Enter the Boardroom

Dame 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 )...

After 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) W...

Do 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 t...

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 c...

Now 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 al...

The 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...

What 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 Nur...

Over 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...

How 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 pro...

In 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 sh...

Is 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 pre...

As 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 suppo...

Digital 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 ), bui...

As 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:...

“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 i...

As 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 fa...

How 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;...

How 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...

Forty 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 nee...

What'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, re...

Most 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...

Experienced 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, t...

Through 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.  Luc...

Gillian 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...

Nicolina 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 Adviso...