FWB Park Brown and the University of Edinburgh Business School are delighted to announce the 7th series of The Non-Executive Director Programme.

Sessions one to six take place online.

Each session is interactive and includes group activities and case studies addressing real events, together with plenary Q&As and discussions. The sessions allow plenty of time for interaction and active learning in all areas.


Price

£100 per session

A 20% discount is available if all six online sessions are booked at the same time. You will see a ticket option to book all sessions on the Eventbrite registration page. The discount has already been deducted from the original price.

Session seven is an in-person event at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Edinburgh. Tickets for the event will be released at a later date.


Programme Overview

Session one: Board Papers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

12 September 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speaker

Niamh Corbett

Leads Board Intelligence’s senior board relationships in both the UK and the US.

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.

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.

Session two: What is the Role of the NXD in assessing Risk?

26 September 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speakers

Angus Cockburn

Non-Executive Chairman of James Fisher and Sons plc. Senior Independent Director of Ashtead Group plc, Senior Independent Director of Edrington Group Limited, and Non-Executive Director of Securities Trust of Scotland plc.

Angus is the Non-Executive Chairman of the shipping, oil and gas services business, James Fisher and Sons plc, having started in the role in May 2021. He is also Senior Independent Director of plant rental FTSE 250 business, Ashtead Group plc, and Senior Independent Director of the privately owned Edrington Group Limited, which is a global drinks business with brands such as Macallan, Highland Park, No.3 Gin and Brugal rum.

Additionally, Angus is an NXD of Securities Trust of Scotland plc. Prior to James Fisher, Angus was the Group CFO at Serco Plc, a position he held from 2014. His previous roles have included CFO and Interim CEO of Aggreko plc, Managing Director of Pringle of Scotland, and senior finance positions at PepsiCo Inc. He was also previously an NXD of Howdens Joinery Group plc and GKN plc.

Angus is a chartered accountant with an MBA from the IMD Business School in Switzerland. He has an Honorary Professorship from the University of Edinburgh and is a member of ICAS.

Bill McCall

Principal of McCall & Partners and Editor of Coffee House Economics.

Bill is an experienced Company Director, Investor and Advisor and has worked with and for a range of private equity organisations. He has chaired a number of businesses in the UK & mainland Europe, US and the Nordic Countries and has considerable knowledge of international energy markets. He has chaired public and private boards with complex dynamics and multiple shareholder objectives, keeping clean lines of fiduciary duty, conflict and dispute resolution. He is the Principal of McCall & Partners, a strategic corporate finance advisory business, and Editor of Coffee House Economics.

Bill was elected an individual member of the London Stock Exchange in 1990, is a Chartered Banker and Fellow of the Chartered Banker Institute, where he is past President. A Fellow of CISI and RSA, Bill is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (London) and Freeman of the City of London.

The role of an NXD in assessing risk is critical in ensuring effective governance and decisionmaking within an organization. NXDs should bring an independent perspective to the boardroom, offering insights and expertise that may differ from those of executive management. In assessing risk therefore, NXDs can perform a number of key functions such as monitoring independent oversight, risk appetite and strategy alignment, risk metrics, specialist expertise, stakeholder communication and crisis management.

This interactive session will explore organisations facing a number of serious risk issues and examine the role of the NXD in each to ensure the board comes to the right decisions in steering the organisation in the appropriate direction.

Session three: AI – opportunity or threat? What NXDs need to know

10 October 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speaker

Louise Smith

Leadership roles across Digital, Data, Product, Distribution, Technology and Operations in leading UK organisations.

Louise has undertaken leadership roles across Digital, Data, Product, Distribution, Technology and Operations in leading organisations across the UK. This has included delivering the first UK steps into Digital distribution for a major UK bank; leading the digital transformation during a company’s significant turnaround to profit and being appointed as the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of Lloyd’s of London, shaping the strategy and plan to deliver the world’s most advanced digital insurance marketplace.

At the cutting edge of technology, Louise has also led the FinTech Strategy on behalf of the sector and Scottish Government during the Financial Services crisis, including the establishment of FinTech Scotland; was appointed Chair of Innovate Finance - the ‘voice’ of the FinTech community; and currently works with high growth businesses whilst mentoring at Creative Destruction Labs (Oxford University) supporting the next generation of innovators. She has been recognised as one of the Top 100 UK leaders in Digital, Top 25 leaders in Scotland and Top 100 FinTech Leaders globally.

