Effective Directors: The Right Questions to Ask (QTA)
Key Guides
London; New York: Routledge (2022), xxiii, 342 pp.
"Being a good board member is not about knowing everything; it is about asking the right questions and challenging appropriately. Effective Directors: Questions To Ask (QTA) is a reference book for board members and executives globally to support them in their work. With chapters written by senior company board members and respected figures in corporate governance, the questions have been drawn together to offer food for thought and useful prompts that take Boards beyond operational discussions. The book clearly presents the key areas to be considered by the Board (there are over 50 in total) and range from Board composition, to data security, diversity and inclusion, and succession planning. The questions are ones that boards, in any organisation, should be asking themselves, their fellow board members, service providers, executives and other stakeholders to ensure that the right issues are raised, transparency and effective oversight are achieved, and the Board is fulfilling its role in governing the organisation. In addition to being invaluable for board members, the book is also a very useful tool for executives in understanding the kind of questions their board members are likely to ask, and the kind of questions that should be asked and discussed in the boardroom." (Publisher description)
PART I: THE BOARD
1 Board composition / Chris Hodge, 3
2 Board appointment / Carol Rosati OBE, 9
3 Director self- assessment / Alison Gill OLY, 15
4 Assessing the chair’s performance / Charlotte Valeur, 22
5 Due diligence for new appointments and new directors / Charlotte Valeur, 25
6 Succession planning for the board / Ray Crofts, 31
7 Board evaluation / Dr Tracy Long CBE, 36
PART II: OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
8 Chief executive succession planning / Kit Bingham, 45
9 Chief executive review / Charlotte Valeur, 51
10 Equality, diversity, and inclusion / Marianne Egelund Siig, 57
11 Health and well- being / Alison Charles, 63
12 Human resources / Reena Dayal, 68
13 Remuneration for executives and management / Brian Kearney, 74
14 Succession planning for executives / Tim Drake, 79
PART III: LEADERSHIP
15 Leadership in the boardroom / Randall S. Peterson, 87
16 Tone from the top / Sir John Parker, 92
17 Culture / Charlotte Valeur, 97
18 Ethics and why they matter / Knut N. Kjaer, 101
PART IV: STRATEGY
19 Purpose / R. “Bob” Garratt, 109
20 Strategy / Jean Pousson, 115
21 Valueism / Paul Barnett, 120
22 Intellectual property / Janice Denoncourt, 126
23 Data ethics / Tony Fish, 131
PART V: SUSTAINABILITY
24 Environmental, social, and governance / Mark Moody- Stuart, 141
25 Climate change / Geoff Kendall and Martin Rich, 145
26 Sustainability / Sara Lovisolo, 152
27 Social impact / Oonagh Harpur, 156
PART VI: BOARD MEETINGS
28 Role and responsibilities of the board / Natalie Sykes, 167
29 Board meetings and the agenda / Dineshi Ramesh, 172
30 Board support / Siobhan Lavery, 178
31 Third- party providers / Charlotte Valeur, 183
32 Board committees: purpose, tasks, and value / Jenny Simnett, Filipe Morais, and Andrew Kakabadse, 188
33 Matters reserved for the board / David Doughty, 196
34 Soft governance / Meena Thuraisingham, 201
PART VII: ACCOUNTS
35 Accounts / Ian Wright, 211
36 External auditors / Helen Gale, 218
37 Solvency and going concern / Heather MacCallum, 223
38 Insolvency / Amaechi Nsofor, 230
39 Viability / Steve Maslin, 236
40 Finance / Jean Pousson, 243
PART VIII: COMPLIANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT
41 Compliance / Charlotte Valeur, 253
42 Cybersecurity / Anjola Adeniyi, 257
43 IT governance / Tony Fish, 265
44 Financial performance management / Virginia Bombín Moreno, 270
45 Risk oversight, management, and controls / Rajiv Jaitly, 278
PART IX: COMMUNICATIONS
46 Reputation / Alice Hunt, 287
47 Corporate brand / Elliot S. Schreiber, 292
48 Social media / Marshall Manson and Craig Mullaney, 297
49 Shareholder relations and communication / Claire Fargeot, 303
50 Stakeholder engagement and management / Alice Hunt, 308
PART X: EXTERNAL PRESSURE AND DISRUPTION
51 Crisis management / Charlotte Valeur, 315
52 Digitalisation / Claudia Heimer, 321
53 Disruption / Simon Devonshire, 328
54 Artificial intelligence / Lord Clement-Jones, 336
1 Board composition / Chris Hodge, 3
2 Board appointment / Carol Rosati OBE, 9
3 Director self- assessment / Alison Gill OLY, 15
4 Assessing the chair’s performance / Charlotte Valeur, 22
5 Due diligence for new appointments and new directors / Charlotte Valeur, 25
6 Succession planning for the board / Ray Crofts, 31
7 Board evaluation / Dr Tracy Long CBE, 36
PART II: OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
8 Chief executive succession planning / Kit Bingham, 45
9 Chief executive review / Charlotte Valeur, 51
10 Equality, diversity, and inclusion / Marianne Egelund Siig, 57
11 Health and well- being / Alison Charles, 63
12 Human resources / Reena Dayal, 68
13 Remuneration for executives and management / Brian Kearney, 74
14 Succession planning for executives / Tim Drake, 79
PART III: LEADERSHIP
15 Leadership in the boardroom / Randall S. Peterson, 87
16 Tone from the top / Sir John Parker, 92
17 Culture / Charlotte Valeur, 97
18 Ethics and why they matter / Knut N. Kjaer, 101
PART IV: STRATEGY
19 Purpose / R. “Bob” Garratt, 109
20 Strategy / Jean Pousson, 115
21 Valueism / Paul Barnett, 120
22 Intellectual property / Janice Denoncourt, 126
23 Data ethics / Tony Fish, 131
PART V: SUSTAINABILITY
24 Environmental, social, and governance / Mark Moody- Stuart, 141
25 Climate change / Geoff Kendall and Martin Rich, 145
26 Sustainability / Sara Lovisolo, 152
27 Social impact / Oonagh Harpur, 156
PART VI: BOARD MEETINGS
28 Role and responsibilities of the board / Natalie Sykes, 167
29 Board meetings and the agenda / Dineshi Ramesh, 172
30 Board support / Siobhan Lavery, 178
31 Third- party providers / Charlotte Valeur, 183
32 Board committees: purpose, tasks, and value / Jenny Simnett, Filipe Morais, and Andrew Kakabadse, 188
33 Matters reserved for the board / David Doughty, 196
34 Soft governance / Meena Thuraisingham, 201
PART VII: ACCOUNTS
35 Accounts / Ian Wright, 211
36 External auditors / Helen Gale, 218
37 Solvency and going concern / Heather MacCallum, 223
38 Insolvency / Amaechi Nsofor, 230
39 Viability / Steve Maslin, 236
40 Finance / Jean Pousson, 243
PART VIII: COMPLIANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT
41 Compliance / Charlotte Valeur, 253
42 Cybersecurity / Anjola Adeniyi, 257
43 IT governance / Tony Fish, 265
44 Financial performance management / Virginia Bombín Moreno, 270
45 Risk oversight, management, and controls / Rajiv Jaitly, 278
PART IX: COMMUNICATIONS
46 Reputation / Alice Hunt, 287
47 Corporate brand / Elliot S. Schreiber, 292
48 Social media / Marshall Manson and Craig Mullaney, 297
49 Shareholder relations and communication / Claire Fargeot, 303
50 Stakeholder engagement and management / Alice Hunt, 308
PART X: EXTERNAL PRESSURE AND DISRUPTION
51 Crisis management / Charlotte Valeur, 315
52 Digitalisation / Claudia Heimer, 321
53 Disruption / Simon Devonshire, 328
54 Artificial intelligence / Lord Clement-Jones, 336
