"The sorts of ways women's characteristics and qualities are described within organisations are actually at the forefront of the sorts of characteristics and qualities that we want in the leaders of our businesses." - Carol Schwartz AO Carol Schwartz AO, member of the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Chair of Equity Trustees; the Women's Leadership Institute Australia; the Climate Council and Our Community gives her assessment of the state of diversity in the boardroom in 2024, and the challenge for the future. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠boardcycle website

"Our boardrooms are packed with ex-lawyers and finance folks. Why wouldn't we have technology represented in a way that honours the impact it can have on an organisation?" - Hannah Browne Hannah Browne, technology entrepreneur and founder of Midnyte City and Director of Greenpeace Australia Pacific challenges the approach many Boards take to technology skills in the boardroom, putting forward the view that 'technology awareness' is not enough and that failing to have deep technology skills on the Board is "downright reckless". _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠boardcycle website

"Tell it like it is. Don't say everything is under control. Share the challenges and, and the opportunities. And importantly, utilise the board's expertise if you want to get a problem solved." - Penny Winn Reporting to the board on business performance is a vexed issue for many executives: How much information is enough? How much is too much? They want another dashboard?!? Penny Winn, director of Ampol, Super Retail Group and The ANU Foundation shares her performance reporting playbook, developed across years of experience reporting to boards as a senior executive, before joining them as an NED. _____________ Note: Since this podcast was recorded, Penny Winn has ceased to be a director of CSR as a result of its recent takeover. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠boardcycle website

"Minutes are the sole and permanent record of a meeting. Getting them right is absolutely critical." - Catherine Brenner Catherine Brenner, Chair of Australian Payments Plus and director of Scentre Group, Emmi and The George Institute for Global Health shares a director's perspective on the role of minutes and how to tackle ambiguity, balance detail and manage dissent effectively. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠⁠boardcycle website

"Planning is just pivotal." - Ilana Atlas AO Ilana Atlas AO, Chair of Scentre Group and Jawun and director of Origin Energy shares her expertise on maximising board impact through thoughtful time management, and the critical role Company Secretaries play in the board planning process. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠boardcycle website

Alison Watkins AM, Director at Wesfarmers, CSL, and the Reserve Bank of Australia, shares her insights on effective board meeting preparation. Learn about her "always on" approach, techniques for managing information overload, and advice for new directors heading into their first meeting. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠Richard Conway⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠boardcycle⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠boardcycle website

At it's core, the job of a Board is to consistently make good decisions - so what frameworks can director's apply in the boardroom to make sure the decisions they make are good? Christy Boyce, Director at JB Hi-fi, BAI Communications and EMM Consulting, a former Senior Partner at Port Jackson Partners and Partner at McKinsey, shares her approach - along with some tips for dealing with uncertainty in decision-making, and when it's appropriate not to make a decision at all. _____________ Visit the ⁠boardcycle website Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn

The humble agenda quite literally defines how a board will spend its time and what it will, and will not, discuss. In this episode Mark Johnson, Chair of HCF, Director of Aurecon, Goodman, Metcash and Sydney Airport Corporation and Councillor at the University of NSW shares his thoughts on how to get agendas right, and why they are not humble at all. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠⁠Richard Conway⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠⁠boardcycle⁠⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠⁠boardcycle website

Usually boards make decisions as the result of a comprehensive, well-planned process - but things don't always go to plan and so boards are thrown into a much more dynamic and unpredictable decision making environment. Penny Winn, director of Ampol, Super Retail Group and The ANU Foundation shares her advice on how boards can ensure they're making the best possible decisions when 'the plan' goes out the window. _____________ Note: Since this podcast was recorded, Penny Winn has ceased to be a director of CSR as a result of its recent takeover. _____________ Follow Podcast Host ⁠Richard Conway⁠ on LinkedIn Follow ⁠boardcycle⁠ on LinkedIn Visit the ⁠boardcycle website