Listen to the thoughts, views and opinions from renowned, world-class business leaders and academics
Dr Sabine Dembkowski talks with some of the most respected and award-winning FTSE Chairs, Senior Independent Directors, Chief Executive Officers, Non-Executive Directors, Company Secretaries, selected trusted advisors, and world-class academics from leading universities like Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.
Passionate about creating better boards, they discuss timely topics that rank high on the agenda of boards.
In each podcast, these world-class contributors provide powerful insights and practical tips that contribute to the dialogue in the community and the creation of better boards.
New episodes are available every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
The Better Boards Podcast has been named as one of the Top 10 corporate governance podcasts by Feedspot.
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Outstanding content. A must listen for anyone interested in boards.
Possibly the best free source for boards who are serious about their continuous development.
The contributors are at the top of their game; all are on boards or are serving boards. I can't find this concentration of breadth and depth with the insights into the inner workings of boards anywhere else. Highly recommend.
Really interesting content.
Our most popular episodes
Managing Megaprojects
Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, SAID Business School
How Company Secretaries can create better boards
Carolyn Ferguson, Company Secretary at Go-Ahead Group PLC
The Chairman’s role in creating better boards
Andrew Allner, Chair SIF PLC, FOX Marble Holdings PLC and Shepherd Building Group
Complete series
We published so far over 100 episodes. You can search by categories for the episodes. The categories are
How can boards convert sustainability from a wish to a winning reality?
Andrew Hobbs, EY's Center for Board Matters across Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA)
U.S. and U.K. – Two countries separated by common corporate governance practices?
Susan Skeritt, Non-Executive Director
What do board members need to think about to avoid being sued by the climate movement?
Donald Pols, Director of Friends of the Earth
Behind close doors of tech start-up Boards
Yael Benjamin, Founder/CEO of research firm start-up Snapshot
Tzahi (Zack) Weisfeld, Vice-President and General Manager of Intel Ignite
Can accounting save the world and your company?
Mike Mahoney, CEO of E-liability Institute
AI – What questions do Directors need to ask?
Professor Joe Fuller, Harvard Business School
Leading an Effective Board
Andreas E.F. Utermann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vontobel Holding AG.
Why Story Telling is Mission Critical for Boards
Jyoti Guptara.
Executive Compensation: Striking The Right Balance Between Executives and Stakeholders
Paul Norris, Senior Partner of MM&K Limited.
The Inspiring Life of a Director
Paul Halpin, Multi-sector NED, SID, and Chair.
On being an effective Non-Executive Director
Marianne Loner, Non-Executive Director.
The Board as a Team
Petri Hofste, Non Executive Director.
The Retention Factor: Why Boards Need to Prioritise LGBT+ Inclusion
Emma Codd, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Deloitte.
Governance – Are boards part of the problem or part of the solution?
Ralph Ward.
On making it in the boardroom
Imran Saleem, Partner, Middle East - Egon Zehnder.
Building a Successful Employee Engagement Process
Luise Hardy, Kevin Maguire - Crest Nicholson.
Managing Governance Risk
Liz Lynxwiler, Company Secretary at Brightwell Pensions.
Gender Equality in the Workplace Starts at the Top
Emma Codd, Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Deloitte.
AI – Rethinking business
Karen Silverman
How do boards preside wisely over transactions to avoid shareholder value destruction?
Dr Dean Blomson
The Role of the Next Generation on Boards of Family-Owned Enterprises
Martin Roll
On being an effective Director in family-owned enterprises
Martin Roll
The Role of Boards in Family-Owned Enterprises
Martin Roll
Governance challenges in Africa
Tinuade Awe, Chief Executive Officer of NGX Regulation Limited
On Building Inclusive and Equitable Cultures On Boards and throughout the organisation
Dr Doyin Atewologun
The essence of good governance
Dr Peter Crow
Governance – Wicked Challenges in Healthcare
Nabil Jamshed, Head of Corporate Governance at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
The power of trust – How can boards build it, lose it, and regain it
Prof Sandra Sucher, Harvard Business School
On Increasing the Quality of the Dialogue in the Boardroom
David Clutterbuck
Diversity & Inclusion – The Boards role as ‘agents of change’
Prof Randall Peterson, London Business School
Boards under pressure
Sir John Tusa
Boards – Geopolitical challenges & Diversity
Nassib Abou-Kahlil
On creating a digitally savvy board
Peter Weill, Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Chairman Emeritus at MIT CISR
Future-proofing your board
Professor Didier Cossin, Professor at IMD Switzerland and the Founding Director of the IMD Global Board Centre
Is your board adapting to a dynamically changing risk environment?
