Enter the Boardroom with Nurole

Elena Botelho is co-author of the international best-seller, The CEO Next Door, and partner at ghSMART. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What mistakes do boards most often make in CEO succession? (1:50) How should boards use external advice when evaluating CEO candidates? (6:23) What lessons can board members learn from failed CEO hires? (19:46) How can individual board members overcome deference to powerful CEOs? (22:34) What's your framework for hiring a CEO? (25:49) Should CEOs have board roles? (32:53) How should boards decide whether to invest in developing a potential CEO candidate? (36:27) What can boards learn from the companies that consistently produce great CEOs? (40:15) ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(44:11)   Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Malcolm John is Founder and CEO of Action for Trustee Racial Diversity, a trustee at the Association of Chairs, and former Vice-Chair of Anti-Slavery International. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What was your journey to the boardroom? (2:23) How do you add value to boards? (7:00) How do you gain confidence in the boardroom? (9:53) How do you make someone feel welcome on a board? (15:21) What are the lows of your non-executive journey? (17:28) How much time should you allocate to board roles? (20:15) What is the current state of racial diversity on UK boards? (22:51) What are the most common mistakes organisations make when trying to improve ethnic diversity on their boards? (31:20) How do you ensure diverse board members feel valued on boards? (33:35) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(42:34)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Christian Unger is Partner at Partners Group. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What is the Partners Group approach to boards? (1:49) How do you attract CEOs to board roles? (5.23) What is the perfect board size? (10.18) How much ownership do individual NEDs have over specific strategies? (17:56) Where have you seen NEDs add the most value? (26:28) How do you stop disagreement for disagreement's sake on board? (30:09) How do you measure board member value? (37:44) How many board roles are too many? (39:17) How should boards structure meetings? (40:52) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(43:31)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Dorothy Burwell is a Partner at FGS Global, NED at Post Holdings, and Pennon plc. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What key lessons as a comms exec have shaped the way you act as a board member? (2:13) How did you navigate merging four founder-led businesses together at FGS? (4:21) How quickly should changes occur post-merger? (11:17) What advice do you give to an executive team going through a merger? (12:54) How do you discover the culture of an organisation? (13:40) How has your experience at ‘Which?' shaped your approach to comms in the boardroom? (15:42) What are the cultural differences between a US and UK board? (20:02) How do you deal with crisis comms? (22:18) What are the classic comms errors you see boards making? (24:55) How can organisations surface and escalate crises more rapidly? (27:10) How should boards manage political shifts around things like D&I? (31:56) Should boards be politically active? (34:45)How did you transition from pro bono to paid board roles?? (40:44) And the ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(43:02)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Lisa Gordon is Chair of Cavendish and a  NED at 3i Infrastructure PLC, JP Morgan MidCap Investment Trust PLC and Magic Light Pictures Ltd. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What sort of a NED are you? (2:10) How do you gain confidence in the boardroom? (7:37) How reliant are you on outside support to maintain your courage? (11:59) How challenging are capital markets? (15:57)  How can board members help position their organisations better in a challenging macro environment? (19:02) What should NEDs be discussing about the capital markets? (23:57) What capital market reforms are currently in the pipeline? (27:12) How can board members capitalise on the opportunities reforms will produce?? (29:46) ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(33:26) and the Audience Q and A (37:30)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Tim Jackson is the founder of QXL and a General Partner at Walking Ventures. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What is your founder and CEO journey? (2:03) Where did the board add most value? (7:23) What do you wish your board had done for you knowing what you know now? (10:50) What are the most common reasons for a CEO to lose control of a company? (12:42) How can CEO's better prepare for breaking point crises? (16:40) Are there patterns in behaviour of CEO's who get the most value out of boards? (18:58) Should assessing particular characteristics be a part of CEO recruitment? (20:43) As a coach, do you ever anticipate that a board should replace A CEO before it  ends up happening? (22:22) How should CEOs adapt as their companies scale? (23:52) Do investor directors add value? (30:45) What metrics should boards be assessing their management teams on? (37:50) What macro-trends should NEDs be watching out for? (38:58) and ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(41:46)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jurga Zilinskiene is founder of Guildhawk, Evernoon, Today Translations and Today Academy. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How does the board at Guildhawk add value? (1:49) What roles did friends and advisors play early on in your business journey? (6:03) How did you transition from receiving informal advice to establishing a formal board? (10:32) How did your board advance your strategy? (15:37) How should boards be responding to AI? (18:39) How has your board helped you think about geographic distribution? (25:57) What makes a good NED recruitment process? (30:58) What lessons have you learned from past recruitment processes? (35:03) How do you performance manage board members? (38:22) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(41:58)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Gerry Murphy is Chair of Tesco and Burberry, Trustee at The Burberry Foundation and Senior Advisor at Perella Weinberg. