Our Publications

Chairing in Adversity

At the beginning of 2009 there was a general sense that we were in and heading further into a crisis that was much greater than anything most Boards had managed before. Now, midway through the year, it is clear that even if the immediate sense of crisis has passed, we are facing into an indeterminate period of an indeterminate degree of adversity.

In light of this, as part of the JCA Group’s work with Chairmen on board appointments, and Manchester Square Partners’ work with Board members on their careers, we thought that it would be helpful to research what the most experienced Chairmen do differently in adversity, be it at times of absolute crisis or in just on-going difficult times. We interviewed over 25 Chairmen, all of whom have managed through particular phases of adversity over recent years. Our aim was to draw from them the lessons they learned which they are applying now.

Please click here to read our report ( PDF - 230Kb)

Corporate Governance & the Effectiveness of Shareholder Engagement

Earlier this year the JCA Group undertook a research exercise on behalf of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which has responsibility for the Combined Code and is currently undertaking a review of some key aspects of Corporate Governance including shareholder engagement.

Our research, assisted by Thomas O’Malley, focused primarily on shareholder engagement with FTSE companies. We talked to a wide range of leading institutional investors and a spread of FTSE Chairmen and CEOs.

Attached is our report which offers a "menu" of options for possible adoption by companies and investors drawn from suggestions made to us during the course of the interviews. We have also summarised the conversations we had.

Please click here to read our report ( PDF - 500Kb)