Take on Board

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I'm speaking with Julie Lyford about the critical role of the board chair as the unifying force within the board, along with the challenges and benefits of that philosophy.

Julie is the chair of WELA, the Women's Environmental Leadership Australia. She's also on the boards of the Green Institute and Gloucester Transitions Incorporated. She was formally on the Boards of Regional Development Australia Hunter, The Sunrise Project, and various local government boards including Hunter Councils.

A few things about Julie, she immigrated to Australia at 18. She's lived in Gloucester for 40 years, which is a wonderful rural community. She's a former registered nurse. She's been a local government counselor, and she's passionate about climate, social justice, and good governance.

In 2015, she was an awarded a Order of Australian Medal for work with the community, local government and environmental activity. 

Links and Resources

Julie on LinkedIn

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Day two of the Australian Governance Summit 2026 was filled with even more important governance insights, expanding on the themes from day one. We listened to an excellent group of speakers, starting with Kate Waterford on the vital need for boards to proactively utilise AI, moving beyond security concerns to address its full disruptive potential. 

I shared takeaways from Philip Chronican on Australia's economic position, emphasising agility, social cohesion as a key strength, and the urgency of the housing challenge. Melinda Clarke offered thoughtful reflections on the value of boardroom hypotheticals in crisis decision-making, and Katie Constantinou expertly explained the critical chair-CEO relationship, highlighting the importance of trust based on shared values and clear roles. 

Helen Hu offered valuable insights on shifting investor expectations toward long-term sustainability and active engagement, while my own reflections centered on the future of the care sector—specifically, the "delightful tension" around funding and the need for purpose-driven commercial balance in the boardroom. 

Finally, we ended the day with insights from Jane Davel on fostering psychological safety for difficult conversations and Karen Raitt's thoughts on sports governance, before Nicola Gibbs wrapped up with a discussion on linking productivity to investment risk appetite and the need to free up board time for strategic priorities.

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Today, on the Take on Board podcast, we have the crowdsourced Day 1 recap from the Australian Governance Summit (March 2026, Sydney). It covers key themes raised across sessions. The summit opened with an Acknowledgement of Country linking stillness and shared purpose to stronger governance. That session was followed by AICD chair Naomi Edwards on boardroom diversity progress, collective board accountability, lessons from the Star Casino case (including board responsibility for information and board packs), and bringing secure, well-briefed AI into board decision-making.

Helen Hu summarises CBA chair Paul O’Malley on stewardship, structural forces reshaping strategy, and disciplined capital allocation for resilience. Kate Waterford reports on geopolitics as a mainstream board risk, with cyber as a priority and practical near-term de-risking actions. Claire Schonfeld relays ASIC chair Joe Longo on growing complexity, judgment beyond compliance, innovation, and AI as board-level priority.

It was a pack day of sessions including chair expectations in recruitment, payroll compliance risks and data sovereignty, Pamela Hanrahan’s regulatory update (hard/soft regulation and AI’s impact), future-proofing director skills through digital and AI literacy, and Chris Bradley’s optimistic “strategic realities” framing of global shifts.

We'll be back next week with day two.

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In this solo episode of Take on Board, I share my keynote from the 2026 Board Observership Program launch. I discuss how the program helps emerging leaders under 40 and builds strong board succession pipelines.

I highlight that diverse boards make better decisions, but only when inclusion and psychological safety are prioritized through intentional connections. My five tips for observers: connect broadly, stay curious, own your seat, use your fresh perspective early, and fully commit to meetings, training, and events (and have fun).

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Today, on the Take on Board podcast, I'm talking to Olivia Giudice about chairing your boards risk committee.

Olivia is a Board Director, former Chair of the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee and current CEO of Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative for women leaders with a STEMM background. She has also held several Chief Risk Officer, risk and audit roles across public sector and ASX-listed environments. Olivia has a keen interest in how people experience risk through behaviour, decisions and culture.

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Olivia on LinkedIn

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In this solo Take On Board episode, I introduce the Human Synergistics Group Styles Inventory (GSI) as a tool boards can use to increase effectiveness. I explain the Human Synergistics Circumplex with 12 group styles across three clusters: constructive (blue), passive/defensive (green), and aggressive/defensive (red), and I describe how each can show up in board dynamics.

I share that Human Synergistics research links more effective groups with higher constructive styles and lower defensive/aggressive styles, and I outline how a board can measure itself after a meeting or a simulation, set actions, and remeasure later.

I also describe an anonymised board simulation where we focused on increasing self-actualising and affiliative behaviours while reducing avoidant and power behaviours, and I emphasise that these actions should be owned by the whole board, not just the chair, CEO, or secretary.

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Today on the Take On Board podcast, I'm speaking with Solai Valliappan about learning how to be a board chair.

Solai is a Sydney-based technology investor, advisor, and board director. Starting her career as an Actuary, she transitioned into the startup world 10 years ago. She has been leveraging her finance expertise to advise family offices, venture capital firms, accelerators, and startups across Australia, including investing as an angel investor.

She discusses the importance of structure, feedback, and clear boundaries between governance and operations, especially within small organizations and not-for-profits. Solai emphasizes learning on the job, drawing on resources like podcasts and peer feedback, and encourages others to take on new challenges in board leadership.

Links and Resources

Solai on LinkedIn

Solai's Substack

Solai's YouTube

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This week on Take on Board, I discuss a topic that is sometimes overlooked: the crucial role of governance calendars for boards. Think of it as the board's essential work plan, a simple table or spreadsheet that lays out exactly when the board will tackle key topics (strategy, budget, compliance, CEO check-ins, etc.) over the next year or more.

Links and Resources

AICD Board Calendars

Effective Governance Calendar Template

Savvy Director Prep

Annual Board & Compliance Calendar template

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Today on the Take on Board podcast, I'm speaking with Suzie Thoraval about governance of risk and audit. 

Suzie is the independent chair of the finance, audit and risk Committee at the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, and she's a member of the finance, risk and audit committees at the Judicial College of Victoria and the cities of Greater Dandenong, Knox and Whittlesea.

She's previously been on the advisory board for the College of Law's Centre for Legal Innovation and the Chair of Dear Dyslexic Foundation, and on the School Council of Camberwell Primary School. Suzie is a seasoned legal governance and strategic leadership professional with deep expertise in audit risk and corporate governance.

She brings 25 years of experience, including 13 years in senior leadership in government. She brings a Master of Laws and a strategic, inquisitive mindset to every conversation.

Links and Resources

Suzie Thoraval on LinkedIn

Suzie's past newsletters are on her website along with YouTube videos: www.suziethoraval.com and https://www.youtube.com/@SuzieThoraval

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This week on the Take On Board podcast, I’ll be discussing risk and risk appetite statements. This topic has been on my mind because I recently facilitated a workshop with a board focused on their risk appetite.

I’d like to walk you through the process I often use with groups and share some resources that I find helpful. Risk appetite is undoubtedly an important aspect that boards should consider and address. should be paying attention to. 

Links and Resources

Setting your risk appetite: supplementary guidance (The Institute of Risk Management)

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