Minutes by boardcycle: Directors | Executives | Governance

"If you don't have a good working relationship with your CEO, then you should probably not be the chair." - Carol Schwartz Carol Schwartz, Chair of Equity Trustees and Reserve Bank of Australia board member, reveals how the three-way relationship between Chair, CEO, and Company Secretary drives organisational success. Discover why a strong Chair-CEO partnership is non-negotiable, how...

"I would love to see a bit more entrepreneurial thinking in governance circles and in the boardroom." - Hannah Browne Hannah Browne, Managing Director of technology consultancy Midnyte City and Director at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, discusses how governance practitioners can apply startup methodologies—simplification, systematisation, and scalability—to navigate increasing complexity...

"Risk is a finite resource like any other resource, whether it's human capital, financial capital, et cetera, and it needs to be understood and applied accordingly." - Catherine Brenner Catherine Brenner, Chair of Australian Payments Plus and Director at Scentre Group, Emmi and The George Institute for Global Health, explains how risk appetite statements provide crucial governance guide rails, how...

"I'm actually more interested in understanding the logic than the number." - Christy Boyce Christy Boyce, experienced director and former partner at Port Jackson Partners and McKinsey, explains how management teams can gain board approval for transformative initiatives by demonstrating comprehensive option analysis, stakeholder consideration, and transparent exploration of what could...

"Finance is the lingua franca of business, but judgement is what a director needs." - Mark Johnson Mark Johnson, Chair of HCF and Director of Metcash, Aurecon and Sydney Airport Corporation, shares insights on transitioning from audit to the boardroom, discussing how finance professionals can leverage their expertise while developing the broader business judgement essential for effective...

“You can be entrepreneurial in everything you do.” - Carol Schwartz AO Carol Schwartz, Chair of Equity Trustees and Director of the Reserve Bank of Australia, discusses her journey from law, property and entrepreneurship to governance, board leadership, and advocacy for women in leadership. She shares insights on how an entrepreneurial mindset can drive change in business, policy, and philanthropy...

"Your career is all about earning, learning and having fun." - Penny Winn Penny Winn, director of Ampol and Super Retail Group and former Director of Group Retail Services at Woolworths, discusses the transition from retail executive to board director, emphasising the importance of P&L experience, customer focus, and developing influence skills for boardroom success._____________ Follow Podcas...

"Lawyers are highly analytic... but there is an element of risk aversion." - Ilana Atlas Ilana Atlas, Chair of Scentre Group shares insights on transitioning from legal advisory roles as Managing Partner at Mallesons, to in-house roles including as Group Secretary and General Counsel at Westpac, to board leadership. Ilana highlights the valuable skills lawyers and company secretaries bring to boar...

"Entrepreneurship and governance make relatively strange bedfellows." - Hannah Browne Hannah Browne, Founder of Midnyte City and Non-Executive Director at Greenpeace Australia, explores her journey from tech sales to founding Midnyte City to becoming a non-executive director at Greenpeace, sharing insights on balancing startup leadership with board responsibilities. _____________ Follow Podcast Ho...

"Boards are a social dynamic where you want to not only have a great environment, but also to use every minute wisely." - Catherine Brenner Catherine Brenner, Chair of Australian Payments Plus and director of Scentre Group, Emmi and The George Institute for Global Health discusses the essential elements of running effective board meetings including pre-meeting preparation, managing meeting flow, h...

"I manage my work-life balance quite well over a year. I do not necessarily manage it well day-by-day or even week-by-week." How do you build a board career as an executive without burning out? Join Christy Boyce, Director of JB Hi-fi, EMM Consulting and BAI Communications and former partner at McKinsey and Port Jackson Partners as she shares her approach to building simultaneous executive and boa...

"You can't be a success in a failed world" - Mark Johnson, Chair, HCF In a world of diverse organisations - listed companies, private companies, NFPs, mutual funds, academic institutions, etc - how do you govern effectively? In this episode Mark Johnson, Chair of HCF and Director of a diverse portfolio of organisations including Aurecon, Goodman, Sydney Airport Corporation and the University of NS...

"The sorts of ways women's characteristics and qualities are described within organisations are actually at the forefront of the sorts of characteristics and qualities that we want in the leaders of our businesses." - Carol Schwartz AO Carol Schwartz AO, member of the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Chair of Equity Trustees; the Women's Leadership Institute Australia; the Climate Counci...

"Our boardrooms are packed with ex-lawyers and finance folks. Why wouldn't we have technology represented in a way that honours the impact it can have on an organisation?" - Hannah Browne Hannah Browne, technology entrepreneur and founder of Midnyte City and Director of Greenpeace Australia Pacific challenges the approach many Boards take to technology skills in the boardroom, putting forward the...

"Tell it like it is. Don't say everything is under control. Share the challenges and, and the opportunities. And importantly, utilise the board's expertise if you want to get a problem solved." - Penny Winn Reporting to the board on business performance is a vexed issue for many executives: How much information is enough? How much is too much? They want another dashboard?!? Penny Winn, director of...

"Minutes are the sole and permanent record of a meeting. Getting them right is absolutely critical." - Catherine Brenner Catherine Brenner, Chair of Australian Payments Plus and director of Scentre Group, Emmi and The George Institute for Global Health shares a director's perspective on the role of minutes and how to tackle ambiguity, balance detail and manage dissent effectively. _____________ Fo...

"Planning is just pivotal." - Ilana Atlas AO Ilana Atlas AO, Chair of Scentre Group and Jawun and director of Origin Energy shares her expertise on maximising board impact through thoughtful time management, and the critical role Company Secretaries play in the board planning process. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit...

Alison Watkins AM, Director at Wesfarmers, CSL, and the Reserve Bank of Australia, shares her insights on effective board meeting preparation. Learn about her "always on" approach, techniques for managing information overload, and advice for new directors heading into their first meeting. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠Richard Conway⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠boardcycle⁠ on LinkedIn Visit...

At it's core, the job of a Board is to consistently make good decisions - so what frameworks can director's apply in the boardroom to make sure the decisions they make are good? Christy Boyce, Director at JB Hi-fi, BAI Communications and EMM Consulting, a former Senior Partner at Port Jackson Partners and Partner at McKinsey, shares her approach - along with some tips for dealing with unce...

The humble agenda quite literally defines how a board will spend its time and what it will, and will not, discuss. In this episode Mark Johnson, Chair of HCF, Director of Aurecon, Goodman, Metcash and Sydney Airport Corporation and Councillor at the University of NSW shares his thoughts on how to get agendas right, and why they are not humble at all. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Con...

Usually boards make decisions as the result of a comprehensive, well-planned process - but things don't always go to plan and so boards are thrown into a much more dynamic and unpredictable decision making environment. Penny Winn, director of Ampol, Super Retail Group and The ANU Foundation shares her advice on how boards can ensure they're making the best possible decisions when 'the...

Although often presented as a ‘first amongst equals’ role,  being a board chairperson involves very different challenges from board membership. Hear from Ilana Atlas AO, Chair of Scentre Group and Jawun, director at Origin Energy and the Paul Ramsay Foundation and Member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, about key differences between those roles and the key skills you must bring...

Love them or loathe them, an organisation’s mission critical decisions often rest on board papers. Alison Watkins AM, Director at Wesfarmers and CSL, Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Chancellor of the University of Tasmania outlines a few simple approaches executives can take to make sure the board papers they prepare hit the mark, every time. _____________ Follow Podcast H...