The Better Boards Podcast Series

Epizode

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  The First Mandate is the Hardest | Katia Ciesielska, NED 17.09.2026 23min

  Send us Fan Mail A board career as a young, independent director? It is possible, even without executive experience. Learn what works to earn appointments, how to structure a portfolio of positions, and key lessons for ongoing success. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, is joined by Katia Ciesielska. Katia is an independent non-executive director and corporate governance adviser based in Luxembourg. Over the last eight years, she has bu...
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  Beyond Governance: Understanding Human Performance in the Boardroom | Simon Laffin, Chair & NED 03.09.2026 26min

  Send us Fan Mail Is understanding the human performance of boards the missing dimension in board effectiveness? Drawing on insights from human factors research, this podcast discusses how communication, leadership, authority, cognitive bias, and group dynamics influence the quality of board decisions, and what directors can do differently. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Simon Laffin. Simon has over 35 years of board experience as a chair, non...
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  The Cold Handshake: Why Boards and Management Do Not Connect on Cyber | Dr Maya Bundt, Non-Executive Director and President of Switzerland’s National Cyber Strategy 20.08.2026 22min

  Send us Fan Mail Cybersecurity is a top risk for organisations, yet many boards feel poorly informed. At the same time, executive teams feel they are reporting into a void. The reasons behind this ongoing disconnect bear close examination. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, is joined by Dr Maya Bundt. Maya is a board Director and cyber risk expert based in Zurich. She serves as a Non-Executive Director on the boards of listed Swiss comp...
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  When Experience Isn't Enough: Governing in a World Without Precedent | Dorothy Burwell, Senior Advisor, FGS Global 06.08.2026 21min

  Send us Fan Mail Rapid global change has created an unprecedented landscape. Many Boards have fallen into a reactive mode. A new research report from FGS Global highlights the challenges and offers insights to help boards govern with confidence again. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Dorothy Burwell. Dorothy is Global Head of Board Advisory at FGS Global, a board director herself at Post Holdings and Pennon PLC, and co-author of A Hard Jo...
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  The Leadership Blind Spot in the Boardroom | David Grossman, CEO, The Grossman Group 16.07.2026 23min

  Send us Fan Mail New research suggests the biggest leadership risk right now may not be bad leaders — it’s “good” ones. In fact, good leaders are both the problem and the solution: they already have the fundamentals, but they haven’t adapted to what employees need from leaders today. A study of 2,206 U.S. employees, conducted by The Grossman Group with The Harris Poll, found that 54% rated their senior leader as “good.” Yet those same employees report three consistent gaps: they don’t feel va...
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  From Family Table to Board Table - Effective Governance in Family-Owned Retail Businesses | Prof Dr Philipp Hoog, Partner, BBE Handelsberatung 02.07.2026 19min

  Send us Fan Mail While we often think in terms of large, listed corporations, family firms account for some 70% of global GDP and 60% of global employment. They are key drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term value creation, and effective governance of family firms warrants serious attention. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Prof. Dr. Philipp Hoog. Philipp is a Partner at BBE Handelsberatung, a leading German consultancy sp...
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  Selecting the Chair: Governance Lessons from the US and the UK | Susan Skerritt, Non-Executive Director 18.06.2026 32min

  Send us Fan Mail Selecting the Chair: Governance Lessons from the US and the UK Chair succession is handled differently in the US and the UK. However, both approaches have merit, and there are key principles that matter regardless of geography. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Susan Skerritt. Susan is a Non-Executive Independent Director on the boards of Citibank Europe PLC, Tanger, Inc., and IG Group PLC. She previously served on the boa...
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  Beyond the Obvious: How to get Chair Succession Right | Louise Angle, Senior Managing Director, Teneo 04.06.2026 16min

  Send us Fan Mail Chair succession is a pivotal moment for boards. It presents an opportunity to reflect on the organisation's future needs and steer it forward strategically. For this reason, organisations must proceed carefully in their Chair searches, eschewing the obvious in favour of what’s truly needed. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Louise Angel. Louise is Senior Managing Director at Teneo and a leading board headhunter, specialis...
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  From Awareness to Architecture: How Boards Can Build a Geopolitical Risk System | Colin Reed, Chief Intelligence Officer, Clock&Cloud 21.05.2026 27min

  Send us Fan Mail Once boards prioritise managing geopolitical risk, how can they successfully move from diagnosing a problem to designing a plan of action? In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is once again joined by Colin Reed, Chief Intelligence Officer at Clock&Cloud, a software startup transforming how large enterprises manage geopolitical risk. Colin brings his experience as a US intelligence analyst and as the architect of Salesforce’s ge...
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  Boardrooms and Battlegrounds: Closing the Geopolitical Risk Gap | Colin Reed, Chief Intelligence Officer, Clock&Cloud 07.05.2026 24min

  Send us Fan Mail Many boards treat geopolitics as background noise, leaving their companies exposed to unnecessary risk. Smart boards take a different approach, closing the gap and treating geopolitical risk with the same rigour as financial, cyber, and regulatory risks. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Colin Reed. Colin is the Chief Intelligence Officer of Clock&Cloud, a software start-up transforming how large enterprises manage geopoliti...
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  Structure your board portfolio career across different life cycles of organisations | Susanne Chishti, Chair of FINTECH Circle 16.04.2026 20min

