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Raising Corporate Governance Standards

Board Evaluation Service

Our Service enables your board to better execute its roles and responsibilities. Its objective, candid, confidential and actionable to enable boards to act as a strategic asset to their organisations.

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Our Board Evaluation Expertise

  • Unrivalled Expertise

    Our team of board assessors includes seasoned governance professionals and Chartered Directors with extensive real-world experience across diverse sectors. No matter your context, we bring the expertise needed to provide valuable, actionable insights.

  • Tailored for Your Board

    Our service is customised to the unique needs, challenges, and goals of your organisation and board. We work closely with you to ensure the evaluation aligns with your strategic priorities, providing insights that drive effective governance and long-term success.

  • Trusted and Confidential

    From the initial consultation through to the completion of the board evaluation, we ensure that the entire process is conducted in a fully trusted and confidential environment. Your board's privacy is our priority, and we maintain the highest standards of discretion and integrity.

  • Informed Leadership

    We conduct a thorough evaluation of your board’s strengths and areas for growth, providing actionable insights that enable your team to make confident, strategic decisions. Our approach empowers your board to lead with clarity and drive sustainable success.

Our Board Evaluation Team

Key Focus Areas for High-Impact Board Evaluations

  • Strategy formulation and strategic focus

  • Board influence & Culture

  • Performance & Results

  • Risk Management & Oversight

  • Stakeholder Engagement

  • Board Composition & Dynamics

  • Board Decision-Making

  • Committee Effectiveness & Chair Leadership

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Our approach & methodology

We believe that effective board evaluations are built on collaboration. But also tailored to the unique needs of your organisation. Our approach is not one-size-fits-all. We will work closely with you to understand your board's specific challenges, dynamics, and objectives. By combining our expertise with your insights, we will create a customised evaluation process that delivers actionable recommendations for improving governance, performance, and strategic impact.

We will work with you to choose the best methodology for your board evaluation. The methods are discretionary, and organisations may decide and choose the appropriate method(s) to fit their needs. The options include: Online Board Evaluation questionnaires; one-to-one interviews; and Board and/or Committee observations.

Online Board Evaluation Questionnaire

  • Designed specifically for your board.
  • Targeted statements and questions are written specifically for the board, its committees, and individual directors, as applicable, to elicit valuable and practical feedback about board dynamics, operations, structure, performance, and composition.
  • We tailor each online board evaluation questionnaire and ensure alignment with the objectives of the company secretary, the chair, and the CEO.
  • The process always protects confidentiality.

One-to-One Interviews

  • Our experienced Board Assessors conduct in-depth one-to-one interviews.
  • Well-planned, skilful interviews elicit valuable, detailed, sensitive, and candid director feedback.
  • Our Assessors know what to look for and where to probe, providing vital insights and recommendations.
  • The combined use of an online board evaluation questionnaire and interviews is in our opinion often the most effective evaluation methodology.
  • One-on-one interviews take place virtually with board directors and, if agreed, the executive management team (if recommended).

Board &/or Committee Observations

  • Observing board dynamics and exchanges between directors during live board or committee meetings provides useful insights, supports and recommendations for improvement, particularly related to the quality of board discussions.
  • By observing your board in action, we can gain deeper insights to shape the integration of our recommendations.
  • Your board can expect a detailed yet digestible report. It will outline key findings and include Assessor recommendations to further enhance the effectiveness of your board.

Our process

Planning

  • We will work with you to understand the business context. This includes the board and wider governance structure, and strategic objectives of the organisation. 
  • We will discuss scope and objectives of the evaluation, how it will be conducted and reported on.
  • We will identify and recommend an Assessor who possesses relevant governance, sectoral or industry expertise to lead the board evaluation.
  • Our Assessor and your chair will agree the appropriate approach and methodology for the evaluation.
  • We will develop a comprehensive project plan within the timelines agreed.

Evaluation Process

  • Depending on the methodology chosen, your board of directors complete a fully customised online board evaluation questionnaire. 
  • The questionnaire is designed and benchmarked against best practice corporate governance standards.
  • (Optional) Our Assessor conducts virtual one-to-one interviews with your directors. 
  • (Optional) Board and/or Committee observations take place in-person.

Refinement and recommendation

  • Our Assessor prepares a draft board evaluation report which includes observations and recommendations across the areas in scope. The draft report is shared with the board chair for fact checking. 
  • The final report is shared with the chair and the entire board in accordance with timelines agreed with the chair.
  • The report will communicate practical, proportionate, and relevant findings and recommendations.

Feedback and support

  • Our Assessor will attend a board meeting, present the report to the board, and answer any questions from directors with regard to the observations and recommendations, including their implementation.
  • The board should agree an action plan to implement accepted recommendations. 
  • Many boards also agree to include a review of the action plan as a regular board agenda item, to be tracked at future board meetings. 

Partnering Across Industries

  • PLCs

  • Regulated financial services entities

  • Large private companies

  • SMEs

  • State bodies

  • Semi-state bodies

  • Charities

  • Not-for-Profits

  • Family businesses

  • Multinational Corporations (MNCs)

  • Professional Services Firms

  • Start ups

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Trusted by Leading Companies

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Contact us

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Resources and Supports

Board Evaluations

Enhancing board accountability and driving organisational success | The Irish Times

Blog

Enhancing board accountability and driving organisational success | The Irish Times

Strengthening boards: The power of IoD Ireland's external board evaluations. This article was originally posted on The Irish Times on behalf of IoD Ireland.

A Marriage of Governance: The Critical Role of the Company Secretary and Chair

Webcast

A Marriage of Governance: The Critical Role of the Company Secretary and Chair

Watch this webcast and advance your understanding of the relationship between the Company Secretary and the Chair, which is pivotal to effective corporate governance.

Navigating Board Evaluations: Insights and Strategies

Webcast

Navigating Board Evaluations: Insights and Strategies

This Briefing webinar was presented by Dr. Margaret Cullen, Governance Advisor, IoD Ireland, in conversation with Sarah McLaughlin, Group Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance, Bank of Ireland.

Reflecting on Board Performance: Enhancing Governance with an IoD Ireland Board Evaluation | Business Post

Blog

Reflecting on Board Performance: Enhancing Governance with an IoD Ireland Board Evaluation | Business Post

Regardless of the sector, regular board evaluations have become essential.

Educating, informing and supporting directors to lead successfully | Irish Times

Blog

Educating, informing and supporting directors to lead successfully | Irish Times

Institute of Directors launches new Director Prospectus for 2025.

Holding a mirror up to the board | The Irish Times

Blog

Holding a mirror up to the board | The Irish Times

With organisations increasingly dependent on the effectiveness of their boards for success and growth, regular board evaluations are becoming critically important. This article was originally posted on The Irish Times on behalf of IoD Ireland.