Non-executive Director Programme Session 1 | Board Papers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Board papers are the key source of information for directors. They supply the data and information necessary to ensure the discussion and decisions at meetings are as productive and effective as possible. So it is important for board members to feel confident about the quality of the papers as the framework for the board’s decision-making processes. In essence good board papers play a crucial role in supporting the board’s decision-making processes, fostering effective communication and collaboration, and ensuring sound governance practices within the organisation.

This session will help you understand how to interrogate a board pack. We will look at the quality of board materials in the UK from a recent Board Intelligence research exercise. We will also compare and contrast these findings with research globally and find out what we can learn from this as a director.

We will then focus on what good board papers look like, and as NXDs, how to ask for what you need; the key questions NXDs should be asking; how NXDs ensure these priorities are reflected in the board agenda and in the supporting materials; what are the typical pitfalls of board information and the role committees have to play in board effectiveness.

Guest speaker bio

Niamh Corbett

Niamh leads Board Intelligence’s senior board relationships in both the UK and the US, advising the boards of some of the world’s largest organisations, particularly Financial Services firms, on board materials and boardroom effectiveness.

She joined Board Intelligence from Morgan Stanley, where she spent 10 years advising UK companies on their capital market transactions.

For more information on the Programme including the other sessions in the series, please visit the Non-executive Director Programme overview.