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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jul 2010
Former BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus AC FAICD discussed director nominations at the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors’ annual conference in Melbourne in May. Here is an edited extract of what he had to say.
On choosing directors
Ov...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jul 2010
Sam Butcher
explains why agreeing on and articulating the behaviours expected of directors can be a powerful tool to enhance board performance.
Using behaviours to drive board performance
High-performing boards proactively manage two critical dimensions of their work: the frameworks ...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 May 2010
John M Green
suggests it may not be the proxy advisory firms that are the problem, but some of the institutions that hire them.
Proxy by proxy
During each year’s annual general meeting season, directors come out blasting at corporate governance proxy advisory firms. It’s mostly d...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 May 2010
Proxy advisers have come under attack recently, accused of being poorly resourced, not having the expertise to handle complex issues and using a tick-the-box approach.
Tony Featherstone
weighs into the debate and discovers there are two sides to the story.
Too much sway...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Feb 2010
Boards need to target potential CEO underperformance well before bigger problems emerge.
Tony Featherstone
provides some tips on how to spot a CEO who isn’t up to scratch and what to do about it.
When the CEO isn’t up to scratch
Key points
Boar...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Feb 2010
John Barrington
discusses how a “Breakthrough” board can be developed to create strategic advantage.
The Breakthrough board
Three Ts of the “Breakthrough” board
Tone from the top: The chairman promotes and lives the strategic perspective
Take the time: The board builds the agenda...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Nov 2009
Director turnover is at its lowest in several years.
Tony Featherstone
provides some reasons for this and explains why this situation will soon change.
The low down on director turnover
After such a tumultuous two years, board turnover should be rising sharply. It is not. New dir...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Aug 2009
Letters to the editor
I read Tony Featherstone’s article on ‘Unseating the founder’ (Company Director, June 2009) with great interest. As with any good article, the title was provocative and the content worthy of reflection. Here are a couple of probing questions that add to those raised in the art...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jun 2009
Domini Stuart
offers some advice about joining or setting up an advisory board.
The pros and cons of advisory boards
The pros of joining an advisory board
A learning opportunity
A way of making a contribution
A useful first step to becoming a director
A way of easing out of being a dire...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jun 2009
Tony Featherstone
investigates why the founders of some family owned companies resist forming a board, and the benefits they may be missing out on.
Opening the family board to NEDs
Key points
A family company board poses unique challenges
Founders struggle w...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 May 2009
Charles Beelaerts
investigates how boards can get the best out of their performance reviews – and whether the financial crisis is affecting how these are done.
Measuring your board’s performance
The need to undertake board reviews is not new. In 2003, the Australian Securities Exchange s...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Feb 2009
Zilla Efrat
provides some tips on how to better plan the board’s annual calendar.
Designing the annual calendar
Designing the annual board calendar isn’t rocket science. But by doing a bit more than just replicating last year’s calendar, you can ensure that your board has more mea...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Aug 2008
Ken Moss
discussed the role that power and authority play in a board’s relationship with its CEO at a recent AICD lunch in Perth. Here’s an excerpt of what he had to say.
Power and authority in the boardroomMany political figures have hung onto power for perhaps too long, including the li...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jul 2008
Louis White
uncovers some of the special inputs that help foster boardroom effectiveness.
All on board
It’s not just a lack of financial performance that can bring a board into the spotlight. Leading AFL club the West Coast Eagles, for example, had the...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jun 2008
John M Green
argues that how a company – and especially its CEO – speaks about its people after they leave is a sign of its health.
Signs of bad health
You’re shocked when your CEO tells the board a top executive has quit. But he quickly calms you down with: “Don’t worry. She’s no...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Apr 2008
Professor Bob Garratt
, the author of
The Fish Rots From The Head , got back to basics on what it means to be a director while addressing AICD luncheons across Australia in March. His solutions have ancient groundings.
Back to basics
Is directing a proper job? There is so much talk ...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Mar 2008
Letters to the Editor
I was startled to read the article No compromise on values in your February edition, which is an edited extract of a speech given by Fiona Harris.
It is hard to believe that in 2008 there is advocacy anywhere for the ‘Old Boys Club’. And worse, that it is suggested such inbree...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Mar 2008
Groupthink can dent a board’s decision making ability.
John Adams
explains why one shouldn’t just follow the pack.
Stepping out of line
Directors have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that their boards make the most effe...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Sep 2007
Six years ago, Pasminco crashed and burned. Domini Stuart details how building a strong board helped Zinifex rise from its ashes.
Rising from the ashes
On 20 September, 2001, Pasminco was dismissed on ABC radio as the latest in a string of once-distinguished Australian companies either to have...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Jul 2007
What is that special mix that makes a successful company and how do directors contribute to it? Domini Stuart approaches four leading directors for clues.
The X factor
Success is rarely a smooth ride. Many of our leading companies have weathered storms that might have felled other organisation...