Trusted by…
A vision to improve the effectiveness of boards
At Better Boards we have continuously challenged the processes and practices of conducting board evaluations, always asking ourselves “Is there a better way?”
We believe every board has untapped potential. When developed and unlocked, this potential enables the board to support the sustainable success of the company, generating value for stakeholders and contributing to wider society.
Our mission
To create better boards.
We unlock the power of evidence-based, data-driven board evaluations to increase each board member’s impact on the board and the overall collective performance and effectiveness.
Our values
Our values define who we are, how we operate internally, and how we deliver for our clients.
We share them here to give you a sense of what you can expect from us.
How it all began
I can still recall sitting in a high-speed train from Frankfurt to my home in Cologne, wondering if there was a better way to conduct a board evaluation. I’d just completed a session with a new member of DAX board who told me the board had just been through a most disappointing evaluation. Individual board members questioned their reports, and the overall report was regarded as adding no value. “They just told us what we knew anyway – it was a total waste of money.” This sounded so similar to stories I had heard many times before that I decided it was time to dive in.
Dr Sabine Dembkowski
Managing Partner of Better Boards
I started a large-scale research project, looking into the German-speaking and Anglo-Saxon literature and conducting interviews with board members, Investment managers and operating partners in the private equity community. What I discovered did not square up with reports my clients had received at the time. A colleague at London business school advised: “Sabine, nobody will believe you; the best you can do now is get the work peer-reviewed and published.” So that is what I did.
Together with some passionate professionals, I created a questionnaire based on the research. I was fortunate that a CEO was interested in the work, and he provided me with the opportunity to evaluate his executive committee.
Encouragingly, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
I continued to publish, develop and enhance the questionnaire, putting the questionnaire online.
A number of high-profile professionals encouraged us and we started to win assignments against established players in FTSE organisations. We found our mission and launched the Better Boards podcast series.
After successfully delivering a board training event, one of the most active VC firms in the UK provided us with funding. We gained further support, establishing a board, an advisory board and investing in creating the Better Boards digital board evaluation platform.
We are growing, and we are proud to serve some of the finest organisations in the UK and Europe.
How we deliver for our clients
We use technology, data, insight and expertise to guide and empower our clients in their crucial decision-making. Our influence is enabled by our deep understanding of board dynamics, human behaviour and business challenges.
Our evidence-based, data-driven approach enables each board member to make the greatest contribution to the collective performance of the board, by better understanding how they can be most impactful.
We enable every board to realise its full potential to deliver greater value and support for the long-term sustainable success of the company.
We help increase board effectiveness and value; by going beyond a compliance and box-ticking exercise, clients can bring governance to life and create high-performing boards.
Our people
We practice what we preach and have established an advisory board where every member brings specialist expertise and know-how to the table, ensuring that we stay on track to realise our vision and our clients receive the best solutions and services.
The advisors of Better Boards are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their respective fields.
They help us improve the services we offer and ensure that these are always tailored to the ever-changing needs of our clients.
Our Partners
We believe in partnerships and welcome opportunities to work with leading professional service firms. For this reason, we have created two different partnership models – ‘Powered by Better Boards’ and ‘Partner of Choice.’
Powered by Better Boards
This partnership programme is for firms that wish to have full access to the Better Boards Board evaluation platform and leverage the power of the platform as part of their service delivery.
We train your consultants in the use of the platform, certify and grant full access. We can even take it further and incorporate a firm’s brand guidelines.
Powered By Partners
We are delighted that industry-leading and much-admired organisations use the Better Boards board evaluation platform to deliver board evaluation services.
Egon Zehnder is the world's preeminent leadership advisory firm. Egon Zehnder Consultants serve clients across all industries, corporate functions, and ownership structures, going beyond executive search to include a full suite of leadership advisory services. We have trained and licensed Partners in the German-speaking region – Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – in our methodology and use of our platform.
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N2Growth is a fast-growing executive search and leadership advisory firm with a global presence that Forbes consistently ranks as one of America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms. We have trained and licensed four Leadership Services Partners in our methodology and use of our platform.
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Partner of Choice
We are the partner of choice for professional service firms that have chosen not to provide board evaluation services for strategic reasons.
DMJ Recruitment specialises in legal and company secretarial roles. They have an in-depth understanding of the company secretarial market and serve the community with unrivalled insights. They listen, take the time to get to know candidates, and achieve sustainable results. We are delighted to collaborate with David Press and his team and host joint events.
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The Inzito Partnership is a leading boutique executive search firm specialising in senior executive and non-executive appointments. Inzito believes that finding an exceptional leader is not the result of an algorithm, but an ongoing process that draws on an established network of personal connections. We collaborate with Carol Leonard and her team.
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Members of
techUK is the trade association that brings together people, companies and organisations to realise the positive outcomes that digital technology can achieve. techUK creates a network for innovation and collaboration across business, government and stakeholders to provide a better future for people, society, the economy and the planet.
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The ECGI is an international scientific non-profit association that provides a forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators, and practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance issues and thereby promoting best practices.
Its primary role is to undertake, commission and disseminate leading research on corporate governance. Based upon impartial and objective research and the collective knowledge and wisdom of our members, it can advise on formulating corporate governance policy and development of best practices and undertake any other activity that will improve understanding and exercise of corporate governance.
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