Zahra Cassim, CEO of Corporate Secretaries Internation Association (CSIA)
David Samy, Consulting Partner at EY Hong Kong
Rethinking talent in the boardroom
Prof Joe Fuller, Professor at Harvard Business School
Establishing a global mindset in the boardroom
Thomas Kipp, CEO of Naquel Express
CEO Readiness
Dr Wayne B. Nelson, Strategy Consulting Leader EMEA at Monitor Deloitte and Head of the Deloitte Executive Leadership Institute.
The role of the board in defining the purpose of the organisation
Gill Meller, Legal & Governance Director of MTR Corporation.
The environment in the boardroom: On overcoming obstacles
Susan Hooper, Chair of Tangle Teezer, Chair Designate of Inter. Earth.
Digital know-how in the boardroom
Hassan el Bouhali, Head of Technology & Digital at Mastercard Foundation.
The board as an agent of change
Denis Woulfe, Co-Chair - board of 'Leaders As Change Agents' (LACA), Trustee at the RNLI.
From Executive to “Professional NED”
Ian Murray, Chair of Jupiter Mines Ltd, Matador Mining Ltd and Geopacific Resources Ltd.
Generation Z in the Boardroom
Hana Ben-Shabat, Founder of Gen Z Planet, Previous Partner and Board member - Kearney.
Why should boards care about supply chains?
Anahita Thoms, Head of International Trade Practice - Baker McKenzie.
Chairing the board of a Growth Business
Peter Herbert, Non-Executive Director Bank of Ireland (UK) Plc and Zopa Bank.
The status of ethnic diversity on FTSE Boards
David Taylor, Chair of the Parker Review
Board Evaluations – what does good really look like? Part II
Maureen Beresford, Head of Corporate Governance at the Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
Board Evaluations – what does good really look like? Part I
Marianne Beresford head of corporate governance at the financial reporting council.
Creating A Sustainability-Savvy Board
Trista Bridges, Founder of Read the Air.
Spreading good governance practice around the globe
Bode Ayeku, President of Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA).
Proactive Questions every board member should be asking
Dr Andrew White from SAID Business School in Oxford.
ESG – What should boards focus on
Anna-Marie Slot, Partner, Ashurst LLP
The changing role of CEOs and their relationship with their boards
Dr Kati Najipoor-Smith, Co-Leader Global CEO Practice, Egon Zehnder
Diversity & Inclusion – See differently.
David Clarke, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
The digitisation of the board.
Maddie Scrafton, Computershare Governance Services
Responding to the ESG agenda – legal insights for boards.
Anna-Marie Slot, Will Chalk Partners at Ashurst LLP
Integrating different perspectives in the boardroom
Sir John Tusa, Chair British Architecture Trust, Former MD BBC World Service and Barbican Arts Centre
Transitioning from CEO to Chair
Steve Holliday, Chair Citifibre and Zenobe, President of the Energy Institute, Former CEO at National Grid
Changing the racial diversity on FTSE boards
Richard DeNetto, Associate Director CBI
Creating a high-performance culture in the boardroom
Ralph Schubert, Ralph Schubert | Senior Partner at Coverdale Team Management
Going beyond governance – The art of talking about what really matters
Jim Haudan, Co-founder and CEO of Root Inc now part of Accenture
The Alignment of Executives and Non-Executives in the Boardroom
Ken Schuetz, CEO and Founder of Aligned Influence Consulting
Hybrid working and controls – What should boards think about?
John Mongelard, Technical Manager - Risk & Regulation at ICAEW
Culture, it all starts in the boardroom
Mike Gahir, Chair of the Board of Trustee at Steps to Work
Putting the ‘S’ in ESG
Margot Slattery, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at ISS A/S
The role of the Company Secretary in major transactions
Nickesha Graham-Burrell, Head of Company Secretariat, OSB Group PLC
The role of the Company Secretary in increasing the effectiveness of Non-Executive Directors
John Mills, Company Secretary at Smiths Group PLC
Board Reporting – The indispensable part of effective boards
David Whincup, Deputy Company Secretary at Provident Financial Group
The role of the Company Secretary in creating future-fit boards
Loren Wulfsohn, Global Head of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at HSBC Holdings PLC
Diversity and inclusion, insights from the U.K. and Mercedes-Benz AG
Sabine Kohleisen, Member of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz AG, and Denise Wilson | CEO of the Hampton-Alexander Review
Punks in the boardroom
Christopher Pirnie, Principal at Kuberno Consulting. Former Director of Governance Operations and Policy at Fidelity International
The relationship between the Chair and the CEO – How can you make it work?
