Header
Home Philosophy Team Services Clients Testimonials Publications In the media Contact

Publications

"Ann-Maree Moodie's articles on corporate governance and boardroom behaviour are distinguished by her thorough research, willingness to explore beyond the surface, capacity for original thought and nuanced use of language."

Judith Fox, Publishing Manager, Chartered Secretaries Australia

Articles

CFO Magazine

CFO Magazine is Australia's leading business publication for chief financial officers and other senior executives in finance and related disciplines, including corporate governance. Ann-Maree Moodie is one of CFO's opinion columnists. Select an article from the list below.

Corporate Governance Opinion Column - 2006

Cover Stories - 2006

Corporate Governance Opinion Column - 2005

Cover Stories - 2005

Corporate Governance Opinion Column - 2004

Corporate Governance Opinion Column - 2003

Cover Stories - 2003

Corporate Governance Opinion Column - 2002

Cover Stories - 2002

Back to top

The Boardroom Balancing Act, National Accountant, February/March 2006.

To be effective in its role, a board must be able to set the company's strategic direction, identify and manage risk, monitor progress towards the company's long-term goals and protect the interests of shareholders. Integrity, intelligence and a keen sense of responsbility are vital qualities if individuals are to balance the competing demands and operate effectively in the boardroom.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

Taking the Step to Board Level, Management Today, June 2005.

The offer of a position on the board may be a reward for service but managers taking the step need to be aware of the responsibilities and the pitfalls.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

The Education of Man as Man, Keeping Good Companies.

The degree to which managers should be trained and the extent to which they should be educated. How a liberal arts education can extend management expertise and enhance independent thinking. The humanist ideals of a trained mind, culture and the benefits of applied knowledge to both the individual and to society.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

Managerial Language - The key to communication.

Language is the currency of communication. Words, and the way we use them, are essential to how we convey information, emotion and shades of meaning. But language is in perpetual evolution, changing and shifting to meet the demands of everyday life and societal trends.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

The Meaning of Independence.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

Individuality, Liberty & Absolute Freedom:
An alternative framework for independence in the boardroom.

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

What Makes a Good Board?

Read the article (PDF) | Back to top

CCH - Director's Professional Education Package

Authoring a boardroom thriller, Ann-Maree Moodie was a contributor to the development of CCH's Directors Educational Package.

Read the article | Back to top

Books

Ann-Maree has published three books. Professor Robert Spillane of Macquarie University had the following to say about them:

As a Professor in Management it is a constant challenge to find books by Australian authors that can be recommended to management students. It has, therefore, been a pleasure to discover three books by Ann-Maree Moodie which I have unhesitatingly recommended to my students.
Her first two books 'Small Poppies: Profiles of Australian Small Business' and 'Local Heroes: A Celebration of Success and Leadership in Australia' are of particular value to courses in 'Leadership and Motivation' and her latest book 'The Twenty First Century Board: Selection, Performance and Succession' has been used with great profit in my course 'Managerial Psychology'.
Ann-Maree Moodie not only writes well but she is able to draw from her interviewees important and relevant data that are too often lost in statistical analysis. Her research method is qualitative rather than quantitative which guarantees that her books will reflect the drama of her topics.
One is struck by the striking and surprising responses she illicts from her subjects and this dramatic element is the key to effective qualitative research. No doubt her books were written for a popular audience. Nevertheless, they are of considerable value to students of management, occupational psychology, leadership, corporate governance and entrepreneurship. I commend them to anyone interested in Australian business and executive leadership.

Professor Robert Spillane - Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Sydney.

The Twenty-First Century Board: Selection, Performance and Succession.

21st Century Board book

A very simple question lay at the core of this book: how can boards do better? Ann-Maree Moodie tackles the issues of selection, performance and succession on boards. The book is wrought from lengthy, off-the-record interviews with Australia's business leaders and is written with Ann-Maree Moodie's wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of boards.

Published in 2001. ISBN 1 876604 48.4.

