'Relationships of non-execs need to be valued and respected when they have good backgrounds.'
'Look beyond the title and focus on the personal – just seeing the title can be disempowering.'
'Expertise gets you to the table but confidence to stand your ground, staying up to date with regulations, not being fearful, and being assertive about your knowledge keeps you there.'
'Company secretaries should build gradual relationships with each member of the board but not on a personal level i.e. arrange individual lunches or catch up meetings – to maintain a healthy relationship.'
'The company secretary and senior independent director should ask everyone to recap any conversations in front of the board which may have been discussed elsewhere so they can be minuted.'
