is on the same page. Still, unless the board is truly aligned, one cannot hope to align the rest of the organisation behind a strategic journey or a transformation programme.  In this episode, Dr Sabine Dembkowski talks to Rich Berens, CEO and President at Root, Inc and author of "What are your Blind Spots."As CEO and Chief Client Fanatic, Rich Berens has had the opportunity to lead Root Inc. and its artists, designers, researchers, programmers, and MBAs in creating breakthrough approaches to change that have reached millions of people around the world.  Rich is a frequent author, thought leader, and speaker on leadership, transformation, and how to create lasting change. Rich’s latest project is a book called What Are Your Blind Spots?  that he co-authored with Root’s founder, Jim Haudan. It focuses on five key blind spots preventing leaders from effectively leading their organizations and engaging their people.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us on info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.

Send us a textA wide range of perspectives in the boardroom is critical to effective corporate governance. Multiple views on the possible outcomes of any action makes for a decision-making process that is more likely to take into account the various risks, consequences and implications of possible actions. Progress has been made in recent years and for example gender diversity has increased. We now see a shift and realisation that diversity is more complex and what really is needed is to go beyond the labels and achieve cognitive diversity. In this podcast I am delighted to talk with Stephen Page Head of the EMEA Board Engagement at the NASDAQ Centre for Board Excellence about Board Performance & Cognitive Diversity in the Boardroom.Stephen is is Head of EMEA Board Engagement, Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence. He has been a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute for over 25 years. During his career, Stephen has acted as director, corporate secretary, head of legal, and independent advisor for many UK and non-UK public and private companies, including professional service firms, multinationals and a UK development capital concern. Stephen established his own successful corporate compliance services business in the early 2000s, which was eventually sold to a Hong Kong Bank. In recent years, Stephen has spoken on many governance topics at a number of international conferences.Our mission at Better Boards is to contribute to creating better boards. We do this by providing clients with an evidence-based approach for board evaluations and board development programmes. To fulfill our mission, we give a voice to all who are care about creating better boards. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, I speak with insiders that have a seat on the table and those that provide professional services about topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.How can we help you and your board to become more effective? We at Better Boards are always delighted to hear from you. Get in touch. You can best reach us on info@better-boards.com. Come Join The Better Boards Community We’d love to get to know you! If you’d like to become part of the Better Boards community, discover our unique approach, and explore ways to work with us or share your ideas on The Better Boards Podcast series, drop us a line at info@better-boards.com.