Board Effectiveness

Ensuring board effectiveness requires a tailored approach. Whatever your specific needs, we can support you in creating and cultivating an effective board of directors.
Improve your board effectiveness

From board evaluations to director coaching, our board effectiveness consultants provide the tailored advice you need to treat your board like the strategic asset it is (or should be).

 

50+

years of advising leaders around the world

 

100+

board advisory projects each year

 

100%

Net Promoter Score from our board effectiveness clients in 2022 and 2023

Advice to improve board effectiveness

No two boards are the same. And no two organizations face identical sets of challenges. That’s why we focus on your needs—bringing together the right services to deliver on your priorities.

Turn insight into action

Identifying opportunities is not enough. The most powerful board effectiveness efforts uncover a handful of critical opportunities and a pathway to address them. Whether your board is already performing perfectly or has room for improvement, we can help you plan a journey to continue or achieve effectiveness and high performance.

Board evaluation

While many annual evaluations focus solely on full board performance, assessing committee and director performance unlocks opportunities to enhance board performance. Holistic evaluations that qualitatively and quantitatively examine structures, processes, and people at all three levels can confidently assess whether the board is a value-generating asset.

Board composition, refreshment, and renewal

When you bring together the right directors into an organized team with an effective chair, the entire board acts ethically, works well together, and delivers for investors and shareholders. We enhance board composition based on long-term strategy, identifying the skills needed for the future and aligning directors to a single vision.

Activist investor defense

Boards continue to face scrutiny from activists, institutional investors, and the media. We work with boards to understand where they might be vulnerable, and how they would stand up to an activist investor. We understand how activists analyze and target boards, and how to reduce director vulnerability in a proxy contest.

Board coaching

The best boards and directors understand the value of coaching in preparing for whatever comes next. Our qualified board coaches work with full boards, committees, and individual directors to improve team dynamics, optimize processes, and develop the ability to respond to emerging challenges.

Board builds

Preparing to go public, or creating a private company’s first board, is a challenge. Not least because getting a value-enhancing board in place requires careful planning. We have extensive experience in supporting and advising on building boards for IPO, including helping private capital firms prepare portfolio companies for listing on indices around the world.

Board advice

The role and responsibility of boards are becoming increasingly complex. To help them navigate change, our board advisors counsel them on their most pressing issues, such as board and CEO succession planning, corporate governance, DE&I, ESG oversight, and culture.

 

 

Russell Reynolds is a trusted board effectiveness partner

With arguably the most extensive experience in board effectiveness of any professional services firm, and having extensively researched board culture and behaviors, we can support your unique needs to improve the effectiveness of your board.

 

quote There is nothing I can think of that could have been done better.
Our board is high maintenance… The team did a great job offering impartial views for personal development for every board member.

quote  The last time we hired a firm to do the evaluation, some of us felt they tried too hard to find problems and that they wanted to populate a report and create some kind of follow-on project… But RRA did an excellent job. It was very comprehensive with particular care around writing and presenting the findings in a way that was objective and constructive.

 


 

Global board effectiveness leader

 

Rich Fields

With more than a decade of experience advising board members and chairs, Rich ensures we bring the full power of our one-firm approach to answering your corporate governance challenges. That means he brings together the right team to identify and capture the opportunities to improve the effectiveness of your entire board.

Board Effectiveness Capabilities - Accordion

How can I improve board effectiveness?

High-performing boards and directors recognise the value of coaching in preparing for what’s next. Our board coaches work with boards, committees, and individual directors to improve team dynamics, enhance processes, and develop the readiness to respond to developing challenges.

What do clients say about board advisory at Russell Reynolds?

Our talented board consultants received a 100% Net Promoter Score from our board effectiveness clients in 2022 and 2023.

How many board advisory projects does Russell Reynolds complete each year?

Russell Reynolds is a trusted board effectiveness partner and completes more than 100 board advisory projects every year.

How can I reduce board vulnerability?

Boards often face scrutiny and criticism from internal and external forces. Our consultants work with boards to identify where they are vulnerable, and strategize how to respond to negative feedback. We understand how activists target boards, and how to reduce board vulnerability in a proxy battle.

How do I build a value-enhancing board for my pre-IPO company?

Creating a value-enhancing board is a critical step if you are preparing to go public, or creating a private company’s first board. We have extensive experience in supporting and advising on building boards for IPO, including helping private capital firms prepare portfolio companies for listing on indices around the world.

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Partners in Possibility

Get in touch to discover how we can help bring the future into focus - for you, your people, and your business.