Shows
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole139. Fiona Hathorn: How and why to get board roles: mastering applications, transitioning to paid roles and building a plural careerFiona Hathorn is CEO and co-founder of Women on Boards UK, now known as WB Directors and recently acquired by Nurole. Listen to the conversation to hear about: What motivated Fiona to help more women get board roles (1:40); One woman’s success story that illustrates how to get board roles (5:32); The benefits of taking on external board positions as an executive (8:15); The biggest misconception CEOs and CHROs have about board positions (16:02); The most common challenges faced by board members today (18:35); Why culture is such a challenge for boards and what to do about it (21:24); Key advice for those at th...
2025-09-1041 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole99. Sara Weller CBE - Building a plural career across the private and public sectors, representing customers and disability in the boardroomSara 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? (
2024-12-1143 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole98. Jenny Knott - Compensation, breaking into new sectors and adding value as a board memberJenny 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...
2024-12-0444 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole97. Professor Renée Adams - 6 myths about female board membersProfessor 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 impro...
2024-11-2730 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole96. Edwina Dunn OBE - how the board added value to dunnhumby, the company behind Tesco’s clubcardEdwina 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
2024-11-2041 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole95. Nick Jenkins - How NEDs add value to high-growth businesses: the board’s role in Moonpig’s successNick 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 go...
2024-11-1345 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole94. Dame Alison Carnwath - Breaking into new sectors, setting remuneration and managing crises in the boardroomDame 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...
2024-11-0639 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole93. Joy Harcup & Dame Una O’Brien - The art & psychology of board relationshipsJoy 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 abov...
2024-10-3042 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole92. Professor Lynda Gratton - How boards can help redesign workLynda 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 boar...
2024-10-2343 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole91. Lord Mervyn Davies - Navigating crises in the boardroomLord 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 bo...
2024-10-1641 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole90. Vicky Gosling OBE - Sport BoardsVicky 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...
2024-10-0935 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole89. Mary Ann Sieghart - How women are taken less seriously than men, and what boards can do about itMary 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 ta...
2024-10-0239 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole88. Cedi Frederick - Building a board portfolio: housing association & NHS trust boardsCedi 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...
2024-09-2538 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole87. Isabel Fernandez-Mateo - Rejections & professional relationships in the boardroomDr 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...
2024-09-1839 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole86. Dan Gardner (part two) - how boards get big things doneDan 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 g...
2024-09-1140 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole85. Dan Gardner (part one) - superforecasting and fat tail risksDan 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...
2024-09-0441 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole84. Sir Nigel Rudd - A Chairman’s TaleSir 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 th...
2024-08-2837 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole83. Lucy Walker - Chairing investment trusts & building a non-exec portfolioLucy 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? (
2024-08-2142 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole82. Suranga Chandratillake - Startup boards and investor directorsSuranga 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...
2024-08-1440 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole81. Rebecca Robins - Next Generation BoardsRebecca 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...
2024-08-0843 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole80. Evan Epstein - Governance disasters: cautionary tales from Silicon Valley’s boardsEvan 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 member...
2024-08-0144 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole79. Priya Guha MBE - Board opportunities: a comparison of listed, government, start-up, charity and advisory board rolesPriya 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 in...
2024-07-2434 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole78. Jim Strang, HgCapital Trust Chair - Investment Trust Boards: managers, risk, valuations & discountsJim 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) Wh...
2024-07-1737 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole77. Dr Geoff Smart, ghSMART Founder - How to hire board members and CEOsDr 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 selec...
2024-07-1045 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole76. Paul Pester - Hard & soft impact: economics, culture and detail in the boardroomPaul 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 bo...
2024-07-0339 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole75. Shuo Chen - Boards and the future: going plural, encouraging innovation, adding value to entrepreneurs, and preparing for the future of workShuo 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...
2024-06-2646 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole74. Dominic Joseph - Boards for founders: how boards add the most value to high-growth companiesDominic Joseph co-founded Captify, the world’s second largest independent holder of search data, after Google. Now a plural NED and Chair of tech scale-ups, Dominic is also founding partner at Creative Capital Ventures Group, a growth consultancy for post Series-A companies. Tune in to his discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: When and why did you first have a board at Captify? (2:15) How did you set your first board up? (4:00) What kind of value did board members bring individually versus as a group? (4:41) What was the balance be...
2024-06-1938 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole73. Anne de Kerckhove - Technology boards: growth, nominations, the role of the SID and getting board rolesAnne de Kerckhove is Chair of Eagle Eye Solutions, and SID & Committee Chair at 888 Holdings and Blackbird plc. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: How have your exec successes at SAAS scale-ups informed your non-exec work? (2:23) What are the key metrics boards need to focus on? (3:54) How much detail should boards ask for? (5:44) What do boards need to focus on for acquisitions? (6:49) Why do people underestimate how long mergers take? (8:33) What do you wish you’d known when you started international expansion? (9:20) What are the common mi...
2024-06-1240 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole72. Lord Charles Allen - The Chair-CEO dynamic: the most important relationship in the boardroomLord Charles Allen, Baron Allen of Kensington, CBE, is Chair of Moelis & Co, Balfour Beatty Plc, Global Media & Entertainment Group, and The Invictus Games. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: As a CEO and NED, what have you learnt from your Chairs which you now replicate as a Chair? (2:26) What are the bad Chair examples you’ve learnt from? (5:39) What have been your most challenging experiences hiring and firing the CEO? (8:04) How do you evaluate incumbent CEOs? (10:07) What role do your NEDs play in...