Louise has worked with Boards and senior management on addressing technology issues and opportunities for many years, and chaired boards in this area also, so is well placed to guide our understanding and knowledge, enabling us to add better value and input to our Boards as they grapple with these challenges.

With the ever-advancing use of data, technology, AI, and automation, together with the increasing amount of data availablity, the importance of judgement, risk assessment and identification of business opportunities is becoming ever more important. Boards must be able to understand and assess the potential opportunities and risks of technology, particularly AI, and the impact they can have, both positively and negatively on their organisations. These can include data breaches, cybersecurity threats, algorithmic biases, and regulatory compliance issues, not to mention the importance of ethics in business practices.

This session will demystify this potentially complicated area and provide a better understanding of what Chairs and NXDs need to know to help protect their organisations, whilst at the same time taking advantage of opportunities for growth and success. This will ensure that NXDs know the right questions to ask of senior management and around the Boardroom table.

Session four: The opportunity and challenges of being an NXD in a Private Equity backed business

24 October 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speakers

Calum Paterson

Leads SEP. Former Chair of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA).

Calum has led SEP, a private capital fund management firm specialising in growth equity investments for software and technology-enabled businesses in the UK and across Europe, since its inception. Over the last 25 years, SEP has backed more than 160 companies, working closely with their founders and management teams, and using its knowledge, experience and extensive network to help them build their businesses and achieve their ambitions.

He chairs its investment committee and works from the firm’s offices in London and Glasgow. He also works closely with SEP’s portfolio companies and was a member of the board of directors at Skyscanner, the Edinburgh-headquartered travel-technology company, prior to its £1.5 billion acquisition by Trip.com.

Calum has been investing in high growth companies since 1991. He trained as a Chartered Accountant with EY, has BA and MBA degrees from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s national academy of science and learning. He is also a former Chair of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), the industry body and public policy advocate for private equity and venture capital in the UK.

John Watson

Operating Principal of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Chief Commercial Officer of their investment, Edinburgh Airport Limited; CEO of Crosswind Developments Limited. Chair of Intelligent Growth Solutions, Chair of FOR-EV, Senior Independent Director of Scottish Event Campus and NXD of Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation.

John has nearly 30 years’ experience working with companies of all sizes. He joined Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) as an Operating Principal in 2013 and Chief Commercial Officer of their investment, Edinburgh Airport Limited, and is currently CEO of Crosswind Developments Limited.

GIP is an international infrastructure investment fund with assets in the energy, transport, digital and water and waste sectors. John works in the operational improvement team with a number of GIP investments worldwide.

Prior to joining GIP, John was managing director of Lloyds Banking Group’s £50bn SME Lending portfolio and a founding board director of the Business Growth Fund plc. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with PwC Corporate Finance, John joined 3i plc.

John is Chair of Intelligent Growth Solutions, Chair of FOR-EV, Senior Independent Director of Scottish Event Campus and NXD of Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation. Formerly John was Chair and NXD of the Institute of Directors and a member of the ICAS Governing Council.

The role of an NXD in a Private Equity (PE) backed business can be very different to that in a listed business. Much can depend on which PE firm is invested, potentially how many are involved and the agenda of each. The ultimate objective, however, clearly has to be absolute rigorous alignment between the management team, all of the investors and most vitally, the customer.

Managing this alignment can be a challenge for the Chair but is crucial for the success and agreed strategy of the business. There can be normal tension between investors, founders and management, and sometimes the need to make changes round the board to ensure it has the right skills and experience. Most PE firms invest to drive or encourage change and it is their role to face into the business challenges, which would not happen in many other funding environments, such as listed, public sector or private sectors.

Being able to navigate this, at times, complex process, ensuring every voice is heard, is crucial to being an effective Chair in this type of business, and we are delighted to have two very experienced individuals – one a funder and the other a Chair/NXD - to explain the challenges and how to be successful whether as a Chair or NXD in this sector.

Session five: Energy transition strategies and climate reporting: The escalating challenge for Boards and NXDs

7 November 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speakers

Dr Valentina Kretzschmar

Chairman, Aberdeen Sports Village; Board member, Todd & Duncan, Commsworld and PDG Helicopters.

Valentina has over 25 years of experience in the energy sector. She is a senior expert, with a focus on corporate energy transition strategies and climate reporting.

She joined Wood Mackenzie’s Consulting team in June 2023 from Capricorn Energy, where she served as Energy Transition Director, responsible for the company’s climate change and energy transition strategy and reporting.

