Boardroom Confidential

Culture, governance-driven performance and boardroom renewal, with Didier Cossin, Governance Expert, IMD

"Strategy used to be a plan. There are very few organisations that are stable enough now to have that five-year plan in a meaningful way." This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast, powered by Sherpany, is Didier Cossin, Chaired Professor of Governance and Finance at IMD Business School and Founder Director of the IMD Global Board Center.  Didier shares the boardroom stories and insights that have shaped his career, including facilitating a two-day board retreat that transformed a company's strategy and its board dynamics, bringing a disruptive board member's perspective into focus. He shares his view that AI and geopolitics have made board renewal an urgent priority, and why cybersecurity has moved from a committee-level concern to a full board matter. In Didier’s view, it is governance that will drive performance in a less-certain world. One of the world's leading authorities on corporate governance, Didier has worked with sovereign wealth funds, major pension funds, and organisations across the globe to improve board effectiveness, design, and dynamics.  He is the author of “High Performance Boards [https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Performance-Boards-Energizing-Governance/dp/1119615658]”, serves as Chairman at PNYX Group, and is President of The Stewardship Institute. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings.  Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sherpany/posts/?feedView=all].  Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en [http://sherpany.com/en].  This is an 18Sixty [https://18sixty.uk/] production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction  (03:01) The AI Cyber Risk (07:21) Where Boards Fall Short (15:50) The Retreat That Changed Everything (18:11) Humility In The Boardroom

Season Two - Coming Soon

Boardroom Confidential, a podcast by Sherpany, is back for a second season with more business leaders revealing what really goes on behind the boardroom doors when the pressure’s on and the stakes are high. Communication specialist, former newspaper editor and board member Emily Sheffield takes senior business figures through three big agenda items: the boardroom pressure that tests every leader, the lessons learned around the table, and the dynamics that can make or break organisations. These are the stories that define companies and careers, and the stakes have never been higher. Subscribe or follow today on your favourite podcast platform to make sure you never miss an episode.  Brought to you by Sherpany, the meeting management solution for board, board committee and executive teams. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty [https://18sixty.uk/] production for Sherpany [https://sherpany.com/en].

A $1.5bn exit, getting fired and healthy boardrooms, with Brian O’Kelley, CEO, Scope3

“A healthy boardroom is one where there is a vibrant sharing of ideas, where very few things are off the table.” This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Brian O’Kelley, a serial entrepreneur who has built and sold multiple companies throughout his career. Most notably, he co-founded AppNexus, a software platform that optimised programmatic online advertising, and was later sold to AT&T for $1.5bn. Brian shares the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including being fired for opposing a sale, and trying to convince his board to “take on” a tech giant. He shares his views on what he feels the role of a board should be, the importance of assembling the right team, and why some setbacks can be a catalyst for growth. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty [https://18sixty.uk/] production for Sherpany [https://sherpany.com/en]. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (02:40) The Google Dilemma (07:20) The Importance of Pre-Meetings (13:10) Choosing the Right Investors (21:02) Embracing Failure and Adversity

AI, boardroom unknowns and preparation, with Mark Williams, Chief Revenue Officer, Datasite Group

“The amount of unknowns that I had on the table, I joked with my CEO at the time that we needed a bigger table.” This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Mark Williams, Chief Revenue Officer at Datasite Group, a company providing secure software solutions for managing the full spectrum of financial transactions. Mark has years of experience as a senior sales leader and, unlike our previous guests, Mark doesn't sit on a board, but his experiences in the boardroom have often come at the most crucial times for a business. He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including being thrust into a high-stakes board meeting at just 28 years old when a single deal could materially impact quarterly results for a public company. He talks about overcoming imposter syndrome through meticulous preparation, using preparation as a tool to overcome boardroom unknowns, the "one build rule" that transformed how he approaches board communications, and why understanding the people in the room is just as important as knowing your numbers.  He also shares his views on how AI is enhancing rather than replacing human connection in business, and why he is “bullish” about the positive impact the technology can have on business dealings in the near future. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: https://sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty [https://18sixty.uk/] production for Sherpany [https://sherpany.com/en]. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:31) Evolution of Data Rooms (04:39) Preparation and Support (06:15) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome (09:03) The One Build Rule: Effective Communication in the Boardroom (16:53) The Future of AI in Board Meetings

Conflict, responsibility, and Hollywood boardroom interventions, Margaret Heffernan, Entrepreneur

This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Margaret Heffernan, author, entrepreneur, and professor at the University of Bath's School of Management. She shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped her career, including running software companies during the dot-com boom, managing conflict at the top, and how a star of the screen showed great bravery to jolt a board into action. Margaret has been CEO of five businesses, served on numerous boards, and now chairs boards herself. She's authored seven books on business and leadership and has mentored chief executives for the past 15 years. Her TedTalks have attracted millions of views, including ‘Dare to Disagree’ and ‘Forget the Pecking Order at Work’. She talks candidly about being the only female in the boardroom, the systemic issues women still face in boardrooms today, and her disappointment that progress has stalled.  She also shares her thoughts on how to get the best from introverted board members, and her belief that executive teams flourish when allowed to take responsibility for making decisions. Links: Ted Talk: Dare to Disagree [https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree] Ted Talk: Forget the Pecking Order at Work [https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_forget_the_pecking_order_at_work] Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: https://sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty [https://18sixty.uk/] production for Sherpany [https://sherpany.com/en]. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction  (01:49) Early Internet Era Challenges (07:05) Repositioning the Business (16:41) Gender Dynamics in the Boardroom (24:16) Listening and Communication Skills (26:44) Crisis with a Hollywood Twist