2024-06-0645 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole71. John Maltby - Chairing: getting the role, performing, and hiring your successorJohn Maltby is Chair of Allica Bank, Max Nicholas Renewables, and The West Brom Building Society and NED at Nordea. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his responses to: Can you talk through your transition from CEO to Chair? (2:07) What bad Chair experiences did you learn from? (4:47) What did you do to prepare for the role? (8:54) Do Chairs need prior experience in their firm’s sector? (11:13) Why should firms not go for Chairs who have done exactly what they’re looking for before? (14:11) What are the essential things organisations need to look for when hirin...
2024-05-3139 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole70. Dawn Marriott - Chairing high-growth companies: getting the best from CEOs, investor-directors and NEDsDawn Marriott is a partner at HG, a private equity firm, where she Chairs two portfolio companies. A serial PE Chair, Dawn is also a board member at Geomatikk and Aztecs, where she was formerly CEO. Tune in to Dawn’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: What’s the role of a Scale-Up Board? (2:21) As a Chair, do you have a particular methodology to draw value out of board members? (4:23) Practically, how do you assess the contributions of each board member? (6:20) How do you think about new boar...
2024-05-2241 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole69. Alexander Denny, AIC Committee Chair - Investment trust boards: managing managers, defining moats, addressing discounts, and building a plural careerAlex Denny is Committee Chair at the Association of Investment Companies and Trustee at the Nautical Archeology Society. He is a former Managing Director at Pantheon Ventures and Head of Investment Trusts at Fidelity International. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: Can you give us an overview of the investment trust sector and its appeal for board members? (2:06) What are the hallmarks of the best and worst investment trust boards you’ve seen? (5:32) How many board members are brave enough to split with eponymous fund managers? (...
2024-05-1539 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole68. Baroness Helena Morrissey - Taking a stand: how board members can challenge successfullyBaroness Morrissey is former/Chair of Altum Group, Fidelis Insurance Group, Investment Industry Diversity Project, AJ Bell and The Investment Association. In this conversation with Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, she answers: Did you see the fee issues at St James’s Place coming? (1:42) How can board members challenge the status quo successfully? (5:52) How do you decide when to stand down and when to dig in? (12:00) What do you know now which you wish you’d known at the beginning of your non-exec career? (13:36) As a board member, how do you build hone...
2024-05-0843 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole67. Alex Edmans - Lies in the boardroom: the stories, studies and statistics that mislead boardsAlex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School, Member of the Sustainability Council of Novo Nordsik, and author of Many Contain Lies. In this conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings, Alex covers: Do diverse boards lead to better corporate culture and performance? (1:44) Where have diversity-performance studies gone wrong? (3:37) Does inclusion have an impact on performance? (6:05) Why don’t you think anyone has managed to prove the positive impact of diversity on company performance? (7:01) Does good corporate governance improve performance? (10:11) Do boards work? (12:01) Do financial incentives wo...
2024-04-3045 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole66. Sir Richard Dearlove, former Mi6 Chief - Intelligence: managing information, experts and the court of public opinion in the boardroomSir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE is a former Mi6 Chief, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Advisory Board member at American International Group, and Chair at Ascot Underwriting, to name a few. In this conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings, Sir Richard covers: How do you make sure you are receiving accurate information from execs? (1:41) What lessons did you learn from the implosion of AIG? (4:16) What are the most valuable lessons you can offer someone on a government board, based on your experience working with politicians? (7:40) How can board members manage the court of...
2024-04-1738 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole65. Stuart Roden - Investors in the boardroom: getting the right CEO, capital allocation, and adding value as former investorsStuart Roden is Chair / former Chair of Lansdowne Partners, Hetz Ventures, Lewis Advisors, Tresidor, the Design Museum and Unlocking Potential, NED at LSE and Trustee at the National Gallery and Centre for Social Justice. In this conversation with Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, Stuart covers: When you were an investor, did the quality of the board come into your investment evaluation? (1:34) Do boards justify their costs? (4:48) Do you think the board is more about governance than value creation? (8:15) Where and why have you made mistakes, hiring the CEO? (12:38) How do you build t...
2024-04-1038 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole64. Baroness Dambisa Moyo - Boardroom surprises: black swans, dual-track strategising and marketing yourself as an unconventional board memberBaroness Dambisa Moyo is a current board member of Chevron and Conde Nast, investment committee member of the Oxford University Endowment, and co-principal of Versaca Investments. Join her and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a conversation which covers: Which of your boardroom experiences have been the most challenging? (1:44) How do the best boards deal with uncertainty and risk? (4:31): How do you think about the Risk Committee? (12:43) What do you know now which you wish you’d known when you first entered the boardroom? (14:32) How aligned are board members on the role of...
2024-04-0344 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole63. Roger Martin - Board failure (2/2): the board’s role in assessing and communicating strategy and hiring strategically-minded non-execsRoger Martin, ranked the world's #1 management thinker, considers the following in the second part of his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings: What is the board’s role in developing strategy? (2:13) What is the board’s role in communicating strategy across an organisation? (7:37) Do you think every organisation has the potential to build a winning strategy, or are some lost causes? (11:20) How can boards hire the best people? (21:49) and ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(23:01) Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton E...
2024-03-2634 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole62. Roger Martin - Board failure (1/2): why boards are worst when they need to be best, where they still add value, and the lost art of strategyRoger Martin, ranked the world's #1 management thinker, has advised the boards of Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, BHP, Verizon and more. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Do you see value in boards? (2:06) Where do you see value in NFP and private, investor-backed boards? (5:13) Can boards perform their monitoring function effectively? (10:05) Why do you think boards struggle to perform their stewardship role? (11:26) How do the best boards think about strategy? (17:33) How can boards determine whether their strategy will win? (18:53) Are there a finite number of ways organisations...
