Grit in the Boardroom - Executive Interviews on Corporate Governance and Risk Management

Leadership Under Fire: Values, Belonging and Boardroom Decisions

The real test of leadership is not when everyone agrees with you. It is when your values are challenged, your corporate decision-making skills are scrutinised, and standing by your principles comes at a personal cost. In this episode, Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance, speaks with Professor Tariq Modood MBE, one of Britain's leading thinkers on multiculturalism, identity, citizenship and belonging. This episode is one of those executive interviews that doubles as a masterclass in business resilience: real governance lessons on leading through scrutiny, division and company culture change.    For more than three decades, Tariq has shaped national conversations on diversity, inclusion and social cohesion, helping policymakers, institutions and leaders navigate some of society's most complex and often contentious issues.  [More information on Tariq below.]  Together, Erika and Tariq explore what leadership looks like when navigating competing perspectives, public scrutiny and cultural change. They discuss the role of values in leadership decisions, the importance of dialogue over division, and why organisations must create environments where people feel heard without losing clarity of purpose.    What you'll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:  Why standing by your values can sometimes come at a personal and professional cost.  How leadership decisions are shaped by identity, belonging and lived experience.  Why dialogue, persuasion and consensus-building are often more effective than confrontation.  The risks of neutrality when leaders and boards face difficult or controversial issues.  How organisations can balance diversity of viewpoints while remaining true to their values.  Why company culture can act as an early warning system for corporate governance and leadership challenges.  How leaders can remain calm, credible and effective under pressure.  The impact of social media on public discourse, organisational culture and leadership.  Why self-congratulation can create blind spots that limit organisational learning and growth.  Professor Tariq Modood MBE is a renowned sociologist, public intellectual and leading authority on multiculturalism, citizenship and national identity. As the founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol, his work has influenced public policy, academic thinking and national debate for more than thirty years.  Drawing on his personal experiences as an immigrant, academic and commentator, Tariq offers a thoughtful perspective on leadership, resilience and the challenges of building inclusive organisations in increasingly complex and polarised environments. His work continues to shape conversations around identity, belonging, governance and social cohesion both in the UK and internationally.  —  Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite.  As Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the largest public inquiry in UK history, Erika Eliasson-Norris is helping shape accountability, governance reform, and corporate oversight across the UK.  —  Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/ [https://beyondgovernance.com/]

Governing Through Crisis: Risk Management, Resilience and the Future of Higher Education

Leaders who understand this will be the ones who get it right: governance is not just about oversight; it is about knowing when to challenge, when to intervene, and how to lead when the stakes are human as well as financial. In this episode, Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance, speaks with Professor Sally Wheeler OBE, Vice Chancellor of Birkbeck, University of London. Sally is a distinguished academic and leader in corporate law and governance, with decades of experience navigating transformation, risk and complexity in higher education. [More information on Sally below.] Together, Erika and Sally explore what governance really looks like inside universities: institutions that are centres of learning, major employers, complex businesses, and places where student wellbeing, financial sustainability and public purpose collide. What you'll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom: * Why governance in higher education demands both challenge and trust. * How university boards can manage financial risk, uncertainty and long-term sustainability. * Why strong forecasting, risk appetite and board skills are critical to institutional survival. * How leadership teams can create safe spaces for challenge without losing momentum. * Why student wellbeing has become a central governance issue, not a side concern. * What corporate boards can learn from universities about fixed tenure, rotation and renewal. * How AI could change board administration, decision tracking and governance effectiveness. Professor Sally Wheeler - Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck, University of London, a distinguished academic and leading authority on corporate law and governance. Sally has guided major institutions through periods of transformation and challenge, written extensively on company law and governance, and is known for bridging theory with practice.   Her leadership spans academia, law, and organisational governance - shaping how universities respond to financial pressures, regulatory complexity, cultural expectations, and questions of long-term sustainability. She brings a candid, grounded perspective on what governance really looks like inside universities. — Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite. As Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the largest public inquiry in UK history, Erika Eliasson-Norris is helping shape accountability, governance reform, and corporate oversight across the UK. -- Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/ [https://beyondgovernance.com/]

People-Centric Governance: How to Lead Boards Through Technology, Risk and Change

