Accountancy Insights

Behind the Numbers: Groupthink – the boardroom’s most pervasive problem?

ICAEW Season 1 Episode 78

In this episode of Behind the Numbers, we discuss strategies to prevent and tackle groupthink at board level.

 

By suppressing debate and disrupting effective decision-making, groupthink poses a significant governance challenge for firms. Notably, the recent scandal over fee transparency at wealth manager St James’s Place – which has set aside £426m for client refunds – has been blamed on groupthink in the boardroom.

 

Philippa Lamb examines ways forward with Baroness Helena Morrissey, financier and former Non-Executive Director at St James’s Place; Peter van Veen, Director of Corporate Governance and Stewardship at ICAEW; and Kevin Davidson, CEO of executive search and board advisory firm Norman Broadbent.

 

Links 

 

Host

Philippa Lamb

 

Guests

  • Baroness Helena Morrissey, financier
  • Peter van Veen, Director, Corporate Governance and Stewardship, ICAEW
  • Kevin Davidson, CEO, Norman Broadbent

 

Producer

Natalie Chisholm

 

Episode first published: 28 June 2024
Podcast recorded: 21 June 2024