If you would like to obtain a copy of The Twenty-first Century Board, it is published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Phone (02) 8234 3333, fax (02) 8234 3366, web www.companydirectors.com.au

Ann-Maree Moodie's 'The Twenty First Century Board' is a timely book and is, in fact, one large case study of boardroom practice in corporate Australia. It is a first in exposing the many unquestioned traditions that go right to the core of the need to put in place transparent and effective processes for selection, performance and succession of directors to boards.
Ann-Maree's research skill in blending in-depth interviews and pertinent quotations from Australia's leading directors with a penetrating analysis of the collected data has provided the facts against which any theoretical view of board behaviour must be judged. Her recommendations for change in selection, performance measures and success practice, should be an agenda discussion item for all boards in Australia and the book required reading for all directors.
At the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University of Technology, this book is now required reading for all students in the MBA, and MEI (Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation) programs.
"Within the subject 'Entrepreneurial Strategy' students use this book as a case-study to discuss the role of a board and its directors in both setting and measuring an entrepreneurial strategy for the company and assessing the accompanying innovation processes.
I commend this book to all faculties within a university which are incorporating practical reality and commercialisation awareness among its students and teaching staff.

Professor Emeritus L Murray Gillin AM reviews 'The Twenty First Century Board'.

How can boards do better? Many legislative and policy attempts have been made in recent times to improve the governance of Australia's corporations, but these have tended to be driven by a how-to 'cookbook' approach. This is a significant contribution by Ann-Maree Moodie to improving corporate governance, not by prescription but by understanding the key principles of selecting board members with the skills, knowledge and integrity to make a contribution to the stewardship of the corporation; regularly reviewing the performance of those members; and ensuring there is a stable membership base, by effectively managing the 'comings and goings' of the board membership. In doing so, Ann-Maree combines an engaging writing style with a series of thoughtful insights, drawing on an impressive selection of some of Australia's top corporate leaders. This should be required reading for all board members and chairs.

Professor David Lamond, Director, Sydney Graduate School of Management on 'The Twenty First Century Board'.

The AICD selected Ann-Maree to research and write 'The Twenty-First Century Board' as a major contribution to the debate on the future structure of Australia's major boards. We were delighted with the outcome as the book made a timely challenge to all Australian boards to assess their role, composition and performance.
Ann-Maree's personal and professional qualities were a key ingredient in the contribution which this book has made to the Australian corporate governance scene.

John Hall - Chief Executive Officer, Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Back to top

Local Heroes.

A Celebration of Success & Leadership in Australia.

Local Heroes book

Australians have much to be proud of. Whether in industry or the arts, sport, politics, technology, science or medicine - our stories of success and leadership are true sources of inspiration for our community, in particular our youth.

Local Heroes is a remarkable compilation of prominent men and women who talk candidly about their success, the responsibility that comes with leadership and the effects of both on their relationships with family and friends.

In these honest, surprising and sometimes very funny interviews, we learn how many of Australia's most highly regarded people have become the outstanding leaders they are today.

Published in 1998. ISBN 0 7248 0716 0.

Email Ann-Maree Moodie to make enquiries about this book.

Everyone needs a hero. Not the celluloid figures of the media, but a real-life person from whom they can draw inspiration, gather courage, measure their own achievements, materialise their dreams. In 'Local Heroes', Ann-Maree Moodie gives us a constellation of genuine, contemporary Australian heroes - not all of them famous by any means. But all of them real, flesh-and-blood, dynamic, compelling, the kind of people you want on your team. As a newcomer to Australia, I drew from these stories of failure and ultimate success, rags-to-riches, grit, determination and excellence the quintessence of the Australian character. It's a privilege to live and work among such people.

Geoff Garrett, Chief Executive of the CSIRO, praises Local Heroes.

Back to top

Small Poppies.

Profiles of Australian Small Business.

Small Poppies book

Most small business people start with nothing except a fresh idea and a desire to be their own boss. Many find that they have made a lifestyle choice, not just started a new job.

In Small Poppies, small business people share their experiences of the issues that affect them in running their own business. Some of them are well known, others are not. But they all have something in common - they want to run a successful small business in Australia.

Some small business people might not think they have anything in common with Collette Dinnigan, Jan Chapman, Steve Outtrim or Poppy King. But just because they're famous doesn't mean they're immune to problems with suppliers, their export market, their customers, or their profit and loss statement, as you will see when you compare them with some of the less well-known small poppies in this book.

By reading Small Poppies you'll find that no matter what your business is, there are other small business people experiencing the same highs and lows as you, and their stories will inspire you to realise your dream.

Published in 1996. ISBN 0 7248 0950 3.

Email Ann-Maree Moodie to make enquiries about this book.

Back to top

SHORTCUTS

CFO Magazine The Boardroom Balancing Act Taking the Step to Board Level Keeping Good Companies Managerial Language The Meaning of Independence Individuality, Liberty & Absolute Freedom What Makes a Good Board? CCH The Twenty-First Century Board Local Heroes Small Poppies breakout