Insights
Cyber security and your board.
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has released its first ASX 100 Cyber Health Check Report: Capturing the opportunities while managing the threats, which gauges how Australia’s largest publicly listed company boards view and manage their exposure to the rapidly evolving cyber world.
NZ Herald: Having an advisory board as a SME in New Zealand.
What is an advisory board? An advisory board is a select group of “independent” people who provide advice and support to the owners/ shareholders/directors of a business.
NZ Herald: Board member, we’re watching you!
Gone are the days of the rubber-stamp board meeting. Companies suffer greatly when independent board members don’t ask the tough questions, and don’t hold executives accountable for not just the profit margins but also the ethics of the company. An important lesson: a complacent board jeopardises a company’s future.
Idealog: Global trends in corporate governance.
Increasingly, corporate governance is being looked at as the measure of a company’s future prospects, writes Board Dynamics CEO Henri Eliot.
NZ Herald: Embracing environmental, social and governance issues.
In the May-June 2017 Harvard Business Review, Professor Emeritus Joseph Bower and Professor Lynn Paine argue for a company-centred model of governance that recognises the diversity of shareholder goals and the varied roles corporations play over long periods.
NZ Herald: Top tips for directors during a crisis.
It seems that few senior executives, or board members, really know how to effectively prepare and plan for crisis at the board or operational levels.
NZ Herald: Do young companies need a board of directors to grow?
Surveys show New Zealand entrepreneurs rank highly in their ability to start ventures. Problems arise in scaling them into a larger sustainable company. These surveys, however, rarely examine how governance and boards can simultaneously foster high rates of innovation and productivity.
Idealog: Why board directors should look in the mirror.
If an organsiation is performing poorly, directors would do well to take a look at their own leadership, says Board Dynamics CEO Henri Eliot.
NZ Herald: How well are we performing as a board?
Traditional methods of evaluating board performance can often be viewed as simply a ticking the box exercise.
Idealog: Nose in, fingers out: The role of the board.
According to a recently published white paper entitled “Accelerating Performance: How to Mobilise, Execute, and Transform with Agility”, boards need to be careful about wading into management territory as boards come under fire for corporate failures, they may be tempted to become more interventionist.
Idealog: Boards take note: Top global risks in 2017.
There’s five things we should be looking out for that could negatively impact business in 2017, says Board Dynamics CEO Henri Eliot. A recent World Economic Forum Report, based on a survey of experts, ranked the top global risks that could impact your company in 2017 that boards and executives should consider.
Personality Dynamics Improving Board Effectiveness.
There are several types of conversations – download, debate and dialogue. The quicker a board can get to the dialogue, the better the conversation will be.
NZ Herald: Are directors happy and performing at their best?
Governance cannot be that bad, given the growing interest in directorships from many individuals. Is 2017 a good time for directors to feel rejuvenated with a new year ahead?
Idealog: Who is better at strategy?
Do you think it’s the chief financial officer (CFO) or the chief strategy officer (CSO) who is the best at strategy? McKinsey & Company asked its readers that question in an article examining the best approach to strategy execution or delivery. The answer surprisingly was neither; it’s collaboration, they work best as a team.
NZ Herald: What should worry directors in 2017?
The growing demands on corporate boards are transforming boardrooms around the world. Company directors are taking on a more strategic, dynamic and responsive role to help steer their companies through a hypercompetitive and volatile business environment.
Idealog: The proof is in the ethnically diverse pudding: Henri Eliot on the commercial advantages of inclusion.
As improvements continue in gender representation on major corporate boards, attention is increasingly turning to cultural diversity, says Board Dynamics founder and CEO Henri Eliot.
NZ Herald: Harvard Business Review on avoiding groupthink in the boardroom.
In an article in Harvard Business Review, “Making dumb groups smarter”, Sunstein and Hastie explored the idea of “groupthink”, which they described as the tendency of groups to go astray and to fail to live up to their potential.
Idealog: Z Energy CEO Mike Bennetts on the next generation of directors.
Mike Bennetts has been a CEO for 15 years. He’s been a director of private companies for 20 years and public companies for over 10. Mike has seen governance from both management and board perspectives. Henri Eliot asks him about corporate governance for the next generation of directors.
NZ Herald: Is big data a governance issue?
Research has found productivity and operating profit benefits from investing in big data. Management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company published research in April 2016 that found that most businesses in its survey made significant investments in big data and advanced analytics.