2024-03-1933 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole61. Cathy Turner - Building a plural board career: how to network effectively, develop expertise spikes, overcome uncertainty and position yourself as a candidateIn recent years, Cathy has built a broad plural career at listed companies, with current NED positions at Lloyds Banking Group plc, Rentokil plc and Spectris plc. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her thoughts on: How did you get your first NED position? (1:50) How did you turn that first position into a plural career? (7:55) To what extent has your performance in current positions created more non-exec opportunities in the future? (11:28) What have been the most challenging moments in building your non-exec career? (14:55) Where do...
2024-03-1236 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole60. Dr Sabine Dembkowski - Board reviews: how to make board effectiveness reviews effectiveDr Dembkowski has led board reviews for firms across the FTSE 100 and DAX amongst others, and her academic work on the subject is internationally recognised and peer-reviewed. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her thoughts on: Why do a board review? (1:38) Are private companies less inclined to board review, and if so, why? (4:29) What do you say to those who think board reviews are ineffective and overpriced? (6:29) Where do boards most commonly go wrong with reviews? (8:39) What is the most important data to capture in...
2024-03-0542 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole59. Anand Aithal, Cabinet Office Lead Non-Exec - Building a board portfolio: listed, government and charity boardsOn top of his Cabinet Office role, Anand is a NED at Saga plc, Polar Capital Holdings plc and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his thoughts on: Was being a portfolio NED always the plan? (1:03) What advice do you have for people in the early stages of their board careers? (1:57) Pre-interview, how did you make yourself stand out as a candidate? (4:00) What role did your entrepreneurial background play in your applications? (6:03) Are the same things that helped you...
2024-02-2641 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole58. Andrew Tyler, portfolio PE Chair - Becoming the Chair (III): getting the role, developing through self-assessment and operating in complex stakeholder environmentsAndrew is Chair of a series of investor-backed businesses, including Ainscough Crane Hire, Winoa Group, Joloda, Detertech, ETL Systems, Hydraroll and Senior Advisor at Blackstone Credit. Tune in to his discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: What inspired you to move from CEO to Chair, and how did you prepare for it? (1:43) How have you identified and got the most from mentors? (4:23) What prompted you to do a self-assessment as a Chair? (11:31) What lessons have you applied from the self-assessment? (16:52) How do you navigate complex stakeholder d...
2024-02-1934 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole57. Jennifer Sundberg - Collective intelligence: the remits, thinking and communication styles that define the most valuable boardsAs CEO of Board Intelligence, Jennifer Sundberg has seen what works and what doesn’t across thousands of boards - insights crystallised in her recent book Collective Intelligence. Listen to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Do boards still matter? (0:46) How can we determine which decisions need to be made by the board? (2:16) How can boards measure their organisation’s collective intelligence? (5:33) What does critical thinking look like in board papers? (7:27) How can board members encourage execs to do more critical thinking? (8:58) Ha...
2024-02-0842 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole56. Sir Nicholas Coleridge CBE DL- Managing change: how boards can steer institutions through ups and downsSir Nicholas is Chair / former Chair of Historic Royal Palaces, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Fashion Council, Professional Publishers Association, Condé Nast Britain and Provost-Designate at Eton College. Tune in to hear his answers to: As a Chair, where have you been most and least effective leading through difficult times? (1:25); How did you know you could handle rapid expansion at Conde Nast? (8:14); When you were Chair of Conde Nast International, how did the board think about cost-cutting? (16:33); What do you think about voluntary redundancy, and how do you balance the welfare of those staying w...
2024-02-0148 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole55. Wais Shaifta - CEOs: how the best boards and advisors add value to their most senior executiveWais is CEO / former CEO of PrivateDoc and Push Doctor, and NED & Committee Chair at Snappy Shopper, Reach Plc and The Gym Group. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: How did the Push Doctor board add most value to you as CEO? (1:24) Did you ever get frustrated by board members from big business not understanding the realities of early-stage organisations? (3:58) How did you keep your board engaged? (7:13) How did the board add value beyond their contributions to revenue? (9:54) How have the best boards...
2024-01-2540 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole54. Ann Francke OBE - Management: how boards can quantify the value of better leadership, work with mercurial CEOs and balance managerial and technical competenceAs CEO of the Chartered Management Institute for over a decade, Ann Francke has spent some time thinking about what good management looks like and how organisations achieve it. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: How can we know that investing in leadership causes high-performance, rather than there just being correlation? (1:31) If investment into management training produces better outcomes, why are market forces not dictating more investment? (5:22) As a board member, how do you handle a visionary CEO who’s a bad manager? (9:13) If yo...
2024-01-1846 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole53. Hamilton Helmer - Strategy: how boards can use the “7 Powers” to sustain performance in the face of competitionHow can boards help businesses keep hold of the value they create? In “7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy”, Hamilton identifies seven powers organisations can develop to protect themselves from competition. Listen to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover how you can use them as a board member. Hear Hamilton’s answers to: Why are your insights in 7 Powers relevant to board members? (1:58) How do the best boards define strategy? (5:20) How can they use the 7 Powers to inform their strategic input? (13:01) How can boards understand their competitors’ power? (16:51) How can...
2024-01-1153 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole52. Sarah Flannigan - Trustee to NED to Chair: creating a board profile, transitioning to paid roles and building a value-driven portfolio career as a NED and ChairSarah is Chair of Bionic, Yeo Valley, Riverford Organic Farmers and Sawdays and Senior Advisor at OMERS Private Equity. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Why did you take on your first board roles whilst you were still a busy non-exec? (1:33) What do you know now which you wish you’d learnt then? (4:17) What was the biggest surprise of the boardroom? (7:09) In what ways did your exec and non-exec roles inform each other? (9:09) Did you consciously decide to leave your exec career an...
