Approach

Chris’s Board Effectiveness methodology involves:

• getting under the skin of the business in order to create an agenda for discussion which is tuned to the key drivers of, and challenges faced by, the business;
• interviewing the directors, senior executives and key external stakeholders (he does not use questionnaires); and
• distilling, and prioritising, recommendations as the basis for a discussion with the Board

Recent clients include ASOS, The BBC, Barratt Developments, British International Investment, CRH, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Liverpool Victoria Financial Services Limited, Rentokil Initial, Royal London and Travis Perkins.

In providing private advice to Chairs and directors his approach is to listen carefully to the challenges being faced and to offer ideas for solutions, building upon his experience of the business world. He aims to be supportive but also looks to be a Devil’s Advocate when appropriate. The obvious or easy solution may not be the best solution.

Here, and as a moderator of differences, he has a particular interest in finding consensus and helping parties seek a balance between defending their stance and genuinely understanding the other view. He is an accredited mediator and a strong advocate for the merits of mediation – which so often saves parties the costs, distraction and anguish involved in litigation.

In relation to Law firm strategy, Chris draws upon his experiences as a law firm manager but has also been keen observer of the legal world since he retired from Slaughter and May. During that period he has worked with numerous law firms in a range of jurisdictions on strategy and practice development. He travels widely and is a regular speaker on the opportunities and challenges facing law firms.