The Better Boards Podcast Series

Send us Fan Mail There are many types of differences and diversity, and not all are visible or recognised. But what can be done to build and maintain a truly inclusive and equitable board and organisation? In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, discusses building inclusive and equitable cultures with Dr Doyin Atewologun, Director of consulting firm De...

Send us Fan Mail  Corporate mishaps and failures have resulted in boards and governance receiving increased public interest. Despite considerable attention, confusion over what governance is, the role of the board, and how governance might be practiced has resulted in more questions than answers. So, what do boards need to do if they are to become more effective? In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkow...

Send us Fan Mail Healthcare in the U.K. is state-funded and led by way of a political manifest. The issues of governance in the National Health Service are complicated, and it is a 'wicked challenge.'   The hierarchical structure, multi-layered bureaucracy, and under-investment in the health system are coupled with crippled capital restrictions and a mountain of workforce issues.  In thi...

Send us Fan Mail Trust is the most potent force underlying the success of every board. When trust is in the room, great things can happen. Yet it can be shattered in an instant, with a devastating impact on the performance and effectiveness of the board and, potentially, ultimately, a company's market cap and reputation. How can boards build and sustain trust in the boardroom and with stakeho...

Send us Fan Mail It sounds all so easy – you create a board and expect that this group will be able to add tremendous value. However, serving board members and observers as part of a board evaluation know that high-quality dialogue is not a given.  In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, discusses improving boardroom dialogue with David Clutterbuck, wh...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, discusses with Professor Randall Peterson the role of the board in helping organisations become better at dealing with diversity – moving beyond the presence of diversity to being able to engage diversity to benefit the organisation.   Randall is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London...

Send us Fan Mail There is little doubt that boards are under unprecedented pressure. They face a multitude of widely differing demands and, in many cases, challenges. Increasing demands from different stakeholder groups, tougher legislation, a challenging economic environment and geopolitical challenges all exert pressures on boards. Coming to grips with several of these issues at the same time ha...

Send us Fan Mail Geopolitical dynamics have evolved recently and will continue to grow more complex, with even more impact in the foreseeable future.  Companies operating in more than one jurisdiction are particularly vulnerable to geopolitical risks, although these can also present opportunities.  Can boards afford to steer clear, or is the boardroom the best place to build resilience and pave th...

Send us Fan Mail Being digitally conversant in an era of digital transformation is quickly claiming Board attention.  Most companies are looking to use technology to improve business models, customer experience, operational efficiency, and more.  Boards must help them move forward at a sufficient pace, advocating for change, supporting, and sometimes nudging CEOs.  In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembk...

Send us Fan Mail There has been massive instability at a global level in the last two years, including geopolitical events, the pandemic, and inflation. However, we are also in the midst of a longer-term shift arising from political instability and deglobalisation. There is increasing investor focus on ESG, notably integrated reporting and disclosure requirements when it comes to climate change an...

Send us Fan Mail Recent research revealed that 87% of board members believe market disruptions are becoming increasingly frequent, and 83% say they are increasingly impactful. At the same time, 79% believe risk management will be critical in enabling their organisations to protect and create value in the next five years.  In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Bette...

Send us Fan Mail Organisations are facing major challenges. Many boardrooms have not yet caught up with the avalanche of recent and current profound changes, and both boards and members of nomination committees need to think carefully about talent and the C-Suit. It is easy to talk at a high level about moving from a shareholder economy to a stakeholder economy but what does this really mean for t...

Send us Fan Mail Diversity is high on the agenda, yet we still see something different in the boardroom, where more often than not, boards are filled with individuals whose nationality only matches that of the country of the headquarters. FTSE boards are filled with British nationals, DAX boards are filled with German nationals etc. It is clearly challenging to establish a global mindset in the bo...

Send us Fan Mail CEO appointments are an important responsibility of Boards. Accordingly, Boards need to ensure they have adequate qualified internal and external candidates for successful CEO selection processes. Creating CEO readiness for internal candidates is as important as working with external search advisors. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boa...

Send us Fan Mail Organisations face ever-increasing scrutiny, and their purpose beyond making monies for their shareholders matters more than ever. In a previous podcast, we discussed Generation Z. For this younger generation, corporate purpose matters even more. So in this podcast, we explore the role of the board in defining the purpose of the organisation, and the importance of aligning purpose...

Send us Fan Mail This podcast was recorded in August 2022, just after a record-breaking heatwave in the UK. Since the start of temperature recording in 1884, the ten warmest years in the UK have all been recorded since 2002. At the same time, rainfall is the lowest since records began, and hosepipe bans have been introduced in parts of the UK, while wildfires are raging across Europe. Climate chan...

Send us Fan Mail Digitalisation is a tsunami reshaping the world and challenging organisations. However, few Directors have both the first-hand experience and the know-how to oversee organisations’ digital challenges.  In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, discusses digital know-how with Hassan el Bouhali from Toronto, Canada.  They discuss the barri...

Send us Fan Mail The war for talent has become the top business issue and in response, many business leaders are reviewing their overall business model and employee value proposition.  Handling this challenge successfully requires strong leadership from both the executive team and the board.  As custodians of the brand, reputation and organisational culture, the board is key to this process, and b...

Send us Fan Mail Many Executives dream of a portfolio career, even attending specially designed courses, paying to qualify and increase their chances of securing a seat at the top table.  Yet only a relatively small number manage to create a strong portfolio and become a “Professional Non-Executive Director.” In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski (Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards) dis...

Send us Fan Mail Generation Z in the Boardroom Whether in gender, race, or age, diversity can allow companies to tap into a variety of perspectives, experiences, and expertise to solve problems and generate new ideas. But for the first time, we have workplaces today where four, even five generations work side by side. Conflict and unconscious bias can arise from generational differences in values...

Send us Fan Mail The topic of supply chains is on everyone's mind more than ever. Board members are increasingly obliged to ask themselves what their own company's supply chains look like, and with whom they do business.  The issues associated with supply chains are complex and require consideration from multiple angles. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner...

Send us Fan Mail I met my podcast partner for this episode when conducting a board evaluation for a growth company in the Financial Services sector. What struck me was the positive view everyone on the board had about the way the board works together. We have detailed benchmark data, and also, when we compared this board with others, it came out as one that is performing better. So, I immediately...

Send us Fan Mail The status of ethnic diversity on FTSE Boards  It is five years since the 2017 publication of the first report into Ethnic Diversity of UK boards by Sir John Parker and the Parker Review Steering Committee. Over the last five years, we have seen changes in diversity and inclusion, and it is a huge success that as of today, 94 FTSE100 companies have met the target. But while much h...

Send us Fan Mail Nowhere is the practice of conducting board evaluations more advanced than in the UK, and more boards of listed organisations conduct board evaluations here regularly than anywhere else. In the second part of this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski (Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards) talks to Maureen Beresford, Head of Corporate Governance at the Financial Reporting Council...

Send us Fan Mail Board Evaluations - What does good really look like? Part I The Corporate Governance Code in the UK is the blueprint for corporate governance codes worldwide. Nowhere else is the practice of conducting board evaluations more advanced, and nowhere else do more boards of listed organisations conduct board evaluations on a regular basis. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski talks wi...