2023-12-1946 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole51. Martin Gilbert, Aberdeen Asset Management Co-Founder - Support (& challenge): how the best boards embrace mistakes, look to the future, and support fund managers and CEOsMartin sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to consider: How did the board add value during Aberdeen’s organic growth? (1:45) How did the board help through acquisitions? (3:45) How have you learnt from your mistakes? (7:35) How did you balance instinct with analysis? (8:54) How does the board’s role at Revolut compare to Aberdeen? (12:19) Has the world become less forgiving, and what can boards do to help? (17:30) Why do you take on roles at listed companies? (19:26) What value can CEO-NEDs add to boards (and vice versa)? (22...
2023-12-1246 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole50. Professor Andrew Kakabadse - Control, service and strategy: why boards are more important than ever, and how they need to change to add valueProfessor Kakabadse, one of Harvard Business Review’s most influential management gurus, has spent a lifetime working with boards, publishing 45 books and 250 scholarly articles on the subject. Tune in to his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: How do you define and measure the board’s role and effectiveness? (0:57) Can you unpack the meaning of “board stewardship”, with examples? (5:07) How can boards build requisite psychological resilience? (11:35) How can Chairs manage domineering board members? (16:14) What can board members do where they feel impeded by governance?(19:23) Where can...
2023-11-2856 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole49. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia - From seed to public: the board’s role in two entrepreneurial success storiesDame Jayne-Anne Gadhia has worked with boards from most angles, across every business stage. Tune in to her discussion with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings as she reflects on her journeys with Snoop and Virgin Money, and hear her answers to: How have you thought about fundraising for Snoop? (1:29) When and why did you first create a board? (6:01) How did your investor directors add value? (7:59) Were the boards more than just rubber ducks? (10:35) How have the best boards and Chairs provided you with support? (13:06) How do you think about getting...
2023-11-2148 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole48. Matthew Newcombe-Ellis Becoming a Chair (II): assessing the role, working with passion, structuring meetings and fundraisingAfter fifteen years as an investment banker, Matt joined the board of Prostate Cancer Research. Two years later, he was Chair - a job he now does full time. What made him make the leap? Tune in to Matt’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear his answers to: What advice would you have for someone considering becoming a Chair? (1:36) How did you prepare for your Chair role? (3:36) Why did you want to become a charity Chair, given the risks? (6:29) How can you add the most value as a Cha...
2023-11-1448 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole47. Roger Parry - Becoming the Chair (I): preparing for the role, managing stakeholders, developing strategy and hiring the right NEDsDo you aspire to Chair your board? Or better understand how your Chair thinks? Uber NED Roger Parry sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on his 20+ years chairing global organisations like YouGov and Future Publishing. Tune in to hear his answers to the following questions: How do you prepare to become a Chair? (1:24) What are the different Chair archetypes, and are some better than others? (3:54) Can you become a Chair without being a CEO or CFO? (8:04) What are the key things you learnt from your Chair mentors? (9:28) What...
2023-11-0751 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole46. Dr Shefaly Yogendra - Decision-making: how boards make good decisions (and avoid bad ones)Boards exist to make decisions. But how often does your board make the best ones? Shefaly Yogendra is a Chair, NED and Advisor with a PhD in decision-making . Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover her answers to the following questions: What framework do you use to promote good decision making on your boards? (1:25) What tactics do you use to make boards feel comfortable with discomfort? (7:39) Where has emotion enhanced decision-making on your boards? (14:25) How can board members uncover biases that impact decision-making? (17:54) How good are b...
2023-10-3146 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole45. Shellye Archambeau, Fortune 500 Committee Chair - Building a board portfolio: how to get board roles, develop non-exec skills, construct a portfolio and manage impostor syndromeNow on the boards of two Fortune 500 companies, Shellye Archambeau began building her board portfolio whilst she was a Silicon Valley CEO. Tune into Shellye’s conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to hear her answers to: Why did you take on your first board role whilst you were still a CEO? (0:40) How did you make the time to be both CEO and board member? (4:29) How much time did you allocate for your board role? (6:04) How did you develop your non-exec skillset? (8:13) How did you use the audit committee to develop yo...
2023-10-1943 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole44. Daniel Kasmir - People & talent: the role of Remcos, and how board members can help measure and engage employees in a digital ageThe tech revolution and Covid have brought seismic changes to the way organisations engage and assess their employees. Traditional approaches don't cut the mustard. So what do board members need to do to keep on top of their most valuable resource in the digital era? Daniel Kasmir has managed people issues for over 30 years, as a Chair, Remco Chair, Trustee and executive at TalkTalk, YouView TV and others. Tune into his conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover: what are the pros and cons of combining the Chief People and Procurement Officer roles? (1:19); how do you...
2023-10-1030 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole43. Clarissa Farr, former St Paul's Girl's High Mistress - High-performance: the key characteristics of highly successful boardsWhat are the key ingredients of high-performing boards? As High Mistress of St Paul’s, Clarissa Farr worked with her board of governors over a period of marked success. Now a trustee, fellow and board consultant - at the Royal Ballet School, Winchester College and British Museum amongst others - Clarissa shares her key characteristics of high-performing boards. Tune in to her conversation with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discover: what value did the board add for her as High Mistress at St Paul’s (1:43); what were the key characteristics that made the board so effective (5:13...