  Send us Fan Mail Beyond listed corporations, there is a vibrant world of start-ups, scale-ups, and organisations at the pre-IPO stage. What does it take to add value to these Boards, and how does the work differ from that of a listed organisation? Most importantly, how can working with these companies shape a Board portfolio career? In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Susanne Chishti, Chair of FINTECH Circle, Europe’s first Investor Network focuse...
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  Capital Discipline in High-Performance Enterprises: Aligning Strategy, Technology and Governance Part II | Marco Mattiacci, Global Top Executive 02.04.2026 17min

  Send us Fan Mail In capital-intensive, brand-driven organisations, strategic ambition must be matched by disciplined governance. Effective governance links capital allocation to technology strategy, culture development, and measurable KPIs, so that speed and ambition balance with long-term enterprise value creation. In this podcast, Dr. Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of better Boards, is joined once again by Marco Mattiacci, a global executive with 25+ years of leadership acr...
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  Capital Discipline in High-Performance Enterprises: Aligning Strategy, Technology and Governance Part I | Marco Mattiacci, Global Top Executive 19.03.2026 25min

  Send us Fan Mail In capital-intensive, brand-driven organisations, strategic ambition must be matched by disciplined governance. Effective governance links capital allocation to technology strategy, culture development, and measurable KPIs, so that speed and ambition balance with long-term enterprise value creation. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Marco Mattiacci. Marco is a global executive with 25+ years of leadership across luxury, automoti...
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  The Spirit of the Code: Making Comply or Explain Work in Practice | Kelvin Ernest, Senior Policy Associate, Financial Reporting Council 19.02.2026 15min

  Send us Fan Mail Comply or Explain is sometimes treated as a procedural exercise. However, the true purpose is to encourage thoughtful decisions, support accountability, and promote open communication with stakeholders. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Kelvin Ernest, a governance professional with extensive experience navigating evolving regulatory expectations and corporate reporting practice. As a Senior Policy Associate in the Financia...
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  Board evaluation results - Insights from an analysis of FTSE350 annual reports | Frederik Otto, AvS, London 05.02.2026 24min

  Send us Fan Mail Better Boards goes beyond box‑ticking. We bring together chairs, directors and governance leaders who want board effectiveness grounded in independent research and external benchmarks. Our proprietary, peer‑reviewed methodology shows how your board truly compares across all dimensions of effective boards. If you would like to join the community, experience our research‑based approach to board evaluations, explore ways to work with us, or share ideas for The Better Boards Podc...
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  The Route to the Top – How to become a Company Secretary? | Glenn Oborne and Connor Simms, Directors of Ingen Partners 15.01.2026 24min

  Send us Fan Mail Company Secretary is an increasingly competitive profession. It takes a unique blend of skills and experiences to secure a senior position. Those interested will appreciate knowing what abilities to prioritise throughout a career and how to approach balancing behavioural, technical, and influencing skills. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Glenn Oborne and Connor Simms, who are both Directors of Ingen Partners. They specia...
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  The Board’s Playbook for Modern Technology Oversight | Susanne Alfs 01.01.2026 17min

  Send us Fan Mail Theory is one thing, but how can boards effectively implement cyber governance and broader technology oversight in practice? In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, is joined by Susanne Alfs. Susanne is a Non-Executive Director and Senior Technology Executive specialising in cyber governance and board-level technology oversight. Bringing both the NED lens and her executive leadership experience, Susanne helps boards translate complex cyber and technology risks into busin...
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  Fact rather than fiction - Corporate Directors and Officers are "Discretionaries" not Fiduciaries | Marc I Steinberg, Radford Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law 18.12.2025 19min

  Send us Fan Mail Better Boards goes beyond box‑ticking. We bring together chairs, directors and governance leaders who want board effectiveness grounded in independent research and external benchmarks. Our proprietary, peer‑reviewed methodology shows how your board truly compares across all dimensions of effective boards. If you would like to join the community, experience our research‑based approach to board evaluations, explore ways to work with us, or share ideas for The Better Boards Podc...
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  Family Businesses and the War for Talent | Andreas von Specht, CEO AvS Advisors 04.12.2025 24min

  Send us Fan Mail Family businesses represent a significant majority of the European, Asian and US landscape. Yet so much that we focus on in business, governance, and search is designed for corporates. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner of Better Boards, is joined by Andreas von Specht. Andreas von Specht is a family shareholder and NED of Berenberg Bank, Europe’s second-oldest private bank, and shareholder of Bergos Bank in Zurich. He founded AvS Advisors in ...
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  Board Governance Considerations in Private Market Investments | Dr Eelco Fiole, CFO, NED 20.11.2025 21min

  Send us Fan Mail Private equity, private debt – private markets are absolutely the flavour of the day. Yet, despite the headlines and eye-catching numbers, very little discussion is taking place about governance in this context. In this podcast, Dr Sabine Dembkowski, Founder and Managing Partner, is joined by Dr Eelco Fiole. He has more than 30 years of international finance experience, including two decades as Non-Executive Director, CFO, and CEO in alternative investments with teams i...