Speaking Engagements - Peter Crow | Helping boards govern with impact

Published on: 12 November 2018

Upcoming European speaking and advisory tour

In a couple of weeks, I'll be in England and Europe, for the third and final time this year. The schedule includes attendance at two conferences, delivery of two keynotes and a bevy of meetings, as follows:

Sun 25 Nov

Mon 26 Nov
Tue 27 Nov
Wed 28 Nov
Thu 29 Nov
Fri 30 Nov
Sat 1 Dec
Sun 2 Dec
Mon 3 Dec
Tue 4 Dec
Wed 5 Dec

Thu 6 Dec

Stockholm: Deliver keynote at event organised by Digoshen (Topic: Outlook on international corporate governance and board practices).
Stockholm & London: advisory meetings.
Transfer to Vienna.
Vienna: Global Peter Drucker Forum, pre-conference workshops.
Vienna: Global Peter Drucker Forum, main conference (day 1).
Vienna: Global Peter Drucker Forum, main conference (day 2).
Vienna: post-GPDF review; transfer to London.
Free day in London.
London: advisory meetings.
London: ICGN Global Stewardship Forum.
Henley: Share research insights with faculty & doctoral students (Henley Business School Governance Seminar); explore future research opportunities.
London: advisory meetings.

While the schedule is fairly full, some gaps remain for additional meetings (in London).

If you would like to meet, please get in touch. I'd be glad to discuss any aspect of boards, corporate governance or effective board practice; explore a research idea; or respond to (future) speaking or advisory enquiries.

Published on: 7 April 2017

Insights from a #corpgov nomad, in the UK

This is the second of two instalments summarising observations from my recent two-week skip across Western Europe. This summary covers the UK leg of the trip. You can read the first instalment here; the European leg.

The trip was framed around four objectives, namely, to share learnings from my recently completed doctoral research and discuss the implications for boards; fulfil some speaking engagements; discuss emerging trends with boards; and, attend a training course. After travelling between cities (actually, countries) every day during the first week, the second week was much more settled. I was based in London for two-and-a-half days for meetings at institutions and with directors. The balance of the week saw me at Cambridge University, for a training course. Here's a brief summary of the key observations:

Director recruitment: The criticism levelled by many aspiring directors—that many board appointments are based primarily on prior relationships and not director competency or 'fit'—remains rife in the UK. Despite a plethora of calls for more a robust process, the dominant question asked by many boards and nomination committees continues to be "Well, who do we know?"
Institutions: Directors' and governance institutes (including the Institute of Directors and the ICSA: The Governance Institute) continue to promote themselves as champions of board performance and director professionalism, supported by a bevy of training courses, press releases and contributions to emergent practice. However, almost half of the directors that I spoke with (most of whom are members of at least one institution) have concerns over the direction and focus of directors' institutes. They noted that institutions have become somewhat self-centred, losing sight of their stated purpose of serving the interests of members and promoting the profession. Remedial suggestions included holding directors accountable for performance and any acts of malfeasance (including de-badging miscreant members of their chartered status); moving the discourse away from populist topics to substantive matters; and, weaning boards off the notion that compliance with corporate governance codes is a valid measure of good performance.
Performance: The long-held understanding that the primary responsibility of the board of directors is to recruit the chief executive and to oversee management remains the dominant logic in the UK, especially in the publicly-listed company community. Whereas many commentators and directors (including me) promote a performance-based understanding (whereby the board commits to determining and pursuing a value-creation agenda) most boards remain comfortable limiting their contribution to monitoring and controlling the performance of their chief executive.
Board evaluations: Directors are increasingly aware of the emergent expectations of shareholders and other stakeholders; that a periodic assessment of board performance is appropriate. However, while directors' institutes have for some time recommended that boards submit themselves to scrutiny, most directors that I spoke with indicated that they remain uncomfortable with formal external evaluations. Privately, they harbour concerns that the results may be used to expose poor practice and, potentially, be used to remove under-performing directors. Sadly, it seems that preservation (of income and status) remains the dominant logic for many directors.
Blueprint for Better Business: After spending a week-and-a-half delivering presentations, meeting with boards and fulfilling advisory engagements my last two days in the UK were spent at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, at an immersion workshop run by the Blueprint for Better Business organisation. The motivation for attending was straightforward: to understand the organisation's proposition more fully, especially to determine its applicability in practice. I came away convinced, to the extent that QuarryGroup will become a facilitator of the blueprint to businesses in Australia and New Zealand (at least) from 1 May onwards.