2023-10-0341 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole42. Marta Krupinska - Founders: how boards can help them, and how they can help boardsOver 90% of startups fail. How can boards help founders beat the odds? Having begun life as a founder, Marta Krupinska has continued to work with start-ups as an investor (Google Startups UK, Climate VC) and Chair (Youth Business International). Marta sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on how boards add most value to founders and how founders add value to boards. She answers the following questions: what can boards do to stop start-ups failing (1:28); where do founders most often go wrong with their boards (4:11); when have you seen investor-directors add the most (a...
2023-09-2138 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole41. Rory Campbell - Difficult conversations: how, why and where boards should have themHow can board members have difficult conversations about topics like diversity and inclusion? As a founder, coach, chair and NED, Rory Campbell has deep experience of this question in theory and practice. Join Rory and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion that covers: how we can have difficult conversations in the boardroom (1:33); examples of conversational best practice (4:48); the pros and cons of asynchronous conversations versus dialogues (7:58); whether we really communicate more effectively in person (12:33); the toughest challenges boards face with diversity (19:42); what makes Rory an expert on diversity (
2023-09-1444 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole40. Jane Routledge - Getting board roles: when to make the non-exec leap, how to position yourself as a candidate, and your first 90 daysIn 2019, Jane Routledge decided to leave her impressive executive career behind and take a new non-executive path. After initial set-backs, she now has three board positions. Jane sits down with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to reflect on lessons learnt from the journey. Tune in to discover: why Jane decided to make the non-exec leap (1:28); the biggest surprises of the board world (3:22); how she knew she had what it took to be a NED (4:02); her strategy for getting board roles (5:37); how she differentiated herself as a candidate (7:36); how she dealt...
2023-09-0837 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole39. Mads Jensen - Startup boards: finding the right non-execs, sticking to strategy, building trust with founders and working with AIIs there a playbook for startup board success? As Managing Partner at Superseed, Mads Jensen has sat on dozens of startup boards. He considers the following with Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings: does the existence and/or composition of a board impact Mads’ investment decisions (0:44); what does the archetypal problem-solving board meeting look like (2:03); should start-ups hire board members to preempt problems or respond to them (4:17); is it sometimes better to hire inexperienced NEDs with more hunger to prove themselves (6:48); how do you measure board effectiveness (9:11); do you have any ex...
2023-08-2135 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole38. Sam Smith - Growth-mindsets: how boards and culture help companies scaleAs Founder and CEO of finnCap, an end-to-end financial services firm for high-growth companies, Sam Smith hit a roadblock at 17m annual revenues. But then a chance conversation sparked a mental gear change that broke the stasis. Tune in to discover how non-execs, mentors and business culture drove this extraordinary entrepreneurial success story forwards. Specifically: Where did Sam find support in the early stages of finnCap (1:11)? What behaviours did Sam need to change to unlock growth (8:31)? How can leaders carve out time to think about strategy (11:21)? How d...
2023-08-1436 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole37. John Fallon, Former Pearson CEO - Digital transformation: navigating adversity and disruptionDigital disruption shook the education industry to its core. As CEO of Pearson, a global education publisher, John Fallon was at the heart of this upheaval. John joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discuss the board's pivotal role during Pearson's transformation. Dive into discussions on how boards help: reshape established cultures (1:03), marry disruption with alignment (5:35), build trust with top executives (11:21), gauge team alignment (14:03), leverage data to manage change (17:01), ensure oversight without stifling leadership (20:09), craft robust go-to-market strategies (23:03), manage the repercussions of profit warnings (27:41...
2023-08-0740 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole36. Peju Adebajo - Inclusion: embracing diversity, finding your voice and adding value to CEOsAs former Lumos Nigeria CEO and current NED at Wolseley UK and Ibstock plc, Peju Adebajo has navigated the CEO-board dynamic from both sides of the fence. Peju started her first board role in 2021. So her reflections on finding one’s non-executive voice and how boards can be more inclusive are rooted in recent lived experience. Join Peju and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion which covers: how Chairs build trust with CEOs (1:02); what CEOs need from board members (9:02); how boards can become more inclusive (16:37), and what new board members can do to find their voice quickly (27:08).
2023-07-2531 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole35. Dimitri Chichlo - Cybersecurity: lessons from the War in Ukraine“Cyber is not a technical matter. It is a business matter. It is something that should be actively managed by the board. If you don’t ask the questions, you are going to miss something.” Join Dimitri Chichlo, non-executive Vice-Chairman and Chair of the Operations & Digital Committee at Ukreximbank (Ukraine’s third largest bank) in a discussion about cybersecurity. Drawing on his experiences in the War in Ukraine, Dimitri covers: where cyber disasters have taken businesses under (1:16); different cyber risks and their respective motivations (4:27); the most common points of cyber failure (10:47); key questions boards ne...
2023-07-1035 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole34. Mark Roberge - Scaling: the science of growthAs Founding CRO of Hubspot, Mark increased annualised revenue from $0-100 million through to IPO and grew his team from 1 to 450 employees. Join Mark and Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, as they discuss how board can use science-based thinking to make better decisions. Specifically: how Mark applies science-based growth lessons from Hubspot in his role as a board member (1:54); how to determine how fast your company can scale (6:52); how boards can break companies by mandating irresponsible growth (12:34); how board members can plan effectively (and why they don’t) (16:19); the pros and cons of remote and in-person board meetings (18:09); what boards ne...
