What We Do

Governance Reviews – The UK Corporate Governance Code 2018 states “There should be a formal and rigorous annual evaluation of the performance of the Board, its committees, the Chair and individual directors. The Chair should consider having a regular externally facilitated Board Evaluation”.  One of the most important outcomes from the review processes is the Governance Action Plan, which clearly sets out the next steps in developing great governance

We can support you and your colleagues with review processes in 3 different ways:

1. You can use our Boardroom Review Tools as conversation starters, and manage all the processes yourselves, or with support from another trusted adviser.  The tools provide a ‘light touch’ set of questions as conversation starters, enabling each Board member (and perhaps others) to offer feedback on:
   1. The Board – what it’s doing well, and what needs to improve;
   2. The Chair – how they are leading well, and how they can further improve;
   3. A Board meeting;
   4. Each other, using 360° feedback;
2. You can use our Boardroom Review Tools during a facilitated Zoom workshop with us, and we will support you to develop your Governance Action Plan;
3. You can commission us to carry out an independent Governance Review, which typically involves us:
   1. Reading your governance documents, Board member pen portraits and recent Board minutes;
   2. Observing a Board meeting (and Committees too if required) on Zoom;
   3. Running a workshop for your Board on ‘Governance in the 21st Century’;
   4. Interviewing each Board member and some senior staff;
   5. Producing a Draft Report and Draft Governance Action Plan for you;
   6. Running a workshop for your Board to agree or amend those documents;
   7. Producing a Final Report and Governance Action Plan.

Leading Governance Ltd has extensive experience of carrying out Reviews of Governance and Board Effectiveness across a range of sectors. Our succinct, bespoke Reports and Governance Action Plans offer clear next steps, to enable leadership of the next phase of the development process. We consider structures, processes, behaviours and relationships, and assess the current position against best practice guidance. Many of our clients also ask us to provide them with a tailored Governance Manual, to support the Board to move forward within a clear, agreed governance framework. We are often engaged to offer practical help with some of the Board Development processes, including:

• Skills Audits and Board Member Recruitment – mapping the skills, experience, and diverse perspectives of the Board team against those needed to deliver the agreed goals and manage the identified risks; developing tailored Role Descriptions and Person Specifications, and supporting the recruitment of suitable candidates to your board.
• Board Chairing Services – We have found that, during periods of substantial change, or when there is a need to increase trust in the boardroom, bringing in an experienced Interim Chair to manage Board meetings can provide a period of calm, during which future chairing arrangements can be developed. The resulting improvement in board cohesion is vital in order to demonstrate leadership to the staff team, and to enable the Chief Executive to act with confidence.
• Governance facilitation – Independent specialist facilitation for Board Away Days or other crucial conversations enables full participation by all Board members, and can provide a firm but fair input of challenge with positive intent to take the Board team forward in its thinking.