Norman Broadbent Plc

Looking back over 2024 in the Board Practice at Norman Broadbent Plc, one of the highlights for me has been the hugely positive response we've had to our new quarterly newsletter which we started in May. Thank you to all those that contributed to each edition and to our survey. Next year we will be covering topics such as Leadership, Culture and Technology, all from the Boardroom perspective of course with some sector spotlights. Plus, we will be collaborating with The Quoted Companies Alliance on another survey. If you missed 2024's editions - grab yourself a mince pie and a hot chocolate and dig in to the video interviews, articles and my Top Picks (for suggestions of what to read, watch, listen to and join). 🥧☕ ✨The Evolution of the Boardroom https://lnkd.in/gXSkpERP ✨ Navigating a New Era for the Non-Executive Director (our survey report in collaboration with BDO UK LLP) https://lnkd.in/e6w4UqBu ✨Sustainability: People Planet Profit https://lnkd.in/eF9nn9rD If you aren't yet signed up for our newsletters: https://lnkd.in/e_vPbAK7 A very merry festive season to everyone in the NB NED Community and also to all my LinkedIn contacts. See you in the New Year! 🎇 Sanjeevan Bala Shrenik Parekh, CFA James Nethercott Ben Berry Kevin Davidson Katie Jennings Patrick Dunne Peter van Veen Belden Menkus Jordan Clarke Jock Lennox Tony Quinlan Mark Field Andrew Allner Dave Wilson Alexis Fletcher Louise Wilson Celia Pronto Forsyth Black Rita Dhut David Forbes Julia Hayhoe Neil Tinegate Shefaly Yogendra Ph.D Peter Neville Lewis Jonathan Neale Rikard Scoufias Kirsty Bashforth Stuart Birrell Christopher Reeves Beth Scaysbrook Vicky Moffatt Kathryn Bishop CBE Jon Kempster Devyani P Vaishampayan Anastasia Roumelioti Malcolm Wall

The festive period can be a difficult time for many, so this Christmas we wanted to support local charities by donating essential items to those who need it most, helping to make this time of year feel a little easier.   Our London office took part in The Toy Project's 'No Present Too Small' campaign, donating toys to children in care. In Knutsford, our team supported Hope Central, a local foodbank and community services charity, with essential items. Meanwhile, in Scotland, we contributed to Mission Christmas's Cash for Kids campaign, as well as The Giving Tree's Befriend a Child, to ensure every child gets to experience the magic of Christmas despite the challenges many families are facing this year.   We hope these small acts of kindness bring comfort and joy to those who need it most this Christmas.

Following our recent North America #logistics insights, Nick Behan & Nadan Hadzic share the second part of their series, this time focusing on the EMEA region – 🔗 https://lnkd.in/evGFsktu   Key themes include:   1. The fallout from geopolitical instability and the financial and environmental impact of rerouted shipping and port congestion. 2. The growing pressure of EU emissions legislation and its role in accelerating the sector's push towards #NetZero. 3.The rise of green technology investments and the challenges of navigating complex capex projects.   It’s clear that the demand for #ESG expertise and leaders who can drive capital investment and innovation is rapidly increasing. Businesses are finding creative solutions to these challenges – including making out-of-sector hires to address nascent areas like ESG.

Our recent collaboration with BDO UK LLP on the survey report, "Navigating A New Era for the Non-Executive Director", delves into the evolving risk/reward equation for NEDs. It's great to see this important conversation continued by Tanya Gass with his insightful article published in Governance + Compliance Magazine by The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland #NEDs #Boards #Leadership

As 2024 comes to an end, we are taking a look back at our fundraising activities for our chosen charity, Maggie's Centres including Maggie's Aberdeen Maggie's Barts (City and East London) and Maggie's Manchester.   Our offices have raised money by taking part in the Firewalks, Culture Crawls, London Landmarks, various bake sales, the Great North Run, carol concerts, and fundraising dinners. We also came up with our very own 'Maggie's to Maggie's Bike Ride', where a team of our colleagues rode from London to Manchester over two days, covering an incredible 342km. This has been a charity very close to the hearts of many of our colleagues, raising a brilliant £14,500 in total, supporting them to provide free practical, emotional, and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends.   Well done team NB for getting stuck in for such an incredible cause! We want to say a huge thank you to Maggie's for being such an inspiration and amazing charity partner. It has been a pleasure working with you and learning about the amazing work you do.

