The next in our series focuses on Structural Changes, Talent Capacity and Development

In this podcast, Jennifer Sundberg, Co-CEO of Board Intelligence, discusses her company’s theory of collective intelligence, which advocates moving away from superstar CEOs and board-centric decision-making to recognising the whole organisation’s potential to make great decisions.

FTSE350 boards are displaying more confidence in the economy, with the results of a survey published today by The Chartered Governance Institute showing a twofold increase in the number of respondents believing that the global economic outlook will improve in the coming year and a fivefold increase in the number believing that the UK economy will improve. This is not yet enough to encourage greater capital investment, however, despite fears lessening over Brexit, with fewer companies now rating an exit as damaging and the overwhelming majority (81%) not currently considering relocating their head office or listing.

In this podcast Alex Efthymiades, Director and Founder of Consensio, discusses workplace conflict. Alex argues we aren’t taught the skills we need to successfully navigate conflict; therefore, we avoid it because it feels uncomfortable. However, Alex believes conflict can be positive, enabling us to clear the air and become more productive. She says it’s important to create a workplace environment where healthy conflict can flourish. This can be done by establishing psychological safety where everyone feels able to speak up without being punished. This is particularly important in the boardroom, where constructive challenge is needed to avoid groupthink.

Barbara Daisy Nabuweke is the Company Secretary at the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Limited . In this comment article she shares her career pivot from law into governance and why now is the perfect time to pursue a career in the industry.

In this podcast Daniel Roach, Senior Technical Lead at Company Matters, discusses the latest developments in ESG reporting.

In 2018, the EU set out a clear action plan for sustainable economic growth. The EU’s objective is to maintain growth without creating problems for future generations due to depleting resources or environmental crises, such as climate change.

In this podcast Kerry Round, Founding Director of Round Governance Services, outlines how the governance of a company will change following an Initial Public Offering (IPO). She covers board structure, responsibilities, composition, and the need for board diversity. The discussion outlines how an IPO will affect important stakeholders such as employees, the policies the company will need to have in place, what disclosures will be required, and which external bodies the company secretary or governance professional will find themselves dealing with on a regular basis. Kerry describes an IPO as a career highlight and the role of the company secretary or governance professional in a listed company as fabulous.

Tom Llewelyn is Company Secretary and Head of Governance at The Cambridge Building Society. He recently completed The Chartered Governance Institute’s Qualifying Programme and in this comment piece, he shares his journey into the world of governance and why completing the QP was transformative for his career.