Members only WACL NED Talk – What are boards looking for in the coming year – 30 Sept 2024

You are invited to the next WACL NED talk on the 30th of September between 12:15 and 13:30 on Zoom, where we will focus on the important topic of what boards are looking for in the coming year. Whether you are looking for your first NED or trustee role, thinking about it for the future or already in a portfolio career you will find this session very insightful.

Every year boards face new challenges as the economy, customers, technology and society changes. In every sector the board needs to stay ahead of these changes to insure the long term health of the business and the organisation. The board role gets bigger and broader but what do you need to join boards and be a successful board member?

We are joined by two experts to answer those questions.

Polly Barclay s an experienced leader in the board practice at MWM, one of the firms accredited by the FTSE Women Leaders for their work in driving gender diversity on boards. William Eccleshare had a distinguished career in advertising where he led JWT London, Y&R and BBDO. He was leader in the McKinsey marketing practice before transitioning to media to lead Clear Channel as Global CEO. He understands the world of WACLers very well. He is now a Chair, NED and trustee.  The event will be chaired by our very own Roisin Donnelly. You can find their Biogs below

Key insights from the session

• Its is ALWAYS important to give a holistic view of the business.
• Don’t be afraid to use all of your experience on every topic.
• Leave your day job as a marketer/ comms person at the door, look to bring a perspective from your world in business.
• Endeavour to bring the outside in, ‘perspectives from elsewhere ‘, lift the heads of the business up from their internal work.
• Look to use your voice, to challenge instead of endorse everything and ideally inspire action.
• Building trust is critical , develop the right environment to build a partnership.
• Be courageous , you are there to be independent , be calm under fire.
• It’s important to bring a view on the future , tech, digital, innovation , be curious
• Spend time in the business whenever you can , be there to listen and understand , build relationships, have conversations.

What’s particularly important right now?

• It was expressed ‘ we have witnessed a shift in the importance of the role of a CFO in the business to the Chief People Officer’ – so having a view on for example , how other businesses manage Gen Z cohort in the workplace , different talent management processes is very topical.
• A lens on the impact of a change in government – what are they looking to achieve , how might this impact labour laws etc
• There is a shift to solve the under representation of women and ethnically diverse groups and this is set to continue, we are at the stage of comply or explain.

Staying current:

Really important and very hard .. Sir Howard Davies for example, used to teach MBA students , find a way to experience beyond reading, ask questions , mentor younger people.

Getting a role:

• Learn how to position yourself really well and succinctly with headhunter’s , be simple and distinctive.
• Don’t leave your executive career too early , the world needs more brilliant female CEO’s , consider doing one non exec alongside your exec role.
• Prepare , read the annual report and understand how the business makes money , ask questions about the board dynamic , what are the people like that you are going to meet , understand the brief and how you fit with the brief … and be prepared for rejection.
• Doing school governer type roles will prepare you well for a non- exec role but they won’t necessarily help to get you the job
• When positioning your CV , presenting yourself as understanding customers is really important.

Speakers Biography

William ECCLESHARE:

William Eccleshare spent his executive career in advertising.  He was Managing Director of J Walter Thompson, London; Global Director of Strategy for JWT; Chair/CEO Europe Middle East and Africa of Young and Rubicam; President and CEO Europe of BBDO.  He was a Partner and leader of the Marketing Practice at McKinsey & Co and was Global CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor from 2009-2022.

He was a Non-Executive Director of Hays plc from 2004-2014 and a Board Member of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre from 2013-2021

William is currently Senior Independent Director of Britvic plc and Centaur plc.  He is Chair of the marketing technology company ITG owned by Bridgepoint PE and is Chair of the Design Council – the UK Government’s Strategic Advisor on Design.

William was President of the Thirty Club from 2018-19 and is a Life Fellow of the IPA.

POLLY BARCLAY MWM:

Polly advises some of the world’s leading financial services organisations on their most critical people choices in the boardroom and on the executive committee. She focuses on Chair, Non-Executive Director, CEO and various critical functional and business leadership appointments.

In addition to search work, she has worked extensively in different areas of consulting support, including board effectiveness, succession planning, talent mapping, and management assessment and development.

She joined MWM Consulting following many years at Egon Zehnder, where she was a core member of the board practice group and financial services practice group.

Previously, Polly was an equity research analyst at J.P. Morgan Cazenove and UBS investment banks. She has a BA in Politics from Durham University and a MPhil in Russian and East European Studies from Oxford University.