Final Call for Your Insights! The conversation around hybrid working is far from over. As organisations continue to balance flexibility, collaboration, and operational goals, Annabel Hooton and our HR Practice are keen to hear how your strategies are evolving. If you’re a Senior HR or Talent leader, your perspective is vital to uncovering key trends that will shape the future of work. Take just 5 minutes to complete our survey here, and receive a complimentary copy of our detailed findings report - https://lnkd.in/eS4sVdC4 We’ll be closing the survey at the end of this week, so don’t miss your chance to have your say! We can’t wait to share the trends early next year. #HRLeadership #FlexibleWorking #HybridWork #FutureOfWork

Thank you to Lesley Stephenson and the FT Board Director Programme for inviting Kevin Davidson, Ben Berry and myself from Norman Broadbent Plc to hear about how companies are utilising #NexGen Boards to maximise Generational Diversity and thereby unlock more creativity and impact. The panel included Patrick Dunne and Rebecca Robins CMgr CCMI, the joint authors of "Five Generations at Work: How We Win Together, For Good", Hannah Sarney from the Financial Times which has a horizon advisory board (with no age bands) and Maria Owusu-Mensah who was Co-Chair of the EY Foundation Youth Board. Having read Patrick and Rebecca's book recently, it was great to hear the practical application of the messages that sing through such as using intergenerational "lenses not labels" and the value of taking time to understand and communicate with different generations. It was also a very useful session to understand the key areas to consider when setting up and running a NexGen board such as matching the numbers to the main board, considering whether anyone from the advisory board should sit on the main board, the tenures, age bands (youth or multi-gen?), composition (customers, employees, external?) and most importantly the #purpose and intent of the advisory board. So why set one up? We heard of examples where an advisory board has helped to address missing products in the company's portfolio, corrected poor marketing communications or brought through grass roots ideas. Also spotting the next hot topic the company didn't see coming or doesn't fully understand the impact of, such as how #AI is actually being used, enabling better analysis of the opportunities and the risks. A key message for me was the reminder that all generations can be innovative. Bringing the generations together is where the magic lies: varied risk appetites, fresh eyes and those that have seen patterns before can combine for real impact. We recently asked 200 #smallcap and #midcap #boards whether and how they are taking generational voices into account (see our survey 'Navigating a New Era for the Non-Executive Director' https://lnkd.in/e6w4UqBu) - only 4% of this cohort were utilising a NexGen board, with 22% saying that age/generation was not a focus at all at the board level. I'd encourage more boards to consider a cross-generational advisory board. What creativity and impact could it unleash? Norman Broadbent Plc #Boards #BoardDiversity #NexGenBoards #HorizonBoards #GenerationalDiversity #Groupthink #Innovation David Levenson Mike Clancy Krishna Grenville-Goble Sarah Greasley

Here’s my Talent Pool Analysis report on Sales Leadership in Manufacturing Automation across North America! This data comes from an analysis of 3,641 C-suite, VP, and director-level sales professionals in the Manufacturing Automation industry across the region. A couple of interesting insights (not included in the report): - The median tenure for professionals in this talent pool is 2.9 years. What’s fascinating is that Sales Leadership professionals across all sectors in North America have a median tenure that’s 16% shorter. So, what makes sales leadership roles in Manufacturing Automation so “sticky”? - The hidden gem locations for hiring Sales Leadership roles in Manufacturing Automation are San Francisco, Greater Philadelphia, and Greater Cleveland. These stood out as areas with the highest supply of professionals in this talent pool relative to hiring demand. What Talent Pool Analysis should we dive into next? If you have any specific requests or areas of interest, feel free to comment below! Also, if you'd like a copy of this report, just let me know and I'll be happy to send it your way. #ManufacturingAutomation #SalesLeadership #NorthAmerica #TalentPoolAnalysis

2024 has been a landmark year for renewable energy, with solar and wind driving record-breaking global capacity additions. Yet, while the market surges ahead, critical barriers in policy, infrastructure, and leadership continue to challenge sustainable growth.   In our latest article, George Richardson, Director in our Global Energy & Utilities Practice, delves into the key trends shaping renewable energy in 2024 and explores the urgent need to close policy gaps, enhance workforce readiness, and future-proof the sector. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eTfJ5xUN   Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, visionary leadership will be essential for renewable energy firms to navigate uncertainty, drive innovation, and scale effectively. If you’re ready to address leadership challenges and position your organisation for success, connect with George Richardson or Chris Smith.   #RenewableEnergy #Leadership #EnergyTransition #Sustainability

This week Kevin Davidson, Tanya Gass and Daniel Bruce CIPD were delighted to celebrate the Women of Influence Awards, hosted by the Rt Hon Baroness Sandy Verma.   Held in the iconic Merchant Taylor's Hall, the evening was filled with inspiring stories from incredible women inspiring #Diversity, #Inclusion and #WomenInBusiness." Thank you for an extraordinary evening honoring the brilliance of women.