Changing the narrative – Sustaining a corporate culture

Ibi Eso is a Director/senior consultant at Bridgehouse Company Secretaries, the company she founded in 2006 to provide flexible company secretarial services and first-rate governance support to private companies and not-for-profit organisations. A trained lawyer and chartered secretary, Ibi has over two decades’ experience of working with boards to embed governance frameworks in organisations ranging from multinational companies, to membership organisations and housing organisations. Her passion for uplifting governance saw Bridgehouse voted Service Provider of the Year in the prestigious icsa awards 2016. Ibi leads a close-knit team of like-minded individuals with a single goal: to make a real difference to their clients.

Alison Gill is a behavioural psychologist and a founding director and CEO of Bvalco, a board advisory business that helps boards get fit for the future. She acted as a special advisor on matters of culture and behaviour to Sir David Walker, for his review of banks and other financial institutions. This gave rise to the recommendation in the Corporate Governance Code that boards should be reviewed externally once every three years.

Alison is keen to improve the quality of boards through the education of board directors. In 2011 she helped to set up and design the FT’s award winning Non- Executive Director Diploma. She is a lead tutor and Advisory Board Member for the diploma. The diploma has several hundred graduates, of which more than 70% go on to become successful board directors.

A keen sportswoman, Alison is a triple Olympian for rowing and more recently developed a passion for the sport of eventing. She rides as a competitive amateur and more importantly supports young rider Lissa Green. She is the Independent Chair of British Eventing’s Sport Committee, and is a member of the Sport Resolutions Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators.

Alison is responsible for Group wide risk management, global compliance, corporate governance, group legal, market access and regulatory policy. She acts as Company Secretary to the Board and its Committees. She is a member of the Executive Management Team and Chairman of the Trustee Company for the Inmarsat UK pension plans. Alison also manages teams in India and China and covers Russia, the Stans and Turkey.

Previously she was Group Company Secretary of International Public Relations plc, a worldwide public relations company, for 11 years prior to joining Inmarsat.

Fahrin is a strategic company secretary with a track record of delivering quality corporate governance advice to regulated boards and listed financial services companies. Solicitor and Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland by qualification, she provides stakeholder and Board support by demonstrating leadership through successful delivery of governance programmes. Fahrin is an international, culturally aware professional, having had a career spanning professional services, listed companies and regulated subsidiaries, and having worked collaboratively with global colleagues across borders and regions. She is currently the Company Secretary of Willis Limited, and was shortlisted for the Institute’s Company Secretary of the Year in 2020.

Peter is the Policy & Research Director at The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. He is responsible for developing the Institute’s profile to members, regulators, policymakers, employers and other stakeholders by delivering thought leadership and lobbying campaigns aligned to the Institute’s strategy and promoting strong governance as the vital ingredient for success in organisations.