Boardroom Confidential

"Companies don't go bust because they don't make profit. They go bust because they run out of cash." This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast, powered by Sherpany, is Simon Laffin, an experienced chairman, executive and non-executive director with 35 years of board experience. Simon has served as chairman of the airline Flybe Group, healthcare real estate company Assura and gardening equipment firm Hozelock Group. He shares the boardroom experiences that have shaped his career, including the emergency overnight meeting that decided the fate of thousands of jobs - and his reputation. He also reveals how experience has taught him to pay more attention to cashflow than profit, and that more time in the boardroom needs to be spent on considering risk. Simon is the author of “Behind Closed Doors: The Boardroom - How to Get In, Get On and Make a Difference”, and his new book, “Why Companies Fail” is out this autumn. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn. Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en. This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (02:55) Flybe’s Cash Issues (08:34) Risk And Strategy (13:17) Think The Unthinkable (16:36) Diversity Beats Consensus

Boardroom Confidential, a podcast by Sherpany, is back for a second season with more business leaders revealing what really goes on behind the boardroom doors when the pressure’s on and the stakes are high. Communication specialist, former newspaper editor and board member Emily Sheffield takes senior business figures through three big agenda items: the boardroom pressure that tests every leader, the lessons learned around the table, and the dynamics that can make or break organisations. These are the stories that define companies and careers, and the stakes have never been higher. Subscribe or follow today on your favourite podcast platform to make sure you never miss an episode. Brought to you by Sherpany, the meeting management solution for board, board committee and executive teams. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany.

“The amount of unknowns that I had on the table, I joked with my CEO at the time that we needed a bigger table.” This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Mark Williams, Chief Revenue Officer at Datasite Group, a company providing secure software solutions for managing the full spectrum of financial transactions. Mark has years of experience as a senior sales leader and, unlike our previous guests, Mark doesn't sit on a board, but his experiences in the boardroom have often come at the most crucial times for a business. He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including being thrust into a high-stakes board meeting at just 28 years old when a single deal could materially impact quarterly results for a public company. He talks about overcoming imposter syndrome through meticulous preparation, using preparation as a tool to overcome boardroom unknowns, the "one build rule" that transformed how he approaches board communications, and why understanding the people in the room is just as important as knowing your numbers. He also shares his views on how AI is enhancing rather than replacing human connection in business, and why he is “bullish” about the positive impact the technology can have on business dealings in the near future. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: https://sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:31) Evolution of Data Rooms (04:39) Preparation and Support (06:15) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome (09:03) The One Build Rule: Effective Communication in the Boardroom (16:53) The Future of AI in Board Meetings

“Match the board and the exec team with the level that you are at, it’s really important to have that chemistry and understand what you need from the board.” This week’s guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Roei Samuel, CEO and founder, as well as non-executive director and advisor to multiple boards. Roei says one of the biggest lessons he’s learned in the boardroom is that chemistry is more important than credentials: “At times it was really clear that although we may have had someone on the board early on who had been there and done it, it didn't necessarily mean they were right fit for the specific board that we had.” He also tells us how he thinks his behaviour when sitting on a board has developed over the years, saying he now “aggressively” tries to see things from other people’s perspective. And he talks about the “brutal” experience of sitting on a board where the CEO was engaged in illegal activity, and what it was like selling his first company at the age of 26. Roei says he is on a mission to lower the barriers to entry for those who want to build and scale a business. He's now the CEO and founder of Connectd, a platform that connects startups with experienced executives and advisors. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (03:35) Forming the First Board (09:43) Challenges as an Angel Investor (12:04) Dealing with Boardroom Issues (16:36) Building Effective Boards

“You can't bring your view from 10 years ago and think that that's still the right way of working.” This week’s guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Nigel Toon, CEO of the British semiconductor company, Graphcore. He’s previously been CEO at two successful venture capital-backed proces­sor companies, and co-founded Icera - a 3G cellular modem chip company, sold to US technology giant NVIDIA in 2011. Nigel shares the boardroom experiences that have shaped his career, including battling conflicted interests during a proposed sale, why it’s crucial to keep up to date with market developments, and the times emotions have risen in the boardroom. He has served as a board member and chairman for several technology businesses and currently sits as a non-executive direc­tor on the board of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – a UK public body that directs research and innovation funding. In 2019, he was ranked #1 on Business Insider's UK Tech 100 and was later named as one of the 'Top 100 entrepreneurs in the UK' by the Financial Times. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (02:18) Conflicted Boardroom Interests (08:13) Scenario Planning and Decision Making (11:59) Pivoting in Times of Crisis (20:31) The Role of the Board and Committees

“ I think the relationship between the CEO and the chairman is essential, always.” This week’s guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast is Jorge Titinger, former CEO of SGI – one of the leading global companies in high-performance computing – and prior to that, CEO of Verigy. He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including being on the receiving end of a “near-hostile” takeover in Silicon Valley, managing egos in the boardroom, and the time a senior leader was convicted of a crime. Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained that one relationship needs fostering above all others in the boardroom, that of the chairman and the CEO. He also shares his views on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, succession planning and why being prepared for board meetings is crucial for success. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:19) Boardroom Pressure: A High-Stakes Takeover (13:27) Lessons in Board Recruitment (15:50) Handling Crisis Situations (19:00) Succession Planning Challenges (21:54) The Role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

“Any board can get rid of one chief executive, some boards can get rid of two, no board can get rid of three… we had to resign. Which we did.” Our first guest on the Broadroom Confidential podcast is Sir John Tusa, who has been involved in arts management and leadership for more than 30 years. He shares with us the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including boardroom resignations at the English National Opera and balancing risk and opportunity at the British Museum. He talks about the importance of getting your board composition right, and why worrying too much about risk can affect a board’s effectiveness. John previously ran the Barbican Centre and sat on some of the major British arts boards including the British Museum, the English National Opera, and Wigmore Hall. He also served as Chairman of the Board at the University Arts London for six years and co-chaired The European Youth Orchestra. Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings. Connect with Sherpany on LinkedIn Want to know more about us? Visit our website here: sherpany.com/en This is an 18Sixty production for Sherpany. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction(01:53) Crisis at The English National Opera(07:24) The Importance of Physical Board Meetings(11:46) Grayson Perry on the Board(13:35) What Makes an Effective Board Committee?(21:44) The Crucial Chair and CEO Relationship