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September 3, 2026
Why do capable boards sometimes make poor decisions? I recently spoke to Dr Sabine Dembkowski on the Better Boards podcast about the issues raised in my
Category: Board Effectiveness
Overconfident? Of course not.
August 31, 2026
We’ve all done it. Things are going swimmingly, life feels good, you feel really sure of yourself, and then you forget to do something important.
What’s in a Name?
August 17, 2026
Humans in the Boardroom #5 I disliked Biology at school. It seemed to be all about remembering the names of bits of animals and plants,
The Hidden Risks of Successful Leaders
August 3, 2026
Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People has become one of the year’s most discussed business books. Although Meta strongly disputes many of her allegations, the book raises
NEW BOOK PUBLISHED 1 OCTOBER – Why Companies Fail
July 8, 2026
Every major corporate scandal follows a familiar script. A company fails; lives are damaged, fortunes are lost, and the hunt for culprits begins. The media
BP’s Manifold Pressure
June 22, 2026
On 26 May, the BP Board put out an extraordinary statement, saying that: ‘…it has today unanimously decided that Albert Manifold should no longer serve
Boardroom Confidential podcast: Interview
May 30, 2026
Risk and strategy go hand-in hand, but too often companies don’t think enough about risk. In this episode of Boardroom Confidential by Sherpany I discuss
Non-executive directors beware! They may be coming for you.
October 27, 2023
At the very last minute the Insolvency Service, acting for the UK Government, has just abandoned disqualification proceedings against five former non-executive directors of Carillion,
What’s behind the hedge?
July 14, 2020
If there’s one topic that is almost guaranteed to quieten a board meeting, it’s when the CFO starts proposing that the company takes out a
Are you rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic? Taking corporate risk management seriously
February 7, 2020
I travelled from Tashkent to Moscow on an Aeroflot Ilyushin 86 in the early 1980s. The seats were basic metal framed deckchairs, screwed to the