Sir John Tusa, Chair British Architecture Trust, Former MD BBC World Service and Barbican Arts Centre
Building a culture of challenge
Professor Karthik Ramanna, Professor of Business & Public Policy at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University
Board recruiting – The search for unicorns
Carol Leonard CEO and Angela Hocter | Head of Research at the Inzito Partnership
A pulse check on boards of VC-backed organisations in 2021
Alexander Leigh, Investment Manager at Development Bank of Wales
Creating effective boards – The 7-hallmarks of effective boards
Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Managing Partner at Better Boards
Alignment in the boardroom
Rich Berens, CEO, Author and President at Root Inc part of Accenture
Board performance & cognitive diversity in the boardroom
Stephen Page, Head of EMEA Board Engagement at NASDAQ
Politicians in the boardroom – can they add value or are they a nuisance?
Carwyn Jones, Former First Minster of Wales
Defining purpose and values in the boardroom
Alison Platt, Chair at LGFA at Legal & General and NED at Tesco PLC, Dechra PLC and Spectrum Life Healthcare
Integration – the elephant in the boardroom
Yetunde Hofmann, NED & Trustee
Finding your voice in the boardroom
Orna NiChionna, Chair National Trust, SID Saga PLC, NED Burberry PLC. Formerly McKinsey
Why does ethnic diversity matter in British boardrooms?
Joelle Warren, Founding Partner and Chair and Khurram Hussain Consultant Partner at Warren Partners
The role of the Chair in a successful merger
Philip Aiken, Chair at Aveva PLC and Balfour Beatty PLC
Resilience in the governance market
David Press, CEO at DMJ Recruitment
Managing Megaprojects
Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, SAID Business School
Addressing climate change as a Non-Executive Director
Susan Hooper, Chair Care Sourcer, NED at Uber, Affinity Water and Moonpig. Founding Director Chapter Zero
The role of the Chair in managing investor relations
Mark Tennant, Chair at BMO Private Equity Trust PLC
Increasing performance in the Company Secretariat
Laura McNeil, Assistant Company Secretary at Blue Prism PLC
Bringing cybersecurity know-how into the boardroom
Frank Satterwhite, CEO at 1600 Cyber
COVID-19 – A view from a FTSE100 Non-Executive Director
Ron Mobed, NED Aveva PLC, Robert Walters and Ordnance Survey and Supervisory Board Member at Fugro
COVID-19 – Thoughts from the CEO of a Professional Service Firm
Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO at Shakespeare Martineau
What counts now! Board leadership in times of Covid-19
Malcolm McKenzie, Managing Partner at Alvarez & Marsal
COVID-19 – Insights from the CEO of a game-changing UK tech start-up
Anthony Rose, CEO at SeedLegals
What really matters in the boardroom in 2020 and beyond
Sir John Parker, Chair Pennon PLC and Laing O'Rourke, Director of Carnival Corporation & PLC and lead NED at the Cabinet Office.
Strategies for overcoming assumptions about climate change in the boardroom
Lindsay Hooper, Executive Director Institute for Sustainability Leadership at University of Cambridge
The impact of climate change on the duties of Directors
Philippe Joubert, Chair Global Electricity Initiative, Founder and CEO Earth on Board
Tackling climate change – Insights from world-leading climate scientist
Dr Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Director, Cambridge Zero at University of Cambridge
The link between effective boards and organisational performance
Steve Maslin, Governor Nuttfield Health. NED Carey´s PLC, Royal Collection Trust, Ark Schools Academy Trust and Trustee The Gurkha Museum Trust
Speaking up in the boardroom and the critical role of Psychological Safety
Prof Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School
Creating effective relationships between investors, the board and management
John Barton, Chair EasyJet PLC and Next PLC
Securing a role on a FTSE board
Carol Leonard, CEO at The Inzito Partnership
A VCs perspective on boards in young tech companies
Alexander Leigh, Investment Manager at Investment Bank of Wales
Information overload in the boardroom
Zsuzsanna Schiff, Manager Audit & Reporting at ICAEW and Hitesh Patel, NED Aviva Life Holdings, Capital Home Loans and Enstar
How Company Secretaries can create better boards
Carolyn Ferguson, Company Secretary at Go-Ahead Group PLC
Challenges in tackling climate change
Julie Baddeley, Chair Chapter Zero, NED TI Fluid Systems PLC, Ebiquity PLC and SID Marshall of Cambridge
The Chairman’s role in creating better boards
Andrew Allner, Chair SIF PLC, FOX Marble Holdings PLC and Shepherd Building Group
