Governance & Board Reviews

Independent, evidence-based review of how your board governs and how well it is governing the things that matter most.

Boards are being asked to do more, with sharper accountability and less tolerance for hindsight. Regulators, funders and communities expect governing bodies to demonstrate, not assert, that they are across quality, risk, culture and the safe adoption of new technology.

At EKology, we conduct independent governance and board reviews for organisations where the stakes are high and the subject matter is complex. We bring the perspective of a clinician, a former health system executive and a serving non-executive director, so the findings land as something your board can act on rather than another report that sits in the papers.

Every review is confidential, proportionate to the size of your organisation, and designed to leave the board stronger than we found it.

A structured, external evaluation of how your board actually works. We look at composition and skills, the quality of information reaching the board, the calibre of debate in the room, the relationship between the board and the executive, committee structure and effectiveness, chair leadership, and the board's own culture and behaviours.

Suited to boards conducting their periodic external review, boards preparing for a change of chair or CEO, and boards responding to a regulator, funder or member expectation that performance be independently assessed.

1. Scope and terms of reference.  We agree with the chair, and where relevant the CEO and company secretary, exactly what is in scope, what is not, who reports to whom, and how findings will be handled. Terms of reference are documented before we begin.

2. Document review. Board and committee papers, minutes, charters and delegations, risk registers, quality and safety reporting, incident and complaints data, current and previous strategies and annual reporting.

3. Confidential engagement. Structured interviews with directors, the chair, the CEO and key executives, and where appropriate leaders, the company secretary and consumer or member representatives. Confidential survey instruments where anonymity will produce a more honest picture.

4. Observation. Where the board agrees, attendance at a board and a committee meeting to observe how information, debate and decision-making work in practice.

5. Analysis and benchmarking. Findings tested against relevant national frameworks and standards, and against what comparable boards in your sector are doing.

6. Report and board conversation. A written report to the chair, followed by a facilitated session with the full board. The conversation matters as much as the document.

7. Follow-through. An implementation roadmap with owners and timeframes, and an optional twelve-month check-in to test whether the changes held.