Category Archives: Governance

Company secretaries must learn to put themselves first!

This was one of the themes that emerged as Penny Thomas, Company Secretary at Shaftesbury PLC, spoke at the latest networking dinner of the Leadership Development Programme for Company Secretaries.  Company secretaries putting themselves first is not a message we often hear, or are prepared to promote. The term company secretary derives from the concept of

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A crisis in the boardroom needs a steady hand behind the scenes

Whatever your political viewpoint, the political earthquake which has hit the UK  will potentially destroy value, as well as create opportunities which are not yet immediately obvious. Yet what struck me as I watched the drama unfold – particularly the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister (the defining moment) – was that, behind the scenes, someone

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Keeping the boardroom moving with WD40 – what they don’t teach company secretaries at business school

WD40, the trademark name of the penetrating oil, and water-displacing, spray, may seem an odd subject in a discussion about governance inside UK boardrooms.  But it was one of the reflections offered by Amanda Mellor,  Group Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance at M&S, speaking to the recent dinner of the Leadership Development Programme. Amanda outlined what she had learnt from

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