Demonstrating fresh thinking

Thought leadership positioning

Business challenge:

Bridgehouse Company Secretaries asked Words etc to edit a thought-provoking, potentially controversial article to help get its hard-hitting message across. An article titled ‘The Elephant in the Room’ posed the stark question: Has the chief executive officer (CEO) role been given enough attention in governance codes? In this article we argued that current governance frameworks are open to abuse by a domineering CEO, allowing the individual to exert undue influence. We made the case for a maximum term of office to be set to prevent this. The article, authored by Bridgehouse MD Ibi Eso, showed bold, fresh thinking and positioned Bridgehouse as a thought leader in the governance arena.

Solution:

We explored the arguments in favour of greater scrutiny and safeguards against abuse of power in a 1,200 word article – ‘The Elephant in the Room‘ – for the November 2019 issue of icsa Governance + Compliance magazine, the leading publication for governance experts and company secretaries. We explained how a CEO can wield considerable influence that affects the organisation’s culture, its choice of chair, the board’s remit and many other issues. The CEO sets the tone from the top, whether for good or evil. We concluded that controls, such as a limit on the term of office, are needed to prevent possible abuse of power by an individual in this powerful role.