Organisation Governance Consultancy · New Zealand
Working through governance
complexity, together.
Our focus is better governance, stronger culture and building confidence. Our experience brings an independent perspective, foresight and clarity, strengthening oversight and enabling better decisions, especially where complexity needs navigating or the stakes are high.
Bringing Clarity
Through active listening and empathy, we help boards define their role, responsibilities and governance structures, creating alignment and ensuring focus on achieving what's best for an organisation to thrive.
Enabling Better Decisions
We promote deeper critical thinking that supports boards in maintaining strong oversight of risk, performance and accountability, ensuring strong governance holds under pressure, or adapts if necessary.
Strengthening Oversight
We strengthen how boards approach management oversight, using our experience to remove barriers to progress, empower operational leadership, to grow, thrive and prosper.
Trained
Experience
The Challenges
Where tough problems meet thoughtful solutions
We work alongside leadership teams and boards in complex, high-stakes environments to clarify vision, strategy, strengthen governance and improve execution to reach desired outcomes.
Our approach is broad, deep and specialised, centred on governance principles, practice, systems, board member contributions and leadership at the top of an organisation.
Board Misalignment
When board members are not aligned on a vision, priorities or direction, governance becomes fragmented. Decisions stall, accountability weakens and progress slows.
Governance Under Scrutiny
In regulated or high-profile public and private sector environments, expectations increase, compliance and oversight must be stronger. Boards need to focus on the real issues, operate with clarity, discipline and confidence under pressure.
Leadership & Succession
Board succession is a governance imperative. Changes in leadership or board composition create risk or often result in missed opportunity if not managed well. Without strong focus on the right governance capabilities, continuity and direction can be lost.
Risk & Opportunity Blind Spots
Not all opportunities and risks are visible at board level. Gaps in information, environmental awareness, oversight or management challenge can leave critical matters unaddressed.
Board Underperformance
A board not functioning at the level the organisation requires will limit outcomes or worse, significantly undermine the future of an organisation. Lack of the right expertise, experience, governance understanding, structure or board member contributions reduces effectiveness.
Competing Stakeholder Priorities
Multiple stakeholders bring competing expectations and pressures. Without understanding and alignment, governance becomes slower, more complex and harder for board members to navigate.
Operational Interference
Stepping into operational matters disrupts progress and creates non-productive tension within management. Understanding the boundaries of governance, principles, practiceand methods that empower management are essential.
Keeping It Simple (and enjoyable!)
Governance can be simple, enjoyable and very effective. Achieving this balance however, takes strong leadership at a group and individual level. Asking appropriate questions, having the right principles in place, tools, processes and behaviours support leaders in achieving that balance.
What sets us apart
We go beyond typical governance. Our thinking is particularly valuable where organisations are facing difficulty, where the issues associated with governance are not clear, where stakeholder perspectives are mis-aligned, and where progress is slow. Our role is often to identify the essence of a governance matter and think forwards with a board to establish a plan going forward with clarity and structure, expecting the unexpected where relevant.
Our Framework
FICKS™ — how boards create, preserve and sustain value
ISO 37000 defines what success in good governance looks like. Our proven proprietary FICKS™ Governance Framework has been in use for over 20 years by hundreds of board. It defines how boards should spend their time to achieve success, adding a practical discipline that goes well beyond governance compliance and benchmarking in to the real work of governance in practice.
Future Focus & Strategy
Purpose · Value Generation · Strategy · Positioning
Issues, Risk & Opportunity
Environmental Scan · Trends · Risk · Opportunity
Compliance & Solvency
Regulatory Compliance · Legal Obligations · Finance
KPI Monitoring & Accountability
Performance Frameworks · KPI’s · Reporting · Accountability · Insights
Succession, Skills, Structure, Leadership & Culture
Sustainability · Capability · Styles & Behaviours · Teamwork
Common Questions
If you're considering whether Westlake Governance could help your board, these are a good place to start.
What does a Westlake governance consultant actually do
We work with our clients to establish governance principles, processes and structures. We facilitate future-focused analytical thinking to address governance challenges and opportunities. We mentor and train boards and directors. We provide independent assurance to regulators and accreditation bodies on governance standards.
Do we have clear governance structures and accountabilities?
Often boards struggle to know whether they have the right structure, roles and responsibilities to govern effectively. Traditional governance models that relied on a few professionals to support management are long gone. Today’s boards need to be more insightful and sector focused to add real value.
Does the board operate like a high performing team?
High performance can mean many things. We often ask boards to reflect on how they would perform as a sports’ team, drawing analogies with many of the world’s favourite sports. Whilst every sport is different, Westlake bring insights from personal experience in coaching environments. Applying our hands-on organisational leadership experience makes the difference.
How mature is our governance risk management framework?
Risk is not well understood or addressed by many boards, largely a result of a lack of future focused thinking. Westlake will bring over 30 years’ experience in risk management frameworks and practice to your board table, experience that goes way beyond a traditional risk appetite and risk register.
Is our strategy well governed, aligned and tracked?
All too often strategy gets ‘done’ a couple of times a year by a board. The reality is that to be a truly future focused board, strategy is on the agenda at every board meeting. Having the right conversations at the right times is fundamental to this governance activity
Ready to strengthen your
board’s effectiveness?
Call us or request an online conversation to discuss you and your board.We'll work with you and out team to find the right pair of hands to get the solution you need.
COMPANY
CONTACT
M: +64 021 607 184
peter@westlakegovernance.com
PO Box 8052 Wellington
6140 New Zealand
