Boardroom insights
Boardroom insights
If there was one thing that the last 18 months have taught us, it’s that being in business is risky business.
The pandemic has shown us that the world can change very quickly and unexpectedly. And boards are recognising that this is set to continue, whether through further developments in the virus, or other ‘big ticket’ factors like climate change, or technology change. It all has a fundamental impact on how organisations are managed and governed moving forward, from strategy to managing liquidity and risk. What is striking about these developments is that in many ways they are interconnected – a very big Venn diagram of how the world is changing. And in the middle segment lies ‘People’.
Everyone has come out of the last 18 months with a different perspective, and as organisations make their plans for 2022 and beyond, this will inevitably impact strategies and plans. We have surveyed our network of Chairs and Non-Executive directors and conducted more than 40 in-depth interviews to question how many of the lessons learnt over the past 18 months are set to become an integral part of boardroom business, where the ‘Long-Covid’ risks are setting the agenda and the steps Chairs and non-execs are taking to mitigate these in their strategy? The story it reveals is one where boards are at the peak of a steep learning curve, and to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld: “There are things we know we know. We know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we do not know we do not know. And if one looks throughout history, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.”
Please feel free to get in touch if you have questions about our survey or any more general questions about our board services.
Partner and Head of Board Services
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