2023-06-2833 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole33. Mike Reid, Frog Capital Founder - Scaling success: how high-value chairs help scale-ups growHow do Chairs build and run high-impact Scale-up boards? Drawing on decades of experience creating and operating boards in the scale-up space, Frog Capital Founder Mike Reid discusses his 5 part framework for thinking about the role of the Chair. Join Mike and Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings in a discussion which covers how high-value boards: approach strategy; balance executive support and challenge; apportion time to different stakeholders; manage investor directors, and avoid boardroom dysfunction. Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: K...
2023-06-1943 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole32. Jen Baxter - Career building and metrics for success on education boardsHow do education boards go about measuring success? And in one of the world's most complex and idiosyncratic education systems, how do you begin to know where to build a career? As Trustee of the Reach Academy Trust and Deputy Chief Executive at the Chartered College of Teaching, Jen Baxter offers wisdom from a lifetime on education boards. Join Jen and Nurole CEO Oli Cummings in a discussion which covers: how to measure success; MAT and Governor roles - the similarities and differences; hiring best practice - the best questions (and answers), and how to balance passion projects with...
2023-06-0649 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole31. Navid Nazemian PCC - Mastering CEO and board transitionsForty percent of executives last less than 18 months at a company, at a cost of 10-30x the executive's salary. The price tag is higher when it comes to the most senior executive - the CEO. What can boards to do about this? Transition coach Navid Nazemian offers answers in a discussion which covers: the top 3 reasons for C-suite transition failure; people, politics and culture - how boards need to help; why boards should focus on the last 90 days of incumbents; CEO onboarding best practice, and how boards can master their own transitions. Host: Oliver C...
2023-05-3143 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole30. Malcolm Groat, AIM Chair - Chairing high-risk, high-growth boardsWhat's needed to Chair a board in FTSE's high-growth market? With 15+ years' non-executive experience, latterly as Chair of AIM quoted TomCo Energy and Harland & Wolff, Malcolm offers a hard-earned perspective on what it takes to succeed at the helm of high-growth firms. Amongst other things, he considers: the particular qualities AIM boards look for in NEDs; evaluating risk, return and success; building strong relationships with CEOs; getting the most out of non-execs (and weeding out the egotists); managing investors, and how to become Chair of a high-growth company. Essential listening for current or aspiring NEDs operating in the AIM...
2023-05-2337 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole29. Nina Spencer - How to measure, practice and capitalise on ESGMost organisations face extreme pressure to create and pursue meaningful ESG strategies. But in a sea of acronyms, greenwashing and generalities, it can be hard to know where to begin. In this episode, Nina Spencer, CEO of Addidat, an ESG data and analytics company focused on the AIM market, offers an ESG booster shot for boards. Amongst other things, she considers: the meaning of ESG; where firms go wrong with strategy; how to assess the potential ROI of different schemes; quick wins; the redundancy of diversity without inclusion, and mental health and cybersecurity best practice. Essential listening for anyone...
2023-05-1154 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole28. Jeremy Asher - Good Governance on a ShoestringExperienced AIM Chair, Jeremy Asher, discusses how small cap firms can practise good governance on a tight budget. Drawing on his wealth of experience of the AIM market, including his current experience as both CEO and Chair of Tower Resources, he considers: the art of transparency; the pros and cons of narcissistic CEOs; how to manage underperforming chairs; the role of equity in compensation, the challenges and opportunities of the combined role of CEO and Chair, and much more. Essential listening for current or aspiring non-execs at AIM or small cap firms, and anyone that enjoys a choice turn o...
2023-04-2553 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole27. Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, Genius Foods Founder - How board composition impacts value at the different stages of high-growth businessesThrough the compelling entrepreneurial success story of Genius Foods, Lucinda brings to life: (i) the relationship between investment, authority and decision-making; (ii) how boards help Founders and CEOs say “No”; (iii) the importance of board rotation; (iv) the different value boards can add at different business stages, and (v) the communal, unsexy and mission-critical nature of chairing. Lucinda is a Founder, Chair, Advisor and NED with deep scale-up experience and expertise. She founded Genius Foods, and she is currently Chair at Scotland Food & Drink, Mentor at Creative Destruction Lab Oxford, Advisor at the Royal...
2023-04-1850 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole26. Gillian Wilmot - The qualities needed to chair listed, investor-backed and public sector boardsGillian is a Chair and NED in technology, digital transformation, SAAS, retail and consumer brands, based in London, Switzerland, Europe and California. An expert in digital technology businesses and digital transformation in traditional industries, Gillian chairs Zoo Digital plc, Xpediator plc, Synalogik and jisp.com, and international entrepreneur-led technology and consumer businesses. Gillian joins Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, to discuss:Creating a culture for success as a ChairTime Management as a ChairThe challenges of listed boardsManaging board perception amongst executivesHost: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor...
2023-03-231h 00Enter the Boardroom with Nurole25. Nicolina Andall - How I Began My Boardroom JourneyNicolina is a highly accomplished commercial solicitor who has spent much of her executive career offering her profound legal expertise to boards and business leaders. Her past positions saw her working at leading firms like Beale & Company as well as major corporations like Atlas Copco, where she continues to work as a Senior Corporate Counsel. She now serves as a non-executive on the Advisory Board for LexisNexis’s Halsbury’s Laws of England publication and International Womens Forum UK, is an Independent Panel Member for the Ministry of Justice, has completed a Board Apprenticeship with Aldermore Bank and p...
