Last week, hundreds of governance professionals convened at one of the sector’s most prestigious gatherings – The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland Annual Conference 2025. It was a privilege to address a packed auditorium, ‘Governance with Grit: Why the Future Belongs to the Bold.’ Exploring why oversight grounded in courage and conviction is the vital force that distinguishes leaders from bystanders.
In the latter half of the session, I had the honour of sharing the stage with three distinguished colleagues whose real‑world experience lit up our discussion:
- Julian Baddeley , Group Company Secretary, National Grid
- Darren Barnett LLM, FCG , Senior Assistant Company Secretary, GSK
- Lucy Glover , Deputy Company Secretary, Smiths Group plc
Thank you all for embodying the spirit of Governance with Grit and showing how principled decisions create resilience.
Grit in Action: Beyond Frameworks
Governance frameworks and policies are essential but they only come alive when professionals have the grit to apply them under pressure. When ESG commitments wobble, resignations follow or cultural issues surface, the root cause is rarely a flawed strategy. It often begins with someone pausing to ask “Are we doing the right thing for the long term?” Grit is that pause and the conviction to act on it.
Core Principles of Gritty Governance
Governance with Grit centres on three interlocking pillars that turn ideals into practical habits:
- Purpose anchors policy: Purpose must do more than decorate your annual report; it must steer every boardroom discussion. Embedding measurable purpose metrics alongside profit and loss figures gives directors a clear view of long-term value. Imagine a board pack where carbon reduction targets, community impact scores and employee wellbeing indices sit side by side with revenue projections. That balance drives decisions which honour both your mission and your margin.
- People drive resilience: No whistleblowing hotline or code of conduct can protect an organisation unless individuals trust the system enough to use it. Regular culture pulse checks—short, anonymous surveys on ethical tone, communication clarity and psychological safety—surface emerging issues before they escalate. Pair these with transparent follow-up protocols and you create a living feedback loop so every team member knows their voice matters.
- Preparedness beats prediction: Perfect foresight is a myth; agility comes from practice. Conduct biannual red team simulations of cyber incidents, AI ethics dilemmas and supply chain shocks to stress test your policies and reveal hidden decision gaps. Involve not only senior directors but also frontline managers and external specialists then record clear decision trails for post-exercise review. Organisations that rehearse crises routinely find that, when disruption arrives, they respond faster, contain reputational risk and recover more fully.
Together these principles ensure governance moves from static compliance to dynamic leadership so your organisation not only survives uncertainty but emerges stronger.
A Diary Comes to Light
Amid the CGI conference’s energy, The Secret Diary of a Company Secretary featured as a source of real-life insights illustrating the grit I describe From late night redrafts of board packs to the awkward questions raised in hallways, these field notes reveal the small decisions that prevent major crises.
The enthusiastic reception – long queues, thoughtful messages and shared anecdotes – confirmed that honest stories resonate. They remind us that governance lives in moments of resolve not in rule books.
Join me for an exclusive reading and discussion of The Secret Diary of a Company Secretary in London:
Date: Thursday 24 July 2025
Time: 6:30pm – 10:00pm
Location: Westminster, London
I look forward to sharing more stories and sparking conversation with you there.
Addressing Modern Governance Tensions
Boards face three unavoidable tensions. Recognising them and responding deliberately turns potential conflicts into competitive advantage:
- Speed versus scrutiny: A well-timed question accelerates clarity and confidence; it is the quickest path to agile decision-making rather than a hindrance to progress.
- Innovation versus integrity: Rapid prototyping and digital transformation only succeed when paired with robust audits and ethical guardrails.
- Profit versus purpose: Investors reward organisations that demonstrate long-term credibility; transparent ESG reporting both strengthens trust and supports sustainable valuation.
By examining real-world case studies and sharing practical best practices, boards can navigate these tensions with purpose and precision.
What Comes Next & A Call to Steady Voices
In the months ahead, we will continue to share insights, stories and conversations that bring Governance with Grit to life. Keep an eye out for ways to engage, collaborate and deepen our collective resolve.
Governance may not grab headlines yet it determines which organisations endure under scrutiny. The mandate is clear:
- Ask the uncomfortable question before it escalates into crisis
- Treat ethical clarity as a strategic asset not a compliance cost
- Build boards that learn as quickly as the risks they oversee
This is the essence of Governance with Grit – the difference between compliance and true leadership.
Thank you to CGI UK & Ireland for an impeccable event and to every delegate who proved that open dialogue is governance’s greatest safeguard.
With conviction,
Erika
#GovernanceResilience #BeyondBoardroom #CGIUKI #GovernanceProfession #ThoughtLeadership #Governance2025 #GovernanceWithGrit #BeyondGovernance #GovernanceReads #CompanySecretaryLife #TheSecretDiaryOfACoSec