Leaders who understand this will be the ones who get it right: The boards that will define the next decade aren’t just governing platforms and processes; they are governing people.  In this episode, Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance, speaks with Nneka Abulokwe OBE, a governance and technology leader with extensive experience helping boards steer complex digital change. Nneka has served on FTSE-listed and private equity-backed boards, chairs ESG and Responsible Business committees, and brings a rare perspective that sits at the intersection of corporate governance, technology, and people. Her doctoral research into the governance of outsourcing laid the foundation for a career-long conviction that cuts to the heart of C-suite insights on performance: that people are not just a resource to be managed, but the primary success factor for any organisation.  Together, Erika and Nneka explore what it means to govern with humanity in an age of AI, cyber risk, and accelerating change and why board effectiveness depends on intimacy with the organisation, not distance from it.  What you'll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:  * Why corporate governance is a strategic enabler, not a back-office function.  * How boards can build AI literacy and maintain human oversight before technology outpaces strategic decision making.  * What people-centric governance looks like in practice and why company culture change starts at the top table.  * Why risk management and high stakes strategy in the boardroom now demand fluency in AI, cyber, and the human cost of difficult decisions.  * How diversity and inclusion become a competitive advantage when embedded into board effectiveness and governance lessons.  * What new board directors should focus on in their first 90 days and why humility is the most underrated leadership skill in the boardroom.  —  Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite.  --  Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/ [https://beyondgovernance.com/]

How to Lead a Business Turnaround: Company Culture, Clarity, and Leadership Decisions That Last

We’re diving into one of the most dramatic turnaround stories in the industry that involved taking on a failing business and turning it into Agency of the Year in three years. That doesn't happen by accident -. it happens through culture, clarity, and the courage to make decisions nobody else wants to make.  In this episode, Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance, speaks with Chris Hirst, award-winning author, leadership coach, and former global CEO of Havas Creative. Chris draws on hard-won experience to show how leadership decisions made at inflection points define everything that follows; from how you build an indivisible senior team, to why company culture change can happen faster than most leaders believe, to what it really takes to keep shareholders, customers, and employees aligned when the pressure mounts. He challenges the myth of the heroic leader and argues that clarity, company culture, and courage are the true engines of performance.    What you'll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:  * Why business resilience starts with building belief long before results arrive.  * How company culture change is not a soft concept. It's the hardest, most structural lever a leader has.  * Why the most dangerous people in a leadership team are those who understand the strategy but quietly refuse to play ball.  * How to balance long-term vision with short-term investor pressure without losing either.  * Why strategic decision making under pressure comes down to controlling what you can and ignoring what you can't.  * What the best turnaround stories have in common, and why talent and culture are always the answer.  —  Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite.  --  Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/ [https://beyondgovernance.com/]

Purpose Over Performance: Building Leadership That Lasts Across Generations

Creating the scaffolding that outlasts any single leader is the result of purposeful, long-term leadership including the ability to build cultures, strategies, and successions that endure. Most organisations measure success by the quarter. But what happens when that short-termism becomes the biggest threat to long-term survival?  In this episode, Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance, speaks with Sharath Jeevan OBE, founder and Executive Chairman of Intrinsic Labs and leader of the Generational Success Lab at Oxford University's Saïd Business School. Together, they explore how leaders can move beyond the performance game, working not just for the next reporting cycle, but for years to come.  Sharath brings a rare perspective: as someone who has advised CEOs, built and stepped away from his own organisations, and now works at the intersection of purpose, company culture and intergenerational leadership. He draws on real experiences - including scaling an educational organisation from 300 to 20,000 schools - to challenge assumptions about what board effectiveness really requires.  Erika and Sharath explore why so many boardroom decisions are still driven by short-term pressure, what it takes to build the cultural scaffolding that outlasts any single leader, and why the tension between generations at work is not a problem to be managed, but an opportunity hiding in plain sight. For anyone seeking c suite insights on what purposeful, long-term leadership really looks like, this conversation delivers.  What you'll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:  * Why short-termism in the boardroom is a strategic decision making failure, not just a culture problem.  * How leaders can build business resilience and growth under pressure by thinking in decades, not quarters.  * What founders get wrong about succession and how to leave a legacy that holds.  * Why board effectiveness depends on cognitive diversity, not just demographic diversity.  * How company culture change happens when generations stop defending and start collaborating.  * What the best board meetings actually look like and the governance lessons most organisations are still missing.  -- Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite.  -- Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/ [https://beyondgovernance.com/]