Before Capricorn, Valentina spent 18 years at Wood Mackenzie across Corporate, Upstream Russia and Caspian and Coal Research teams. As Vice President of Corporate Research, she led the development of Corporate New Energy Research.

She is an NXD on the Board of D2Zero, as well as an Advisory Board Member at CausewayGT – a geothermal company.

Valentina has a BEng Honours Degree in Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London, a PhD in Clean Coal Technology from the University of Edinburgh and an MBA (Finance) from Durham University. Valentina is a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng. MIMechE) and holds a Non-Executive Director Diploma.

Amanda Young

Former Chief Sustainability Officer for the Investments business at abrdn plc.

Amanda was until very recently the Chief Sustainability Officer for the Investments business at abrdn plc, where she led the sustainable investment strategy for the firm and the Investment’s Business Sustainability Group.

She has over two decades of experience in responsible investment. Previously, Amanda held positions at Newton Investment Management, CCLA Investment Management and Rabobank International.

Amanda led a workstream for the UK Government’s task force on social impact investment and co-chaired the Scottish Purposeful Business Commission. She is a board director for Social Investment Scotland’s SIS Ventures fund and the Deputy Chair of the Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee of the Investment Association.

She has appeared on the Financial News top 100 most influential Women in European Finance for 5 years. She was the inaugural winner of the Women in Investment Awards Sustainable & ESG Investment Woman of the Year in 2021, and was on Financial News’ inaugural Fifty Most Influential in Sustainable Finance list in 2022.

In 2024, corporate energy transition strategies and climate reporting continue to evolve in response to shifting market dynamics, regulatory developments, and stakeholder expectations.

A number of trends are shaping these areas including: acceleration of renewable energy adoption; enhanced climate reporting standards; investor pressure and ESG integration; technology and innovation; integration of climate risks into business strategies; Scope 3 Emissions disclosure and focus on social justice and equity.

There are essentially three key things that companies need to consider here:

  • What is legislated and requiring compliance?
  • What is the purpose of the organisation and what does the organisation want or need to do in order to be consistent with its values and stakeholders?
  • How do organisations prepare for and mitigate for climate change in a practical and structured way?

This session, led by experts in this area, will guide NXDs on how to address these questions. In groups we will discuss case studies and issues that will help shape our knowledge and available possibilities for action.

Session six: The Effective Board

21 November 2024, 18:00-20:00
Guest speaker

Atholl Duncan

Chair of UK Coaching; Chair of the performance and technology business, Black Isle Group; Chair of Salmon Scotland; and Founder and CEO of The Edge Consultancy.

Atholl is an experienced NXD and Chair who works with boards to help them become more effective and successful. He brings to the table years of real-life experience in the heat of the boardroom and on the front line of transforming organisations.

He is the Chair of UK Coaching; the Chair of the performance and technology business, Black Isle Group; the Chair of Salmon Scotland – the trade body for a £1 billion pound industry; and the Founder and CEO of The Edge Consultancy. He is a former NXD in a cinema business and has an executive education from Harvard and Insead.

He works with CEOs, Chairs, and emerging leaders helping them to navigate the complex and challenging issues which they face in the post pandemic world. He has worked extensively internationally, especially in Europe and the Middle East. He is expert in coaching in situations involving transformation, group dynamics, conflict, and influence. He is the author of “Leaders in Lockdown” which was shortlisted for “Leadership Book of the Year” in 2021.

Creating an effective board is a complex and ever-changing challenge. When it goes wrong the failures can be notorious and shameful. For example, there were 80 directors of The Post Office in the past 23 years – many highly experienced professionals and some pillars of the establishment. Not one of them appears to have effectively challenged what was going on.

From Carillion to RBS to Patisserie Valerie, the list of boardroom failures is a long one. The postmortems all cite poor culture and behaviours among the failings of the NXDs. So, how do we learn from the past and make sure that the boards which we sit on follow good practice to deliver good governance?

This highly interactive workshop explores how to create and maintain an effective culture in the boardroom. It explores the group dynamics; considers what influences trust; and examines what shapes the quality of decisions.

Session seven: End of Programme In-Person Event

5 December 2024, 18:00-21:00

This will be an opportunity to meet fellow delegates from the programme face-to-face. Whilst some of the focus will be on networking and sharing thoughts and ideas from the programme, there will also be an experienced Chair as guest speaker who will lead an interactive discussion, with small group sessions and activity.

Further details and cost will be provided during the programme.

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Bread Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AF