Board Papers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The NXD Development Programme launched this month with a session on ‘Board Papers—the Good, the Bad and the Ugly’, led by Niamh Corbett of Board Intelligence, a leading business reporting company.

Unfortunately, extensive research undertaken by Board Intelligence has confirmed that many board packs miss the mark on delivering materials that inform and empower directors. Niamh described how best to structure board papers.

She said the tools that every board needs include having the conversations that matter and getting the right information. Boards spend too much time on admin and looking in the rear-view mirror, and Board agendas are increasingly overcrowded.

Niamh said boards need to focus on what matters, starting every report with a statement linking it to the organisation’s big-picture goals and strategy. They also need Critical Thinking—every report should address two questions: ‘So what?’ and ‘Now what?’

And finally, great communication – don’t just tell people to write better, make it easier.

An effective board and an agile, empowered organisation need to have the conversations that matter, get the right information, and finally build the confidence to delegate.

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Our NXD Development Programme continues with the following sessions:

Session 2 (Thursday 26 September 2024, 6-8pm) – “What is the Role of the NXD in assessing Risk?”

Session 3 (Thursday 10 October 2024, 6-8pm) – “AI – opportunity or threat? What NXDs need to know”

Session 4 (Thursday 24 October 2024, 6-8pm) – “The opportunity and challenges of being an NXD in a Private Equity backed business”

Session 5 (Thursday 7 November 2024, 6-8pm) – “Energy transition strategies and climate reporting: The escalating challenge for Boards and NXDs”

Session 6 (Thursday 21 November 2024, 6-8pm) – “The Effective Board”

For details of the programme and to register for future sessions, please click here.

For enquiries, please email Laura at nxd@fwbltd.com.

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This is the 7^th year of the FWB / UEBS NXD Academy’s NXD Development Programme which focuses on current challenges and opportunities that Boards are facing. Led by experienced Chairs and NXDs, it is aimed at those interested in all types and sizes of organisation; listed, private, entrepreneurial, SMEs, public sector and not-for-profit. Each session is interactive with small group activities and real-life case studies, together with plenary discussion and Q&A. These sessions have been designed to allow plenty of time for interaction and active learning in all areas. Whilst each session has a main topic, the discussions and questions will be wide-ranging.