Governance has been up front and centre in 2018 with high profile failures such as Carillion continuing to appear in the headlines. Even as this blog is penned, there is ongoing criminal proceeding against former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn. Then there is the pending overhaul of the big four accountancy firms, the questions regarding governance at major charities such as Oxfam and the British Red Cross. Executive pay has been another high profile issue this year.
My annual summary of blogs from the year is becoming one of my favourites as it a great way to reflect on the major changes and events that have taken place during the year as well as providing me with learning for the year ahead.
One of the most notable updates in governance this year was the publication of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code by the Financial Reporting Council. The most significant overhaul of the last few revisions, the Code has a new focus on the workforce and their contribution to corporate governance within organisations.
At the governance forum it has also been an exciting year. We are currently developing our governance assessment process and governance review methodology to create a cross sector governance framework and are joining forces with partners such as ICSA and RSM UK.
January’s blog highlighted one of the EBM Connect Sessions where graduates of the Effective Board Member Programmes shared their experiences of graduating from the Programme to gaining a board appointment.
This blog looked at the emerging Carillion story and how failures in the boardroom have ramifications for wider society.