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What were the three most consequential boardroom moments for you as a CEO? (1:42) How can boards assess how much control they have over external factors? (6:26) What frameworks do you use to assess risk? (9:33) What megatrends should be shaping strategy today? (12:29) How do you decide whether a trend is structural or cyclical? (15:01) What are the practical, board-level implications of the AI megatrend? (16:51) As CEO and Chair, where have you seen CEO succession work best? (20:30) Where do you see boards adding most value now? (27:01) How should boards strike a balance between long and short term issues? (28:34) What KPIs do you ask for from the exec team? (33:32) What can private and listed boards learn from each other? (34:22) What's stopping them from learning these lessons? (36:11) If you could design an ideal management incentive structure, what would it look like? (37:27)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:24) Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Cindy Rampersaud is NED at Sage Homes and formerly SID at Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have you decided which pro bono roles to take on? (1.47) What have you gained from pro bono opportunities? (3.36) How do you build relationships on boards? (5.19)  How does a board recruit the right CEO? (10.42) What role should the board play in shaping digital strategy? (13.15) What are the biggest challenges you've faced as a trustee? (18.16) How do you navigate the pro-bono to commercial transition? (21.14) What are the biggest challenges you've faced as a commercial board member? (28.38) How do you ensure constructive dialogue on a board? (33.41) What have you learnt about crisis management in the boardroom? (37.16) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(40:01)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Kate Swann is Chair of Moonpig, Beijer Ref, Parques Reunidos, and IVC Evidensia and former CEO of WH Smith. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: As a CEO, where have seen boards add most value? (1:56) Are board members more valuable as individuals, or as a collective? (7:35) What boardroom archetypes are  most useful to a CEO? (8:54) What have you learnt from being a NED that would have made you a better CEO? (12:24) What can listed boards learn from  PE boards? (14:53) What's the thread that goes through your portfolio roles? (18:53)  What has been hardest for you during your CEO to chair transition? (21:57) Are there different CEO archetypes? (27:04) What have been the most challenging situations you have faced as a chair? (28:26) How do you allocate your time as a chair? (31:15) How have you dealt with acquisitions as a chair? (32:32) What is the difference between chair leadership and CEO leadership? (37:46)  What personal development are you doing to get better as a chair? (39:48) and ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(41:24)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Annemarie Durbin is Chair at YBS. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How did you become comfortable as Chair of the Yorkshire Building Society (YBS)? (1:50) How much time did you commit, as a new chair, to YBS? (4:45) What lessons have you learnt from previous chair transitions? (7:48) How valuable was having a mentor during your chairship? (9:30) Who are some examples of good chairs you have served under? (11:15) What are some examples of bad chairing? (14:09) What are the most difficult situations you face as a chair?  (16:24) What is the difference between a subsidiary board and top co board? (18:38) How does the relationship between a CEO and a chair differ from that between a CEO and their coach? (21:00)Do coaching qualifications make you a better chair? (25:43) What are building societies? (28:11) What are the strategic threats facing Yorkshire Building Society? (33:18) Has previously being a company secretary made you a better NED? (36:40) Has the fact that you sat on a ‘sin-stock' board ever been an issue in finding new non-exec opportunities? (39:54) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(41:55)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Richard Meddings is Chair of NHS England. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What is the governance landscape of the NHS? (3:48) Which parts of the system are most interesting to get involved with as a NED? (6:17) What are the typical challenges NHS Trust board members face? (11:40) Do NHS and commercial organisations approach strategy differently? (16:01) Where have you seen NHS board members add most value? (22:02) Is the turnover of ministers a bad thing for the NHS? (31:11) How power does the NHS England board have to influence long term strategic thinking? (33:26) How did NHS England help resolve the pay dispute? (37:26) Do chairs need prior sector knowledge? (40:11) What board archetypes are NHS England looking for? (42:32) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(45:21)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

 Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup and a Professor of Business Psychology. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: How can board members add value during a CEO recruitment process? (2:05) Why do boards still hire incompetent leaders even when they know what traits and behaviours to look out for? (5:51) How should board members assess CEO's? (13:06) Are psychometric tests useful and worth using? (18:59) What assessments show if a candidate is ‘smart, driven and honest'? (25:57) How do you identify if your CEO is a psychopath? (31:51) How do you remove a narcissist from a board? (37:33) Should boards invest in leadership development for their executives? (38:50) How do you assess someone's coach-ability? (42:34) and ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(44:47)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Rain Newton-Smith is CBI CEO and NED at F&C Investment Trust. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What advice would you give to CEOs preparing for a new position? (1:45) How have you built a relationship with your Chair? (8:47) How do you ensure a distinction between the roles of CEO and Chair? (13:36) How do you decide whether to share something with your Chair? (17:17) Can you offer some examples where your board has added value to you? (20.01) How has your background as an economist helped and hindered you? (23:10) What sources of support & challenge do you use as CEO? (27:27) How have your non-exec positions informed the way you operate as CEO? (30:13) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(35:01)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

