What makes a good leader in 2026? According to Prof. Chris Bones, it’s not brilliance

— it’s choices.

In this conversation with Sir Trevor Phillips, Chris (Chair of the CIPD and former Head

of Henley Business School) argues that organisations are sleepwalking into a new

kind of risk: AI is already being used inside your business — even if leadership

hasn’t approved it. That makes “use and abuse of AI” a governance issue, not an IT

project. His suggestion is simple but powerful: make AI use visible — disclose

prompts, show validation, and treat it like any other evidence.

If AI isn’t on your corporate risk register yet, Chris has a blunt view on what that says

about your risk appetite.

They also dig into what diversity really means at the top. Chris makes the case that

social mobility is often the missing ingredient in boardroom perspective — and that

focusing on outcomes achieved (not “activity”) is one of the best ways to spot talent.