Case Study:
John Davies ACG
Meet John Davies as he tells us what it's like to work as a Governance Director at Beyond Governance
Tell us a little about you, and what makes you tick
I’ve had a very hands-on career where I’ve always been a “doer”. This often means that I, like a lot of people, have been too busy to take a step back and actually think. As I’ve got older, I realise I much prefer the problem-solving aspect of the role and enjoy having the opportunity to help others take that step back themselves. In my current role, I am encouraged to actually stop and think and that is a rarity. A lot of people just don’t have the time.
Governance is all about people so we are in the relationship business whether we realise it or not.
Writing minutes can be seen as the “price” of access to the board room.
What is Governance?
The right people, talking about the right things at the right time. You can establish and document the most elaborate and impressive frameworks and controls you like but if the people within the organisation ignore them or don’t understand them then they are worthless. And then the problems start.
What is a governance professional?
I was told that if you can’t explain your job in language a 5 year old would understand, you don’t have a proper job! We support the decision making process in organisations. Our role is to make it easy for people to do the right thing. Whereas there are rules and regulations to bear in mind, we are dealing mainly with the senior people in organisations who perhaps don’t see what we do as a priority for them. Flexing the approach to suit the individual and being able to influence and demonstrate value in a subtle way is essential. Governance has been become a cliché and is a growth industry. Having a qualification is a differentiator between us (the professionals) and all those other people who are trying to own a slice of governance.
Your route to a career in governance
I was asked by a recruitment consultant if I “knew anything about shares”. I’d also read about the profession as an alternative to law or accountancy so when the opportunity arose, I took it. After about a year in the role, I was then asked if I want to study for the exams which is what I did.
The essential skills for success in governance
Check your ego at the door. I’ve spent a lot of my career in boardrooms where I have been the least “important” and definitely the least well-paid person. I wouldn’t say I knew my “place”, but I did know my role. Having that awareness, particularly of when to have a voice and when to keep quiet is a key requirement. As I said before, the role is all about people and finding a way to deal with individuals at all levels of an organisation. People will avoid a blocker but seek out a problem solver. An effective governance professional needs to be involved, not ignored.
Career highlight
We don’t often get much feedback from our senior stakeholders (unless something has gone wrong!) So, it comes as a surprise when, as happened to me, a CFO described a report I’d written on reducing the time senior managers spent in meetings as “excellent” which left me speechless. Every time I’ve left a role, people have said how much they’ll miss me and how much they’ve relied upon what I do. Whereas this kind of unsolicited feedback is a highlight for me (and it’s happened a lot) I think its sad people don’t let you know they value you until you leave. Whereas I’ve always enjoyed the coaching and mentoring side of the role, I now have the opportunity to actually do this formally via training courses, something I thought I would never do.
How did the Institute support your career as a governance professional?
The Institute gave me a professional qualification (which I worked hard for) and allowed me to grow via the mentoring scheme. Having the qualification, combining it with a varied work experience and working with some great people has given me transferrable skills which have taken me to several interesting roles and allowed me to develop and thrive.
Words of wisdom for the next generation of governance professionals?
Nobody is nobody. Everyone is a stakeholder now so you should be interested in what they do and how they think. Understanding what makes people tick is an important part of the role.
Live blog feeds
In their shoes:
Pam Wenger
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Pam Wenger, who works as Director of Corporate Governance for the Swansea Bay University Health Board.
Read more
In their shoes:
Graziella Bray
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Graziella Bray, who works as Company Secretary, APS Bank plc (Malta)
Read more
In their shoes:
Laura Sercombe
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Laura Sercombe, CEO of Girls Friendly Society, which has been shortlisted for this year's Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year award.
Read more
In their shoes:
Léanne Heerink
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Léanne Heerink, who works as Director of Corporate Governance.
Read more
In their shoes:
Urvasi Naidoo, FCG
As part of our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Urvasi Naidoo, FCG, who works as Compliance and Contracts Manager for the CGF.
Read more
In their shoes:
Cynthia Mora Spencer, ACG
As part of our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Cynthia Mora Spencer, ACG, who works for The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.
Read more
In their shoes:
Susan Swabey, FCG
As part of our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Susan Swabey, FCG, who works as Company Secretary for Smith & Nephew plc.
Read more
In their shoes:
Rowan Moony
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Rowan Moony, who works as a Governance Associate at Almond+Co
Read more
In their shoes:
Val Lynch
Continuing our 'in their shoes' series, we sat down with Val Lynch, who works as a Company Secretary at Silva Homes.
Read more