John Allan, CBE, is Co-Founder of J&A Mentoring Partners. He was Chair of Tesco PLC and also served as President of the CBI. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Why did you feel like you had to step down from your roles at Tesco and the CBI? (1:54) How should boards handle personal reputational risk? (5:15) Would you handle the situation differently now?  (7:07) When should chairs step down in a crisis? (7:57) As chair, how did you help turnaround Tesco? (10:14) How can boards balance financial returns with ethical conduct? (13:33) How did you think about strategy at Tesco? (15:48) What questions mould a good strategy? (19:39) As Chair, what frameworks do you use to help organisations with international expansion? (26:06) How did you navigate competitive threats? (28:26) How well did the Tesco board understand competition ? (32:37) How can board members get comfortable that management are on top of competitors (33:58) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(39:33)Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Pamela Dow chaired the government's Inclusion at Work Panel. She is the COO at Civic Future and former exec director at the Cabinet Office. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What were your key takeaways from the government's D&I review? (1:57) Common mistakes organisations make with DEI? (7:50) What data should inform boards decisions on DEI? (10:02) Which organisations are getting DEI right at the moment? (19:28) What are the biggest barriers to implementing D and I strategies? (26:46) Should boards get involved in politics? (30:11) What is 'HR Britain'? (34:23) And ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(40:00)    Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Alex Fish Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kolt Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Stanislav Shekshnia is a professor at INSEAD, where he directs board development programs. He is Chair of TechnoEnergy AG and has held numerous chair and director positions across the EU and US. Tune in to hear his thoughts on:  How should Chairs prepare for new roles? (1:42) What can Chairs do to build a sense of team on their boards? (5:42) What are the most effective means boards can use to assess themselves? (13:21) Do you see value in constructive disagreement on boards? (15:51) Do Chairs need industry expertise? (22:21) How do you assess facilitation skills in prospective Chairs? (25:28) How do you handle a CEO who isn't engaging with the board? (27:56) Would we be better off using professional facilitators or AI instead of Chairs? (30:39) How do you assess yourself as a Chair? (32:09) What do Chairs need to do to own the prep work? (35:38) ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(39:14)   Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Angela Seymour-Jackson is Chair of Page Group, Deputy Chair of Pikl, SID at TrustPilot Group, and NED at Future and Janus Henderson Group. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Can you describe your journey into the boardroom? (1:47) As Chair, what archetypes do you want around the board table? (6:25) What frameworks do you use to understand the range of organisations across your portfolio? (12:32) How do you understand businesses which have less obvious purposes? (17:54) How do you make sure technology is sufficiently embedded in your organisation? (20:04) How are you approaching AI specifically? (23:23) How do you identify and prioritise strategic discussion points like AI on your boards? (28:15) How do you approach CEO succession? (32:15) Are boards too reactive when it comes to succession? (39:11) ⚡The Lightning round ⚡(42:55)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Nadhim Zahawi is a former cabinet minister and Conservative Party chair. Before his parliamentary career, he founded YouGov, where he was CEO for a decade. Tune in to hear Nadhim's thoughts on: What have been your sliding doors moments in your journey into the boardroom? (1:58) How did you cut through bureaucracy with the Vaccine Task Force? (10:59) How do you deal with the court of public opinion as someone from a commercial background? (17:50) You brought in previous education secretaries as a pop-up board when you took on the role - was it effective? (24:37) Does government (and business) need a more agile means of accessing external expertise? (30:50) Should people with commercial backgrounds bother applying for government roles? (34:29)  Were there specific moments when board members created breakthroughs at YouGov? (36:56) How do you reflect on your decision to go public? (39:46)  And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(43:48) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Tamara Box is a partner at Reed Smith LLP, Chair at Interpath Advisory & The Eve Appeal, NED at Hanover Capital, and Trustee at the Chartered Management Institute. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why and how did you put in place an advisory board at Reed Smith? (2:10) Given the talent around the table, why are so many boards dysfunctional? (6:21) How did your advisory board add value to you, and where could it have added more value? (9:29) What would you do differently if you were setting up your advisory board again? (15:49) What challenges did the InterPath board face, transitioning to PE ownership? (19:03) As a board member, what heuristics do you use to understand professional services businesses? (22:21) How do you engage with the exec on vision and strategy? (27:30) How do professional services boards think about beating competition? (28:50) What opportunities did PE ownership provide you as a board? (33:18) How have you built your plural career? (36:37) As Chair, what are you looking for in candidates? (41:35) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(44:01) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Eamon Devlin is adjunct professor and associate fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, founder of Minute9, an elite sports consultancy, and co-founder of MJ Hudson, a private equity law firm. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: To what extent do board meetings resemble half-time team talks for the executive? (1:53) How do you decide who should be present at half-time, and can boards use similar criteria? (5:07) How can you get external voices into the discussion without derailing it? (6:42) What lessons can board members learn from alignment around the purpose of team talks? (8:55) What have you learnt about transitioning into team talks that could apply to board meetings? (12:22) How can boards foster the kind of experimental mindset we see in elite sport? (20:59) Can you explain how Chairs might use the ctrl-alt-delete speech in board meetings? (23:00) Do you have any other storytelling tips board members might find helpful? (28:23) Where did the board add value to you at MJ Hudson, and where could they have added more value? (34.28) What are the biggest risks boards need to be aware of when a company goes public? (37:06) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:49)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Nuala Walsh is NED at British & Irish Lions and Basketball Ireland, Chair of Innocence Project London, Founding Director of the Global Association of Behavioural Scientists and author of Tune in. Listen to hear her thoughts on: Can you bring to life, blind, dead and dumb spots - the trilogy of errors that lead to bad decisions? (2:00) If these errors are often unconscious, how can board members know if they are making them? (6:07) How can board members apply the perimeters framework to determine whether they're being impacted by their biases? (7:15) When should they use it? (13:52) Is there an antidote to these biases? (20:18) Are there examples from your own experience where you've been able to help a board think differently and reach a better decision as a result? (23:23) I once failed to prevent a deal which had backing because of interpersonal dynamics rather than economics - what could I have done differently to persuade people? (28:39) Can you reverse-engineer the perimeters framework to influence other people's decisions? (31:42) How have you built your plural career? (39:03)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(42:26) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Gerry Brown is Chair of Novaquest Capital Management and G Brown Associates. A plural Chair and NED across private equity, family and listed businesses, Gerry is co-author of three books about boards, including Disaster in the Boardroom. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Is there such a thing as a comprehensive risk checklist applicable to all boards? (2:07) How do you apply your framework of the six archetypal board dysfunctions on the boards you sit on? (4:01) With a limited number of seats, how do you ensure you get the right voices in the boardroom? (6:57) How do you bring outside voices into the boardroom? (9:04) Can you talk about the problem of the distended board at Uber? (12:27) Are some dysfunctional archetypes more prevalent than others? (16:37) What relevance do these dysfunctions have beyond big corporates? (19:48) What advice would you give a new board member who wants to challenge a successful CEO? (23:54) How do you define and measure healthy board culture? (28:50) Can you give an example where you've changed a problematic board culture? (32:42) When haven't you been able to change board culture? (34:59) How do you remove control shareholders who are damaging other stakeholders? (35:38) How do you assess independent directors as a Chair? (37:29) How do you assess integrity? (39:52) What professional development do you undertake? (40:43) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(44:12) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

When have boards added most value to you as an exec? (2:48) When was the last time your board challenged you as CEO? (5:38) How can non-execs challenge execs, without compromising trust? (7:05) How have you and the board of the Design Museum got comfortable that your 550m transformation project won't overrun? (8:52) Could you distill Amazon's ways of working and how they might apply to boards? (12:33) Can non-execs help instil good judgement in execs? (18:46) What are the other ways in which non-execs can materially impact their organisations? (25:12) How should board members be thinking about AI? (28:44) What can board members do to better undertake their environmental responsibilities? (32:44) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:11) Audience Q&A (40:57) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Ali Parsa founded Babylon Health, which he grew to a $4.1bn equity valuation in 2021 before it entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in 2023. Tune in to hear this amazing story, including Ali's thoughts on: How has your backstory, escaping Iran in the 80s, informed your approach to entrepreneurship? (2:20) How have you managed to fundraise so successfully? (3:21) What advice do you have for others who are fundraising? (8:01) How did you scale revenues so quickly?(11:24) How did you break into the right distribution channels? (15:12) How do you identify the right person at partner organisations? (16:18) Was launching in the UK rather than US a mistake? (20:40) How did you decide which markets to go after? (25:06) What can board members do to encourage better cross-functional collaboration? (28:24) What value did you get from investor-directors? (31:13) What lessons did you learn through bankruptcy? (35:44) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:39) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Amy C. Edmondson is a Professor of Leadership & Management at Harvard Business School. Ranked #1 management thinker in the world by Thinkers50, Amy has written seven books, including Right Kind of Wrong and the fearless organization. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What is psychological safety and why does it matter for board members? (1:44) Can we overcome our fear of what others think of us, even if we're aware of it? (4:02) Isn't psychological safety just a grandiose term for inclusion? (5:12) As board members, what should we be looking at to assess our organisation's psychological safety? (7:24) Are there predictable events that trigger drops in psychological safety? (10:16) How can organisations mitigate the impact of remote work on psychological safety? (13:10) How can boards increase the quality of their conversations through psychological safety? (14:14) Can you talk about “setting the stage” and specific tactics boards can use to have more candid conversations? (17:02) How do you sanction violations whilst maintaining psychological safety? (19:27) How would you advise board members to challenge execs in meetings? (24:46) How can boards decide if their CEO is a difficult genius to stick with or someone they should let go? (26:11) Where do we go wrong when thinking about failure? (28:51) When is it right to proceed via first principles versus A|B testing? (34:50) Could the boards at VW, Wells Fargo and Nokia have prevented their respective failures? (36:08) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(40:01)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Sara Weller CBE is Chair of the Money and Pension Service and former/NED at BT, Virgin Money and Lloyds Banking Group and UK Department for Work and Pensions amongst many others. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have you built a plural career across the private and public sectors? (2:04) What are the similarities and differences between the public and private sector board roles? (4:08) When should people take on their first board position? (6:25) Can you take on a role too early? (9:35) How can board candidates make themselves stand out? (11:49) Are you always the voice of the customer in the boardroom, irrespective of product? (19:24) How do you balance your personal customer experiences with big data? (22:19) How do you express challenge as a NED? (24:44) Can you talk about your own experience of disability in the boardroom? (27:07) How much time should boards allocate to think about disability? (32:13) What three things can boards do now to help disabled board members and customers? (34:03) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(36:51) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jenny Knott is NED at the British Business Bank, the UK Development Bank & SimplyHealth and Founder of FinTech Strategic Advisors Ltd. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What was your journey into the boardroom? (1:44) How did you transition from internal to independent boards? (3:50) When you were CEO, was your board your highest return on your time invested? (6:06) Do board members add more value in or outside meetings? (10:10) Who is board performance for? (12:38) Can boards really perform their monitoring function? (13:19) What do NEDs need to understand first when they come onto FS boards? (15:45) Where do they go wrong? (17:52) How can NEDs from different sectors get their heads around unfamiliar regulations? (20:06) Do start-up boards have a different relationship with regulation (versus larger firms)? (24:12) Where do they go wrong, engaging with the regulator? (26:44) What are your key value levers as a Remco member? (28:15) What would your dream incentive structure look like? (32:45) Should we include debt in compensation packages? (35:05) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:18) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Professor Renée Adams is a professor of finance at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Do popular boardroom surveys provide an accurate picture of women's underrepresentation? (0:56) Would the financial crash have happened if Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters? (3:38)  Are crises inevitable? (5:02) Are there any differences between female and male directors? (6:59) Why is our current way of thinking about the causes of female under-representation wrong? (10:19) Does adding women to your board improve shareholder value? (16:02) Are quotas effective for improving female director representation? (18:04) What are the latest boardroom myths that need debunking? (19:44) How would you build your dream board? (21:39)  ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(22:26) Audience Q&A (23:54)  Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Edwina Dunn the co-founder of dunnhumby, the data analytics company behind Tesco's Clubcard and numerous loyalty programs worldwide. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What were the key value adds of the dunnhumby board? (0:50) How did you manage to land the transformative deal with Tesco? (3:14) How did it feel when you landed the deal? (6:54) How did you get comfortable making one big bet on one customer? (7:56) Why were Tesco happy to share their sensitive data with you and not others? (9:36) Did  your investor directors add any value? (12:42) What was the board's role in your growth? (16:20) When and how did you break into new markets? (19:16) Did all the markets work out equally well? (20:16) How did you make sure you got the best deals in your strategic partnerships? (22:20) Did you get your pricing right? (23:41) If you'd had a board, do you think it would have been able to add more value to you on that journey? (28:37) What was the single biggest value add of your independent director? (31:27) How did you do your exit? (34:58) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:22)  Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Nick Jenkins is Founder and former CEO of Moonpig, former Dragon on Dragon's Den, Chair of Virtualstock, NED at Green Energy Options and Trustee at Operation Fistula. Nick has recently founded the South Wilts Ski Club, an infinity ski slope in Wiltshire. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What were your key sources of support and challenge in the early days at Moonpig? (2:26) How did you pick your first investor-directors? (4:40) What distinctive value did each of your investor-directors bring? (5:42) How did you keep going when your investors told you it wasn't going to work? (7:06) How did you unlock the value of your board? (8:14) What was the biggest disagreement you had with the board? (9:05) Can you talk through your transition from Founder to Exec Chair? (10:01) How did you strike the balance between autonomy and oversight for your successor? (11:34) How do you add value as a NED today? (13:10) What advice do you have for those trying to scale a successful culture? (13:51) As a board member, how do you make sure organisations make the best use of data? (17:09) Why did you choose repeat rate as your north star metric at Moonpig? (19:32) Should all businesses have north star metrics? (20:09) How do you assess business plans as a board member? (22:18) How important is it to hit business plan targets? (24:53) Would your CEOs say your boards are the highest return on their time invested? (26:13) How do you help your businesses spot opportunities as a board member? (28:47) How do you help them identify their growth levers? (33:52) ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(39:57)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Dame Alison Carnwath is Audit Committee Chair at EG Group and Asda, NED at PACCAR and Coller Capital, Chair of Livingbridge Strategic Advisory Board and Senior Advisor at Evercore. She was formerly Chair at Land Securities. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What was your journey into the boardroom? (2:22) How did you transition to new sectors as a NED? (4:08) How do you determine what the critical issues are as a board member? (9:23) Do you ask for information about why employees leave the company? (12:04) What do you see as the best board structure? (13:34) What are your guiding principles for thinking about executive compensation? (17:12) How have you learnt to deal with non-unanimous agreement in the boardroom? (21:52) How did you navigate the financial crisis as chair of Land Securities? (26:01) What was the dynamic between you, the CEO and the rest of the board in that situation? (31:37) As Chair, what were your sources of support and challenge? (32:52) ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(34:59) Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will Felton Music: Kate Mac Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Joy Harcup is an executive coach and board reviewer at Praesta Partners and author of The Art & Psychology of Board Relationships. Dame Una O'Brien is on the boards of Lloyd's Register Museum and Ashmolean Museum. A former Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health, she is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Government. Tune in to hear their thoughts on: Can you explain the 7 archetypal negative dynamics you've identified? (2:53) Can you talk through how some of the specific archetypes have played out for you in the boardroom? (8:46) Can we use the above example to look at the psychology of see-sawing? (12:21) What do the terms “projection”, “transference” and “pairing” mean in a boardroom context? (16:55) What would you say to those who dismiss these ideas as psychobabble? (19:21) Can you give a boardroom example where you have resolved someone's projection? (21:34) How have you experienced the doomsday scenario in the boardroom? (24:45) Can you talk through the “stand-off” dynamic in boardrooms? (33:50) ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(36:50) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at London Business School, best-selling author of The Shift and The Hundred Year Life, Advisor at Pictet Group and Skills Builder, and Founder of HSM Advisory. