1. What have you found most challenging as a board member?

Being on a Board with fellow directors who do not sufficiently understand the company, the industry, macro environment in which the company operates and do not make a sufficient contribution.

2. How did you become a board member? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was mowing my lawn and a neighbour stopped in and asked me to join him on a Board to bring my 'big picture' thinking, my network and my tenacity to enact change for the organisation. I was associated with this organisation for 7+ years and this led to me being invited to many more Board roles.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Every day has something different in store when you are on several Boards, particularly the more public facing Boards.

Each day is an intense juggling act between meetings, zoom calls, emails and every other communication channel people chose to interact with you.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Probably to watch out for the "Law of Escalating Commitment". This refers to the fact that some decisions / investments are just going to be too hard to make work and you should pause and work out a way to get out of them, rather than just forging ahead.

Oh, and don't underestimate how people will react when they are 'backed into a corner' or there is money at stake!

5. What are some of the keys to doing governance well in a organisation?

Try to have an open and transparent approach towards everything. Eventually people will find out.

Understanding a 'fish rots from the head'.

A constant awareness and focus on good governance across the whole organisation, all the time.

Ensure there are delegation matrixes in place, regular Board reviews by an external party, a Board Charter, clear and unambiguous written policies.

6. How do you differentiate between the role of board member and the roles of CEO or executive team member of a organisation?

A written code of conduct should be in place.

Regularly inviting Executive members to the Board meeting to present and interact with the Board.

Ensuring the Chairperson is across any direct communication that is happening between the Board and the Executive Team.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a board member so far?

Ensure the Board makes time for an 'in camera' session each quarter and the CEO cannot be in attendance. CEO's are notoriously good at managing their Boards and only letting them know what they want them to know.