In this podcast Sharon Constançon, CEO of Genius Boards, offers advice for company secretaries and governance professionals on managing the challenges they face in their role, from gaining feedback and stretching themselves to learning tactics to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Sharon advises compartmentalising the noise of the role to gain control of it. She describes how to handle the inevitable left hook and the value of being the trusted expert who absorbs panic rather than creating it. Sharon highlights the power of conversation initiated by the governance professional to fix a broken relationship, as well as discussing how to own up to a mistake and how to avoid being seen as a ‘blocker’.

For employers, an SAYE Scheme can encourage employee engagement and improve retention. While historically a very popular scheme, following Brexit the number of licensed savings carriers in the Irish market fell and the last licensed savings carrier exited the market in early 2021. Since then, it has not been possible to establish or grant new options under a SAYE Scheme. However, with the anticipated announcement of a new licensed savings carrier before the summer, employers should reconsider the benefits of offering a Revenue approved SAYE Scheme.

In this podcast James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses stakeholder capitalism and its significance for businesses today. He argues that stakeholder engagement is the means by which to achieve stakeholder capitalism because it allows the business to understand different stakeholders and therefore act in their interests. James argues that the convergence of many monumental events over the last two years has brought stakeholder capitalism into the limelight and front and centre for boards. He outlines innovative methods for engaging with two important stakeholder groups: customers and employees. James argues that organisations need to develop more sophisticated data points for understanding stakeholders, focusing on qualitive rather than quantitative data to bring stakeholder experiences to life.

Although cybersecurity remains at the top priority of most organisations, regardless of size, it continues to be a challenge to deal with as the majority of cybersecurity breaches happen due to human error.

In this podcast, James Beasley, Senior Director at Nasdaq Governance Solutions, discusses the concept of individual accountability, which was first developed in the financial services sector. James explains that to apply the concept an organisation will undergo a process of defining and communicating its senior individuals’ accountabilities. James considers whether the lessons learned in financial services from applying this regime could be extended to other sectors, arguing that outcomes such as a sense of responsibility coupled with a strong degree of clarity could be universally beneficial. James suggests practical steps that company secretaries or governance professionals and their boards can take to implement individual accountability at their organisation.

In this podcast, Sharon Constançon explains how company secretaries and governance professionals can use their communication skills to improve the effectiveness of the board, creating the perfect environment for decision-making. Sharon outlines how company secretaries can learn communication skills as part of their career development and how they can use them to handle a range of difficult conversations. She describes tactics for tailoring communication styles to individuals to ensure the message is best received, enabling company secretaries to build trust while remaining authentic and allowing them to be a confidante for the directors. Sharon argues that communication is most effective when we take a caring, empathetic approach that acknowledges the human side of our colleagues and the challenges they face.

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Black Rock CEO Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs is always closely scrutinised. As the head of the world’s largest institutional investor, he identifies the issues companies must prioritise to generate long-term value. Three key lessons emerge from Fink’s focus on ESG.

A one-day course for new directors, board advisors and those seeking to freshen their knowledge.