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How can board members help execs redesign work to create a competitive advantage? (2:49) Can every organisation have purpose and meaning? (4:38) Can you talk through your idea of different “modes” of work? (5:47) Do you have any data on the optimum mix of remote versus in-person work? (9:28) Given the lack of data, should board members encourage execs to experiment? (13:22) How can boards balance individual and structural factors when designing work? (15:46) How do you ensure fairness across teams when structuring work? (20:41) How do you use personas when thinking about internal talent? (22:50)  What patterns do you see in organisations redesigning work effectively? (25:12) Where do you see them going wrong? (27:21) Why isn't there a clearer link between poor CEO behaviour and share price? (28:03) Are those who redesign work to be more employee-focused at risk of losing out to those who don't? (32:34) What key levers can board members focus on to help execs learn and develop? (34:47) How should board members think about investing in managers? (37:40)⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(39:32) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Lord Mervyn Davies is Chair of LetterOne, the LTA, Glyndebourne Opera and a variety of high growth companies and SID at Teneo. Formerly, he was a Labour peer and Minister of State and CEO of Standard Chartered plc. As Standard Chartered CEO, was the board a help or hindrance? (1:42) What are the key lessons you've learnt from mentors? (3:03) What were the biggest strategic challenges you faced, and how did the board help? (4:53) As a CEO, did you get better at getting value from your boards? (8:50) How should CEOs prepare for board meetings? (10:18) What would your biggest boardroom critics say you got wrong? (11:27) What happened at LetterOne after Russia invaded Ukraine? (15:18) How do you manage stress, with such a full portfolio? (19:28) How did you decide to stay rather than leave at LetterOne, and how did you persevere? (21:02) What did you learn about communication through the crisis? (24:34) What did you learn through the crisis at Garden Bridge Trust? (28:44) What did it teach you about media relations? (31:52)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(33:39) Audience Q&A (37:23) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Vicky Gosling is Chair of GB Surfing, Board Director at the British Olympic Association, Board Member at Invictus Games UK, and CEO of GB Snowsport. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What was your strategy for developing such an elite program at GB Snowsport, given the lack of resources? (0:48) How did you do things differently to your competitors? (3:11) Would you have made the same decision if you had unlimited funding? (9:05) How has the board helped on the GB Snowsports journey? (11:57) Has the board ever been a hindrance? (14:10) How do you strike a balance between constructive and unconstructive tension? (15:09) As a CEO, what have you learnt about Chair transitions? (18:55)  What are the most valuable things your board could have offered you as CEO? (21:20) How do you manage being a Chair and CEO at the same time? (25:43) Any tips for those looking to get roles on sport boards? (29:31) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:01)Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Mary Ann Sieghart is SID at Pantheon International plc, Remco Chair at Guardian Media Group and best-selling author of The Authority Gap. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What is the authority gap? (0:56) What would you say to those who challenge the idea women are taken less seriously than men? (2:15) Why should men close the authority gap, apart from it being the right thing to do? (8:16) Why has the authority gap developed in the first place? (11:12) Why aren't more organisations making the most of the arbitrage opportunity of female talent? (15:52) Why hasn't the market corrected the authority gap? (17:38) How does the authority gap manifest on boards? (20:26) What can board members do to counteract their bias? (22:27) How can boards assess their inclusivity? (25:09) Have you come across organisations that have closed the authority gap successfully? (27:55) What can men do to promote female voices in the boardroom? (30:45) Do men and women add different value to boards? (33:22) What have been the highlights and lowlights of the board dynamics you've experienced? (38:22) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:09) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Cedi Frederick is Chair of NHS Kent & Medway and the Centre for Healthy & Empowered Communities, and NED at Sage Homes and Impact Healthcare REIT plc. Tune in to hear his answers to: What does work on a housing association board involve? (0:47) Practically, how does the Sage Homes board add value? (4:50) What risks do you worry about most on Housing Association boards? (9:38) What are the rewards of being on a Housing Association board? (12:46) What are your key areas of focus on NHS Trust boards? (15:10) Does the government need to spend more on healthcare? (19:01) What advice do you have for people with commercial backgrounds who want to join NHS Trust boards? (22:55) Have you ever felt discrimination in the boardroom? (26:27) Where have you seen the most positive impact of diversity? (28:28) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(31:19)  Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Dr Isabel Fernandez-Mateo is a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School, where she holds the Adecco Chair. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: What have you learned about rejections that those involved in board hiring should be aware of? (0:53) Have you noticed any demographic differences? (3:11) What are the practical implications for organisations hiring board members? (4:02) How can applicants get the most out of rejections? (5:09) Does an organisation's rejection process impact its performance? (7:17) What are the most common barriers to gender diversity? (9:16) What can board members do to remove them? (12:05) What data do boards need to diagnose and address the problem? (14:47) How do organisations know what their demographic targets should be? (15:53) How should boards define someone's qualifications for a role? (18:38) Why should board members be more aware of their organisation's internal professional relationships? (20:15) How can board members monitor these relationships? (22:00) What would you say to those who feel that relationships should be measured by gut, rather than analytics and data? (24:12) What are the ways in which relationships are influencing career outcomes which would be most surprising for our listeners? (25:33) How can people identify which relationships to invest in? (27:34) What is people analytics, and where do people get it wrong? (29:24) Do you have any examples of best practice? (34:17) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(36:09) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Dan Gardner is the international best-selling author of Superforecasting, How Big Things Get Done, Risk and Future Babble. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are the key things boards need to get things done on time, within budget? (1:06) Can you explain how board members can “build with lego”? (4:25) What would you say to boards that don't have climate risk at the top of their agenda? (7:16) How does our emotional response impact our assessment of risk? (10:44) When should board members use their gut, and when, their intuition? (18:01) Does gender impact risk perception, and what are the boardroom implications? (20:39) How do the availability, anchoring and representative heuristics impact our decision making? (25:17) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:26) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Dan Gardner is the international best-selling author of Superforecasting, How Big Things Get Done, Risk and Future Babble. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are the key insights from Superforecasting for board members? (1:15) Can you expand on the idea of probabilistic thinking? (10:00) Practically, how can board members apply concepts like epistemic humility and base rates to their decision making? (12:56) Can board members be victims of their own success? (14:43) Do people account sufficiently for luck in previous successes? (17:04) How can boards make sure members get sufficient feedback on their decisions? (20:53) How can boards assess a prospective member's judgement? (23:55) Why do smart people consistently underestimate the costs of projects, especially fat tail risks? (25:01) How can board members use base rates for IT and building projects to challenge and support? (31:52) Have you established any base rates for budgeting? (37:51) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Sir Nigel Rudd is former/Chair of Pendragon plc, Pilkington, Invensys plc, Heathrow Airport, Business Growth Fund, Signature Aviation plc and Meggitt plc. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Are listed boards entrepreneurial enough? (1:15) Why has private equity superseded conglomerates? (3:08) Should board members have skin in the game? (5:40) How do you approach negotiations? (8:51) How do you think about risk? (12:50) How do you assess business propositions? (15:26) How do you think about strategic acquisitions? (17:26) What should board members do if the board isn't listening to them? (21:14) What have you learnt about Chair succession? (23:19) About CEO succession? (25:41) And about the Chair-CEO relationship? (28:49) How do you develop strategy? (29:49) Do Chairs need sector knowledge? (31:23) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:26) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Lucy Walker is Chair at Aurora Investment Trust plc, SID at Henderson International Income Trust plc, Audit & Risk Committee Member at SportsAid and Founder at AM Insights. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why did you build a non-exec portfolio so early in your career? (0:34) How have different kinds of pro bono roles helped you in your non-exec career? (3:51) How did you transition from pro bono to paid roles? (6:38) What have been the biggest challenges for you as a relatively young non-exec? (8:54) How can investment trusts reach younger retail investors? (10:54) Should investment trusts be going direct to consumers? (13:12) How are you thinking about the cost of shareholder acquisition? (14:46) What value do the boards add at Aurora and Henderson? (16:05) What process do you use to develop strategy? (19:24) Is there ever tension between what shareholders want and what will produce the best returns? (25:38) How would you assess a potential merger? (29:27) Any tips for others wanting to transition from NED to Chair? (31:14) As a Chair, what are you looking for in prospective board members? (33:46) Can you walk me through a board skills matrix you've done recently? (35:26) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:17)Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Suranga Chandratillake OBE is General Partner at Balderton Capital, where he sits on nine portfolio company boards, Advisory Board Member at Cambridge University Endowment Fund and Founder of Blink, which he took public and achieved a market cap of $1bn. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What role did the board play in your highs and lows as a Founder? (0:41) Where did the board add most value for you? (1:56) What were the biggest highs with the board? (3:44) What were the biggest lows? (6:40) What advice do you have for Founders / CEOs, pre-exit? (8:35) What makes a good and bad investor director? (10:37) How can CEOs deal with bad investor directors? (13:32)  When should investor-directors swap out? (17:58) What have you learnt about investor-directors through tough recent times? (20:14) What lessons can we learn to make sure investor-directors don't flip into panic mode? (22:59) How can boards help CEOs make tough decisions? (26:46) When should business first have boards? (29:39) What's your playbook for selecting Chairs? (31:06) And⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:42)Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Rebecca Robins is Founder & CEO of a consultancy at the intersection of brand, culture and leadership, lecturer at Cambridge University, advisor at Chartered Management Institute and Quilt.AI, and former NomCom Chair at EY Foundation. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Can you summarise what you see as the five generations opportunity? (0:57) What can we do to foster more intergenerational collaboration? (3:13) What role do respect and humility play? (6:49) Practically, how can boards get the benefit of younger perspectives? (11:30) Why did you start the next gen board at Interbrand? (17:10) What were the challenges? (22:04) What lessons can we learn from next gen boards at the FT and Pentland Group? (27:25) Where do next gen boards go wrong? (33:34) How would you advocate for the opportunities of next gen boards? (36:20) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:45)Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Evan Epstein is host of the Boardroom Governance podcast, #1 governance podcast in the US, executive director at the Centre for Business Law, adjunct professor at University of California Law and founder and managing partner at Pacifica Global. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: What are your top five insights from your podcast guests? (0:54) What level of involvement do board members need to be non-amateurs? (3:52) What is the value of independent board members? (5:27) Can you talk about Tyler Shultz's insight “fraud is not a trade secret”? (10:05) What lessons can board members take from Theranos? (15:59) How would you sell governance to a sceptical CEO? (18:49) What went wrong at Open AI? (21:51) What could the Open AI board have done differently? (28:01) What patterns do you see in silicon valley governance explosions? (30:43) What options do boards have with high-risk, high-return Founders? (33:02) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:06) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Priya Guha is a venture partner at Merian Ventures, NED at Herald Investment Trust, Digital Catapult, and Reach plc, and Chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the UK amongst many others! Tune in to hear her thoughts on: Why have you built your portfolio career? (2:34) What were the biggest challenges of moving into a non-exec career? (5:29) What role have expertise spikes played in your applications? (6:49) What are the key challenges you've faced on listed boards, and what have you learned? (8:03) What value does your investment trust board add to the manager? (10:06) As a tech expert, how are you thinking about AI and LLMs on your boards? (11:32) What should non tech-experts be reading to get up to speed? (14:03) Can you compare your government and listed roles? (15:01) Why do you do government roles? (16:49) How do startup boards compare with government and listed? (17:52) How can boards do more to support female founders? (19:56) How do your advisory roles compare to your fiduciary ones? (25:04) Why do you do non-profit roles? (26:35) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(29:19) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Jim Strang is Chair at HgCapital Trust, Adjunct Professor at London Business School, Senior Advisor at Bain & Company, Verdane and CVC Capital Partners, and NED at Pictet Alternative Advisors and BGF Group. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: How does the HgCapital Trust board add value? (2:18) Where do your interests/risk appetites potentially diverge from HgCapital's? (3:35) What are the different products you're considering, and how do you assess their potential value? (4:48) How do you review strategy and performance? (6:20) How do you think about how you will win? (8:30) When would you consider changing your investment manager? (12:27) How do you think about risk? (14:13) In the face of growing geopolitical risk, what options do boards have? (17:58) How can boards react to the risk concentration in cloud computing? (19:15)  Where can investment trust boards add value in terms of accounting policies? (22:15) As a Chair, how concerned are you with valuations of portfolio companies? (24:01) What are the things to look at for, which you've got wrong in the past? (26:55) How do you get comfortable with revenue recognition policies? (28:11) How do you think about board composition and succession planning? (29:42) How are you thinking about discount to NAV? (33:28) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(34:55) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Dr Smart is Chair and Founder of GH Smart, a global leadership advisory, which has published three bestselling books: Who? A Method for Hiring, The CEO Next Door, and PowerScore. Tune in to hear his answers to: Where do boards go wrong with hiring?  (0:57) Why do boards continue to over-rely on gut feelings and referrals? (2:36) How can boards embrace diverse candidates, without relying on hypothetical questions at interviews? (5:10) What's best practice for drafting role scorecard briefs? (8:44) Why don't organisations search more thoroughly when they hire board members? (13:11) Can you talk through the four interviews that constitute your selection process? (19:21) Can you outline the “Who” and “Focus” interviews? (24:19) What do you think of cognitive ability and psychometric testing? (33:43) What do you think of job specific testing? (37:52) Why doesn't the disclaimer “past performance is no guarantee of future results” apply to individuals? (39:12) And ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(41:40) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Paul Pester is Chair at Tandem Bank, NED at National Bank of Bahrain and former CEO of Virgin Money and TSB Banking Group. Tune in to hear Paul's thoughts on: Where did the Virgin Money board add most value to you as CEO? (2:07) Can you talk about the rotating Chair concept? (3:44) Where could the board have added more value to you? (4:52) How did the Santander board help during the banking crisis? (7:56) How much detail should board members get into? (11:03) Why do things go wrong, in spite of experienced boards? (15:03) What keeps you awake at night as a board member? (17:17) How can boards impact company culture? (20:23) Are there quantitative frameworks boards can use to work on culture? (26:14) Do you have data that demonstrates how brand impacts revenue? (27:41) How did you start your board career? (31:23) How do you understand the role of the board? (33:10) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(35:45) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides

Shuo Chen is an investor, board member and faculty member at IOVC, Stanford, UC Berkeley, EY, California Mental Health Commission, Google Female Founders, Reed Smith, Forbes China and Decode amongst others. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have you built your plural career? (2:36) How should board members be thinking about the future of work? (7:34) What are the practical implications of fractional work for board members? (10:13) How can boards tread the line between diversification and di-worsification? (13:02) How should boards be thinking about AI? (16:57) How should boards think about innovation/value capture versus focus? (28:20) What's your experience of boards as an entrepreneur? (34:28)  Where have you seen start-up boards add and destroy most value? (37:03) ⚡ The Lightning Round ⚡(40:43) Show notes and transcript available at https://www.nurole.com/news-and-guides