2023-02-221h 07Enter the Boardroom with Nurole24. Julius Weinberg, former Ofsted Chair - Lessons from a Career Building Education BoardsJulius Weinberg has spent the most recent decade on the boards of Ofqual, Ofsted, Kingston University, City University, Latymer Upper School, Ormiston Academies Trust, and Buckinghamshire Culture and the Secular Society to name a few.As a former vice-chancellor, Julius has a wealth of knowledge and experience in leadership. He has led significant change management programmes which have often addressed issues such as academic promotion and progression. Julius has also been instrumental in managing the attainment gap of individuals from diverse backgrounds, establishing major building programmes and delivering financial stability.Host: Oliver Cummings
2023-02-0646 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole23. Jane Ide - Learning to Run Effective Trustee BoardsAs CEO of ACEVO, the growing network of civil society leaders that works to develop skills and connections within the charity sector, Trustee at the social investment trust ACCESS and the Chair of Trustees at Reach Volunteering, Jane's contributions to the charity sector have distinguished her as a devotee to social change. Join Nurole CEO, Oliver Cummings, as Jane shares how her opinion of the way to lead Trustee Boards and the CEO-Chair dynamic has changed.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor
2023-01-301h 08
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole22. Janhavi Dadarkar - Governance is the Backbone of PerformanceWhen building a board, governance often takes a backseat to areas that may seem more pressing. The further your company progresses, however, the more obvious it’ll become that governance strategy is the backbone of performance.As a former lawyer, Chair of Adaptive Financial Consulting, CEO for the Academy of Board Excellence and Programme Lead for the Governance and the Role of the Non-Executive Director Course at the Institute of Directors, Janhavi Dadarkar knows that good governance is a staple in the boardroom.With over two decades of experience advising corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, Janhavi jo...
2023-01-231h 01
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole21. Bushra Ahmed - Why Charity Board Compositions Will Need to EvolveBushra Ahmed's journey to the boardroom was an unexpected and unconventional one. Having lost her family business in the 2011 England riots, Bushra mobilised to raise awareness and funding for those affected by the event. Rising to become a charity sector trustee for organisations like the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and Home-Start UK, Bushra is a shining example of how charity boards can benefit from differing perspectives and lived experiences. Now Bushra joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings for a discussion of her board journey and what she describes as a...
2022-11-0856 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole20. Hema Patel - How Boards Accelerate Early-Stage StartupsThe journey of a startup CEO should be the most rewarding yet challenging experience undertaken in a career. This is why we frequently advocate for startup CEOs to seek support, formally, from someone who has 'been there and done it'. But would does this look like in practice? As a strategic and commercial expert in digital solutions, Hema Patel has spent her career immersed in the deep tech, climate, media and creative sectors, developing an in-depth understanding of how to accelerate growth and make a disruptive impact in highly competitive markets.Lending her functional expertise t...
2022-11-011h 00
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole19. Owen Eastwood - Belonging, Togetherness and Performance Beyond the BoardroomThough he started his professional career as a city lawyer in the heart of London, Owen Eastwood is better known as one of the most in-demand performance coaches of the last few years. From his work with sports teams like Team GB and South Africa Cricket to his roles supporting corporate leaders, Owen is renowned for his unique ability to blend empathy and understanding with results-driven performance.Owen's internationally bestselling book, Belonging: The Ancient Code of Togetherness, draws on his Maori roots to deliver team-building and leadership insights grounded in anthropology and cultural traditions. Its teachings have...
2022-10-241h 02
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole18. Susannah Nicklin - Investing Time and Assessing Risk on Financial Services BoardsIn addition to her board roles within the venture capital, private equity and social impact sectors, Schroder BSC Social Impact Chair Susannah Nicklin's professional background in financial services has made her well-versed in risk management and the importance of boards that maximise their return on investment. In a close conversation with Nurole CEO Oli Cummings, Susannah discusses the core strategic and cultural differences between sitting on public and private boards, the evolution of investment trusts at the board level and the role of risk management in keeping boards goal-oriented and fiscally secure.With a highly p...
2022-10-1355 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole17. Anne-Marie Headley - How Boards Benefit from Non-Traditional ExpertsBefore sitting on the advisory boards of Salary Finance and Natter, Anne-Marie Headley was an award-winning HR professional with over two decades of experience leading change and growth to build high-performance cultures for major organisations like Uber, Google and Cisco.Now, as Anne-Marie increasingly brings her deeply inclusive understanding of people into the boardroom, she sits down with Nurole CEO Oli Cummings to explain how her non-traditional expertise makes her and others like her invaluable to board-level discussion. From tips on securing your first board role to the importance of introducing a culture of experimentation t...
2022-10-061h 00Enter the Boardroom with Nurole16. Mary Curnock Cook CBE - Chairing Outcome-Focused Education BoardsThere are few board leaders more well-versed in the education industry than Mary Curnock Cook CBE. In addition to her roles as the Chair of the Dyson Institute, Pearson Education Ltd. and Emerge Education, Mary has developed a diverse portfolio of board-level positions at the London Interdisciplinary School, The Student Room The Student Loan Company, Education Cubed and the Higher Education Policy Institute.Join Mary and Nurole CEO Oli Cummings for an open discussion of what she has learned from her career in education. From the unique challenges of balancing her private and public sector appointments to...
2022-09-2750 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole15. Sir Donald Brydon CBE - How Seasoned Chairs Build Situational BoardsAs a titan of the British financial services industry and a veteran Chair, Sir Donald Brydon has lent his insight and experience to the boards of leading corporations like the Royal Mail and the London Stock Exchange as well as fast-growing FinTech disruptors like PrimaryBid and Tide Holdings.Now, he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to discuss how seasoned Chairs tailor strategy, composition and assessment frameworks to tackle the unique, situational challenges of each board they lead. With topics including the dangers of overboarding, the importance of key performance indicators, the differences between boards at d...
