

Enter the Boardroom with Nurole
Nurole
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 today's and tomorrow's boardrooms.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 23, 2025 • 44min
132. Carl-Peter Forster: Boardroom politics, operational discipline, and the cost of poor R&D
Carl-Peter Forster is Chair of Vesuvius plc and Keller Group plc. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What experiences from your executive career have shaped your non-executive career? (2:09) How would you counsel a new CEO coming into a business looking to set up their own team? (7:06) What lessons did you learn from the General Motors crisis? (10:12) What did you learn from your time at Tata Motors? (13:56) How do you advise a headstrong founder? (17:11) How do you navigate different business cultures? (21:16) What's been the most difficult board conversation you’ve had as a CEO? (22:36) What frameworks best help a new NED navigate an industrial company? (26:57) How useful is spending money on R&D? (31:05) What risks should boards be most alert to in the defence industry? (35:47) And the ⚡Lightning Round⚡ (40:48)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jul 16, 2025 • 45min
131. Laurence Garrett: Featurespace - the board’s role in growth, pricing, US expansion and sale to Visa
Laurence Garrett, General Partner at Highland Europe and NED for several innovative companies, shares his extensive experience in venture capital. He discusses the board's crucial role in Featurespace's growth and the challenges faced during its sale to Visa. Laurence provides insights on effective pricing strategies and how boards can aid in product launches. He also dives into the complexities of expanding into the U.S. market, emphasizing cultural awareness and proactive engagement, while offering advice for navigating difficult boardroom transitions.

Jul 9, 2025 • 47min
130. Ian Phillips: How to be a great GoaT (Governor or a Trustee)
Ian Phillips is Chair of Watling Park Primary, consultant at Clew Education and author of How to be a great GoaT, a guide to being a brilliant governor or trustee. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What does the role of governor or trustee involve? (1:57) Are there archetypal board member profiles that you think are most needed? (6:20) What questions should candidates be asking to decide whether they take on a role? (10:46) Can board members add value to schools running at a deficit? (17:03) How do you think about the board’s relationship with the headteacher? (18:48) What metrics do you use to assess a headteacher’s performance? (20:31) Why do data and innovation remain such a challenge in the education sector? (24:21) Why should boards encourage headteachers to allocate time to marketing instead of developing a better offering? (29:03) Are school boards doing enough to address the challenge of students for whom English is a second language? (31:26) What did you mean by “the board employs the headteacher, not the other way around”? (32:50) Why do schools get so many exclusion decisions wrong? (35:41) And Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jul 2, 2025 • 49min
129. Karen Blackett CBE: The board’s role in transformation
Karen Blackett CBE is NED at Diageo plc and Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Where have boards added most value for you as a CEO or a president? (2:21) What advice would you give to CEOs going through a transformation? (7:07) What does good internal communication look like? (14:11) What questions should board members be asking to help a transformation process? (15:15) How do you strike the balance of being a proactive vs overbearing NED? (17:24) How does an organisation like Diageo think about transformation, especially with something like AI? (18:31) How can board members add value on the topic of AI? (25:36) How can boards help build brands? (27:08) What questions should board members be asking about their company’s marketing strategy? (34:16) When have you been proudest of the cultural change you've created at an organization? (36:27) And ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(43:09) Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jun 25, 2025 • 46min
128. Yvonne Bajela: Founder breakups, deciphering moats, and the new role of governance
Yvonne Bajela is Partner at LocalGlobe and Latitude. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What value can a board bring to startups? (1:28) What is a North Star metric for startup boards, and should they be looking for one? (5:28) How do you effectively challenge a founder as a NED? (8:58) How do boards navigate hypergrowth, with the associated challenges? (10:47) What have been the three most challenging situations you've faced as a board member? (12:02) What have you learnt about dealing with founder breakups as a board member?? (12:54) How should boards navigate a rapid change in market dynamics, such as a pandemic or the introduction of AI? (18:26) What approach should organisations take with regard to AI? (25:20) What heuristics can you use to determine whether an AI business has a moat? (28:13) At what stage should founders build a board? (30:32) What are the moments where you've seen independent directors add transformational value? (32:42) How can founder-CEOs ensure their board is giving them a high return on investment? (36:12) What makes a good investor director? (41:05) And the ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡ (42:54)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jun 18, 2025 • 46min
127. Rita Clifton CBE: What boards get wrong about brand
Rita Clifton CBE is Chair of Simplyhealth and Deputy Chair of the John Lewis Partnership. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why should boards care more about brand? (1:52) What framework do you use to assess brand when joining a board? (5:49) How should CEOs think about return on brand investment? (8:03) How should boards manage the lag between internal changes and market perception?(17:59) When has your brand expertise helped unlock board-level value? (20:18) What did you do at ASOS when the share price collapsed? (28:17) How should boards handle intense public scrutiny of their brands? (31:29) Where do boards most often go wrong on brand? (37:19) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(40:44)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

5 snips
Jun 11, 2025 • 50min
126. Fred Destin: How start-up boards create & destroy value (and whether we should be thinking about value at all)
Fred Destin, founder of Stride VC and lead investor in notable startups like Cazoo and Deliveroo, shares insights on the complex dynamics of startup boards. He discusses how bold equity strategies, such as Zoopla's 30% giveaway, can redefine value creation. Fred argues that many boards often destroy value, advocating for a shift in approach where board members act more like scientists than prosecutors. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity, early indicators, and collaboration to foster an effective governance environment.

Jun 4, 2025 • 47min
125. Elena Lytkina Botelho: The CEO Next Door: Why Boards Get CEO Succession Wrong—and how to get it right
Elena Botelho is co-author of the international best-seller, The CEO Next Door, and partner at ghSMART. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What mistakes do boards most often make in CEO succession? (1:50) How should boards use external advice when evaluating CEO candidates? (6:23) What lessons can board members learn from failed CEO hires? (19:46) How can individual board members overcome deference to powerful CEOs? (22:34) What's your framework for hiring a CEO? (25:49) Should CEOs have board roles? (32:53) How should boards decide whether to invest in developing a potential CEO candidate? (36:27) What can boards learn from the companies that consistently produce great CEOs? (40:15) ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(44:11) Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

May 28, 2025 • 46min
124. Malcolm John: How to get board roles and what boards get wrong about racial diversity
Malcolm John, Founder and CEO of Action for Trustee Racial Diversity, shares his insights on enhancing racial diversity in UK boards. He discusses his journey to the boardroom and the crucial role of networking. Malcolm highlights common mistakes organizations make, emphasizing the need for genuine inclusivity instead of tokenism. He also addresses the mental toll of difficult conversations and underscores the importance of valuing diverse perspectives to foster effective governance. Tune in for enlightening strategies to ensure boards truly embrace diversity!

May 21, 2025 • 47min
123. Christian Unger: Why experts beat generalists on investor-backed boards
Christian Unger is Partner at Partners Group. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What is the Partners Group approach to boards? (1:49) How do you attract CEOs to board roles? (5.23) What is the perfect board size? (10.18) How much ownership do individual NEDs have over specific strategies? (17:56) Where have you seen NEDs add the most value? (26:28) How do you stop disagreement for disagreement’s sake on board? (30:09) How do you measure board member value? (37:44) How many board roles are too many? (39:17) How should boards structure meetings? (40:52) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(43:31)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom