Someone getting emotional?
June 25, 2016
People are only human. Occasionally they fall in love with other people. Ideally, the ‘other person’ works elsewhere, but sometimes the two work together. Many
Category: Board Effectiveness
Is management telling the whole story?
January 6, 2016
The company was in financial difficulties, as changing market conditions had seriously exposed the misplaced strategy. There was however no suggestion that anything improper had
Just say ‘No’ – assessing an offer for your company
December 21, 2015
In previous articles, I covered how a board should react to an unsolicited approach or offer for the company, how it would value it, valuing shares
An unsolicited approach: Let battle commence
November 16, 2015
My earlier article talked about how a board should respond to an unsolicited approach for the company. This looked at a straight-forward offer that the board
What if you get an unsolicited approach for the company?
November 2, 2015
I was having a good day, sitting in my office sorting a few things out. Then, late afternoon, the phone rang. It was the Chairman
What are pre-emption rights and why do they matter?
October 14, 2015
The board is contemplating an equity raise. The brokers and CFO talk in respectful terms about preserving pre-emption rights and what this means for how
What’s all the fuss about cash?
October 7, 2015
Companies differ very much in their attitude to the importance of cash. If a business is private equity owned, highly geared (ie has a lot
What if you join a board, but have no financial experience?
October 5, 2015
One mistake that non-financial people often make is to assume that financial people both know what they are talking about and understand all the financial
C. How to assess an NED job offer
September 17, 2015
You’ve done your due diligence, you’re happy with the company and you’ve received a Letter of Appointment to become an NED. After a modest (it
B. How to choose your first NED role
September 17, 2015
I gave a nervous laugh. The headhunter had just suggested that I could start my non-executive career by joining Northern Rock. Why would I want