Insights from the Journey of a Board Transformation Dr Mary Hardwick Badminton GB Limited.

Presentation on theme: "Insights from the Journey of a Board Transformation Dr Mary Hardwick Badminton GB Limited."— Presentation transcript:

1 Insights from the Journey of a Board Transformation Dr Mary Hardwick Badminton GB Limited

2 A Brief History 16 th May 2007, the Board (British Badminton Olympic Committee 2000 Ltd) agreed to a new strategic structure within which the home nation Badminton Associations would address issues of common interest which apply on a Great Britain wide basis. Board was renamed to Badminton GB Ltd. Appointment of an Independent Chair in January 2008. Charged with: – Creating and Maintaining an effective Governance Framework for the World Class Performance Programme. – Ensuring the effective working of the Service Level Agreement through which the programme was delivered, with Lead Home Nation Accountability

3 Challenges still existed! Operational / Tactical rather than Strategic emphasis. Home Nation tensions around real and perceived conflicts of interest. Limited Governance Experience to monitor plan in an effective way.

4 Leading to a Strategic Review Loss of Performance Director and Plan clearly off track in December 2010. Set the scene for the Board to commission a ‘no holds barred’ Strategic Review (by Vikki McPherson, acting PD) Board met monthly and were fully engaged in the Review. Continued through April 2011. By June 2011 - emerging from the ‘red’ zone and agreed the need for bolstering Governance capability with NED experience. Initial expectation for 2 NED’s was increased to 4 (based on loss of Vikki McPherson to UKSport and Company Secretary to Badminton Scotland Board).

5 How we went about Recruitment Established a detailed and documented Recruitment Process: – Detailed Job Description & Person Specification – Strong Advertising Campaign – Application process – Short-listing process – Selection Process

6 Very Proactive Advertising Campaign Home nations websites BADMINTON England website UK Sport website Sport England website Sport Scotland website (Leon to confirm if appropriate) Sporting Equals website Institute of Directors (IoD) website (via Total Execs) Open University (OU) website Linked In network Business networks: Chamber of Commerce (Milton Keynes – will feature in Chamber of Commerce Bulletin) HR in Sport Network HR Network Milton Keynes Financial Times Non-Executive Directors Club website The Non Executive Directorship Exchange ICSA Chartered Secretaries Non-Executives Unlimited Sport and Recreation Alliance website The Whitehall Industry Group At a total cost of only £1,700!

7 Success Rates Advertising MediumNumber of applicants BADMINTON England Website5 Exec-appointments.com via Financial Times Non Exec Directors Club 7 ISCA2 Linked In (via ISCA)1 Non Executive Directorship Exchange1 Not stated8 Sport England Website1 Total Execs via IoD10 UK Sport Website4 Word of mouth1 TOTAL40 Shortlisted16

8 What did we look for? First and foremost knowledge and experience that could be leveraged to improve Strategic Governance. Secondly, a new perspective on old problems – bringing fresh ideas and asking ‘why’! Thirdly, relevant experience in a professional area.

9 Jon Siddall (Company Secretary) Until recently Chief Executive of LandAid (The property industry charity). With more than 20 years involvement in the non -profit sector. Previous roles include successfully launching the Sports Dispute Resolution Panel as the arbitration and mediation service for sport in the UK, overseeing central support services as Deputy Secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association, and running LawAid, a charity established by the legal profession to raise money for the homeless. Jon originally trained as a lawyer and started his career as in- house lawyer for IMG in London.

10 Jeff Halliwell Former Managing Director of the turkey producer Bernard Matthews Farms. Career in fast-moving consumer goods industries, having previously been Managing Director of Fox's Biscuits (Northern Foods), and of First Milk Cheese Company, the UK's largest cheese business. Earlier in his career he worked for Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, and Cow & Gate/ Milupa, in the UK and internationally, and was European Managing Director of a venture-capital backed high-tech business. Currently a Non-Executive Director of NHS Norfolk, Director/ Trustee of Shaw Trust (a national charity which helps the disabled and disadvantaged to enter the workplace), and Vice-Chair of Governors at the University of Bedfordshire.

11 Graeme Finch Managing Director of Finloch Management Services. Senior executive with a proven track record in leading and running companies of various sizes for over 20 years. Was previously Director and General Manager of the National Skills Academy for materials. Has also chaired audit committees for publicly funded bodies and was CEO of Ngage Solutions Ltd a company that previously ran the Business Link contract for Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire that is now involved in the Third Sector and publicly funded project work. (now a NED for that Company)

12 Jane Nickerson Chief Operating Officer of ASA/ British Swimming, in charge of a total group turnover of £36million, supporting over 1200 swimming clubs throughout the UK. Prior to joining ASA /British Swimming Jane fulfilled a number of senior management roles within the hotel and catering industry.

13 Where are we now? Initial reservations from existing Home Nation Members: – Too many? – What’s the value without Badminton experience – how are their skills applicable? – Should NED’s vote without a deep understanding of the issues? Two Board Meetings with NED structure – Over to Jane for a view ‘from the sharp end’!

14 Life as an independent Director First meeting – Sporting language – OK for some Second meeting – Business skills to the fore Able to ask the “innocent” question No political history therefore check and challenge is easier

15 Conclusions Moving to include NED involvement was not an easy passage. The ‘independent’ Strategic Review and a need for change was the catalyst to make this happen. All Board members had to be fully engaged in the process and bought into the candidates selected. It takes time and effort. After two meetings the value is evident and enthusiasm is increasing proportionately. Persevere!