2022-09-2256 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole14. Richard Nourse - The Future of Renewable Energy in the Boardroom[Notice: This episode was recorded before the announcement of Liz Truss's Energy Price Guarantee]As one of Europe's largest renewables investment managers with over £7 billion in assets within the wind, solar and bio-energy sectors, Greencoat Capital has provided significant opportunities for innovators and game-changers in the renewable energy space to accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Founder and Managing Director of Greencoat, Richard Nourse, has used his experiences leading energy teams at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Grenfell to drive the company's commitment to revolutionising the industry. Now, he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to...
2022-09-1251 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole13. David Sole - Forging Bonds Between Boards and CEOsFormer record-breaking professional rugby captain, current Chair for Worldwide Cancer Research and founder of the School for CEOs, David Sole OBE, discusses the importance of relationship building in mitigating the challenges of working with and as the Executive Team. His experiences cover subjects ranging from how to tactfully rotate key leadership roles and the most effective styles of questioning when recruiting new board members to proven frameworks for achieving strategic alignment between the CEO and the board.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau
2022-07-2856 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole12. Patrick Dunne - Building Self-Aware, Purpose-Driven Boards to Reflect Stakeholder PerspectivesPatrick Dunne has been a committed advocate for social change as the Chair of major charitable organisations like the EY Foundation and ESSA (Education Sub-Saharan Africa). Now he joins Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings to explain how Youth Advisory Boards, a practical approach to meaningful board diversity, and how universally agreed-upon board vision and purpose can help boards to resonate with stakeholders and achieve better results.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick...
2022-07-181h 00
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole11. Lynne Weedall - Using Employee-Oriented Board Strategy to Drive Sustainable GrowthExperienced Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair Lynne Weedall uses her in-depth understanding of employee engagement to discuss how boards can drive sustainable growth by developing strategies for engaging with and incentivising employees. With roles at major companies like Treatt, Greggs and Stagecoach, Lynne's HR background has given her an in-depth understanding of balancing data with employee feedback, commission schemes as a motivator and the differences between short-cycle and long-cycle loops. Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac
2022-06-0754 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole10. Sameer Rahman - How Boardroom Data Specialists Bring Transformational ChangeSameer Rahman's experience in executive and consultancy-level data science has made him an invaluable Non-Executive Director on the boards of companies like Benenden Health and the Alliance Homes Group. In this episode, he details how data-driven insights from psychological profiling to customer experience can be broken down to benefit board performance.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web...
2022-05-3156 minEnter the Boardroom with Nurole9. Terri Duhon - Breaking Through Imposter Syndrome and into the BoardroomBefore she was a Non-Executive Director and Risk Committee Chair at Morgan Stanley and Rathbone Brothers, Terri Duhon struggled to secure a board-level role as an accomplished Risk Manager at J.P. Morgan. Join Terri and Nurole CEO Oli Cummings as they discuss the steps executives can take to understand and prove their expertise to board hirers and how risk committees add value to their organisations.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: N...
2022-05-241h 01
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole8. Joanne Hindle - How Chairs Influence Board DynamicsThough she currently Chairs the boards of the Stafford Railway Building Society and the Shepherd's Friendly Society, Joanne Hindle is an experienced non-executive director who has worked with companies such as Campbell Page and Unum. Now, she shares some of her experiences leading boards to give insight into what Chairs can do to promote healthy and productive board dynamics.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email:...
2022-05-1757 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole7. Vikas Shah - How Frameworks Create High Impact BoardsFrom starting his first business at 14 to receiving an MBE for his services to business and the economy in 2018, Vikas Shah’s corporate journey has given him a detailed knowledge of executive teams and boardrooms. Now, Vikas shares his methods for creating high-impact boards using frameworks such as KPIs and feedback channels with CEOs and founders.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com...
2022-05-0956 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole6. Neil Thompson - Evolving Board Dynamics in Growing CompaniesAs a former Microsoft VP, Neil Thompson’s journey to the boardroom began with the company’s meteoric rise. Now, as a non-executive director at Keyword Studios, Neil explains how cultural and strategic consistency in the boardroom drives commercial growth.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom
2022-05-0355 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole5. Graham Hobson - How Entrepreneurs Become Board LeadersPhotoBox co-founder and startup advisor Graham Hobson discusses his journey from founding and successfully exiting his own tech startup to applying the lessons he learned to board-level leadership roles. From unlocking healthy communication with investor directors to establishing an executive team that drives commercial growth, Graham details the ins and outs of being a boardroom entrepreneur.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com
2022-04-191h 00Enter the Boardroom with Nurole4. Eric Collins - Board Leadership as an Investor DirectorHot off the heels of his new Channel 4 series The Money Maker, Tech Nation board member, founder of Impact X and former president Obama appointee Eric Collins provides insight into how he builds relationships with executive teams and allocates his time to get the best results.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom
2022-03-2456 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole3. Meinhard Schmidt - How Hands-On Chairs Scale Start-UpsExperienced medtech Chair and scale-up savant Meinhard Schmidt breaks down his hands-on approach to start-up strategy and how best to drive transformational change beyond the boardroom by supporting CEOsHost: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom
2022-03-111h 06
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole2. Margaret O’Connor - Fine-Tuning Boards for Better ImpactAs an Independent Director at Chrysalis Investments, Margaret O’Connor has played a part in some of the most daring international ventures in finance. Tune in to hear her insights into scaling start-ups, evaluating board-level performance, and managing corporate risk.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom
2022-03-0159 min
Enter the Boardroom with Nurole1. Lucy Armstrong - Redefining Your Board CareerCyberhawk Chair Lucy Armstrong provides insights into driving your boardroom career as she recounts her unconventional journey from sitting on a prison board fresh out of university to leading a number of successful non-executive teams.Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom
2022-02-221h 03