As directors, we take considerable time and effort to consider the powers and responsibilities of our position on a Board. However, successive Royal Commissions in Australia have presented evidence directors must also consider the power of their position through another lens – the power imbalance that exists between the boardroom and the most vulnerable people that Boards serve. Many a …
There’s an abundance of information available on and around ESG factors and the increasing responsibility of Boards to consider each element as part of their decision-making and leadership roles. However ESG remains a complex issue directors seem to be unsure of how to monitor and implement efficiently and effectively. Governance by Design’s managing director Sonya Beyers recently sat as a …
Australia’s new whistleblower laws are now in effect and by the beginning of next year (2020), certain organisations will be required to have a whistleblower policy in place. This legislation should be seen by directors as an opportunity to strengthen their organisation, and in-particular seen as a way of improving or protecting organisational culture. The saying might be ‘no news …
On the grounds of Harvard University in Boston, there’s a gate, built in 1890, which as you pass through it on entry, you’re greeted with the inscription: Enter to Grow In Wisdom As you walk back through the gate on the way out, a second inscription reads: Depart to Serve Better Thy Country and Thy Kind These sentiments summed up …
In terms of working relationships, there are none more important and potentially ambiguous than that between the Board Chair and the company CEO. Although a complex relationship, it is key to the successful functioning of the Board and the executive. However, the relationship often becomes too comfortable or not close enough. In either of these cases, the result is a …
Whilst financial success is a potent draw card for corporate organisation’s to attract investors, for NFPs, attracting donors and new members is a matter of trust. The sustainability – and indeed viability – of NFPs into the future rests not just on operational and mission success, but firstly on the trust factor. The recent Royal Commissions and their findings highlight …
