The role of Chairman is demanding and exposed, requiring skill and diplomacy. Anyone picking up an Australian newspaper in recent years could not miss the pivotal place of chairmanship in our companies and institutions. Smooth ride or rough ride for the business? Darling or dog of the market? If chairmanship was a quiet job best suited to elder statesmen and unseen heroes, it is no longer. It is without a doubt a role in the spotlight.
Australian businesses and institutions are wrestling with the forces of our modern era, including globalisation, deregulation, technological and competitive change in both domestic and international contexts. With this, there is an ever greater need for enthusiastic people who posses those key ingredients of skill and diplomacy to make a contribution to Australia through board leadership.
The aim of this work is twofold: it provides an overview of chairmanship as practised in Australia today and it touches on current issues that are shaping the way in which chairmanship is evolving in Australia. If you are an aspiring or incumbent chairman, Chairman of the Board: a role in the spotlight offer views on how to balance your several roles with confidence. For readers, it offers a contemporary introduction to chairmanship in Australia. |