Blog

Diane Grady, full-time non-executive board member with some of Australia's top companies, believes good boards achieve an effective balance between competing pressures. By Jennifer Alexander

Currently on the board of directors of Woolworths Ltd and Bluescope Steel, Diane Grady has been a full-time independent board director since 1994, following being a partner at McKinsey & Co where she consulted on strategic and organisational issues. Grady talks here about a board's role, governance and being an effective board member.

Governance has shot up the corporate agenda in recent times, but what is driving it and where is it all headed? By Ann-Maree Moodie

It's often said of corporate governance that change takes time to achieve, but once started, the pace of improvement tends to increase exponentially.

Six years ago, the key issues facing Australian boardrooms were how directors were recruited and whether the board's performance should be assessed. However, directors were keen to keep the doors of the boardroom firmly closed.

The company secretary is often seen as the key source of corporate knowledge in organisations. Australand's Bev Booker talks to Management Today about her role in ensuring good governance.

In an era where governance is high on the corporate agenda and transparency is a part of doing business, it is natural that the company secretary is viewed as adviser, mentor and arbiter of what is acceptable, and what is not.

A board with an eye on the governance ball might have prevented the $300 million scandal that engulfed the AWB, Australia's monopoly wheat marketing company. By Derek Parker

As business undergoes rapid transformation in the global era, organisational culture is more than ever the key to long-term success. By Cameron Cooper

For Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, memories of her childhood are a far cry from the usual ice-creams, soft drinks, playing and games after school.
Her father Ned, a celebrated physicist, would often hook up electrodes to Ann’s head for an electroencephalograph, or EEG, to measure her brainwaves as part of his research.

Ben Buckley’s sport and management pedigree has him well placed to lead the round ball code into the future. By Jennifer Alexander

Australian organisations are discovering the benefits of engaging with communities. Tony Malkovic looks at the management of successful partnerships.

When Deslin Foster drove through hot and muggy conditions to a remote Aboriginal community in north Queensland to help local school children with a financial literacy program, it turned out to be a real eye-opener for her.

Keeping your workforce engaged and fulfilled is about people skills and implementing innovative plans to develop business wellbeing. By Jocelyn Biddle

It goes without saying that with jobless rates at around 4.2 per cent, employers must increasingly foster strategies aimed at retaining staff. Based on simple supply and demand principles, employees currently find themselves in the driver’s seat. This has left employers needing to implement lasting, viable strategies aimed at attracting and keeping staff.

Networking is all about branching out and connecting with other people to establish genuine relationships. By Deborah Tarrant The woman in the pink jacket still stands out in the mind of Robyn Henderson. At a networking function some years ago, Henderson introduced herself to this woman and finished her usual friendly meet-and-greet patter with a pleasant aside. Coincidentally, she had noticed they’d be sitting at the same table for dinner. Then she watched as the pink jacket wearer headed straight for the dinner table and shifted her handbag to another table.

Ann Sherry talks with Jennifer Alexander about what she looks for in managers, networking and leadership.