If you would like to know more about these observations, please get in touch.

Published on: 24 January 2017

Upcoming talks and workshops in the UK & EU

The level of interest in board effectiveness and good governance outcomes seems to be growing, or so it seems if the number of advisory, speaking and workshop enquiries that have arrived in recent weeks is any indication. Already, 2017 is shaping up to be busier than last year!

My first trip to the UK and EU for 2017 is scheduled for mid-March. The programme is starting to take shape, as follows. Commitments include speaking engagements (topics: the board's role in value creation, emerging trends and findings from my latest research), workshops (board capability development), advisory meetings and a training course.

If you have a question or want to set up a meeting, please get in touch.

EDIT (30 Jan): My diary is now nearly full—the only remaining opportunities to book a meeting are in London. If you want to meet, but not in March, or if you want to discuss the possibility of an engagement in the future, please register your interest. At this stage, it is my intention to return to the UK and EU in June and September.

20 March	London, UK	Business meetings
21 March	Rotterdam, NL	Speaking engagement, workshop, advisory meetings
22 March	Amsterdam, NL	Advisory meetings
23–24 March	Helsinki, FI	Research seminar, workshop, advisory meetings
27–28 March	London, UK	Advisory meetings
29–31 March	Cambridge, UK	Attend training course

Published on: 10 January 2017

Helping entrepreneurs understand the role of the board

Entrepreneurs—that group of individuals who put their resources and, often, their reputation on the line, in pursuit of a big dream—are interesting people. Some are brash and larger than life; others are quieter and more considered. Despite variations in style and personality, one common thread that binds entrepreneurs is the importance of leveraging (often limited) resources to best advantage to maximise the chance of seeing their dream realised. One important and oft-overlooked resource is the board of directors. Some of the questions I've heard entrepreneurs ask include:

What is a board, what is corporate governance and why even have a board?
What role can the board of directors play in the success of entrepreneurial businesses?
Don't boards just get in the way most of the time?
What viable models exist, to ensure the board adds value?
How should the board–manager relationship be managed?
How can I leverage the board's knowledge without them 'getting in the way'?

I will be in Brisbane Australia on Tue 7 February 2017 to help entrepreneurs and directors of entrepreneurial businesses explore these questions. The Brisbane branch of Entrepreneurs' Organisation, a global network of more than 10,000 business owners in 42 countries, has invited me to deliver a talk and to host a workshop for members. The title of the two sessions are as follows:

The board as a value-creating engine (talk over breakfast)
Boards, corporate governance and so on—what does it all mean, and who cares? (morning workshop)

If you would like to know more, follow the link, or get in touch with the team at EO Brisbane Events.

Published on: 23 November 2016

GIA conference and more: Serving boards in Sydney

The Governance Institute of Australia's national conference starts on Sunday 27 November at the Hilton Hotel in the Sydney CBD. I'll be at the conference on 28–29 Nov(*) to listen to what looks like a great lineup of speakers, and to serve as a panelist on Tue 29. The panel topic is "The pursuit of productivity".

If you're going to be at the GIA conference and want to say hello, please feel free to phone me or send an SMS. My number is here.

Following the conference, I will remain in Sydney for two more days (Wed 30 Nov and Thu 1 Dec) for private meetings. If you would like to take advantage of my proximity to chat about corporate governance; board effectiveness; corporate strategy; emerging trends and the findings from my recent research; or, any related matter of interest, I'd be delighted to make a time to meet. Please get in touch to set up a meeting. Currently, there are several gaps in my diary including dinner on Wed 30 Now and breakfast on Thu 1 Dec.

(*) Session summaries will be posted here throughout the conference. Please check back if you are interested.

Published on: 8 September 2016

Webinar: Influencing company performance, from the boardroom

I'm thrilled to announce that the Madinah Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship (MILE) has invited me to present a webinar entitled Influencing company performance, from the boardroom. The webinar will start at 3:00pm Saudi time on Sunday 2 October—to suit American, UK/European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian company directors and board members in particular.

For more information, click here. You'll need to register (free).

The following topics will be discussed during the 45-minute webinar (with an open Q&A session afterwards):

How to resolve the challenge of exerting influence and adding value from the boardroom
What effective boards do and how effective directors behave
Practical suggestions to move the board's focus from compliance to performance

Reserve your place today!

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