Services

The Boardroom Consulting Group has tailored a range of services designed to address the issues faced by board members.

Strategic Intent

The first job in decision-making is to find the real problem and to define it. Too much time cannot be spent in this phase.

Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management

The work of a Board is fundamentally to make decisions, but sometimes the relationships within the Board and the executive team, obstructs problem solving and impedes strategic thinking. An independent, professional facilitator is often helpful for a group to reach clarity in decision-making.

Ann-Maree Moodie has established an enviable reputation for guiding Boards, and/or executive teams, to identify important issues and reach consensus in decision-making in order to prepare, plan and execute strategic imperatives successfully.

Her warm, relaxed and interactive facilitation style - and her sense of humour - engender trust within the group, which in turn encourages open discussion and a preparedness for group members to participate fully and to contribute their best.

Ann-Maree encourages members of Boards and executive teams to confront and challenge each other in order to explore all the possibilities of a new strategic direction and to reach workable, inspiring solutions.

We engaged the services of Ann-Maree Moodie from The Boardroom Consulting Group Pty Ltd to manage an Executive/Board strategic planning day. The independence she brought to the day, her skills in preparing individual board members and executives prior to the conference to be able to participate to their full capacity, and her facilitation of the day itself, were excellent. Ann-Maree delivered on her promise.

Bill Gair, CEO, travel.com.au

I would like to compliment you on your ability to gather a group of people with a wealth of experience and preparedness to share their knowledge, experience and wisdom.
Identifying people is one thing; gaining their trust is another. Clearly you were able to do both. From your own comments and your provocative questioning, it was clear that you have a tremendous insight into boardroom issues. Were it not for your age, one could be forgiven for thinking you were a seasoned public company director yourself - and one with sound views.

Anne Keating, Professional Company Director.

I recently participated in board roundtable discussion on Corporate Governance arranged and facilitated by Ann-Maree Moodie.
Ann-Maree clearly has a strong background in, and knowledge of, the issues surrounding corporate governance. She is also an excellent facilitator with an uncanny ability to encourage openness and participation from all attendees.

Stephen Chapman, Executive Chairman, Baron Partners Limited

As our workshop facilitator, Ann-Maree Moodie successfully joined with each of us individually and had a clear direction of where to take us collectively. The teaching components of the workshop were very relevant and provided stimulation around the use of power and authority and decision-making process issues. It caused me to reflect on my behaviour within the group and how I might choose to act differently on occasions. Ann-Maree's encouragement for us to argue an alternative position with evidence was very helpful and she was able to lure us outside of our comfort zones. Importantly, Ann-Maree managed to keep us on task to achieve the outcomes established on the first morning.

Peter Gardiner, Chief Operating Officer, Anglicare Sydney

Your facilitation style moved us forward in a way that was firm and focussed, but with a gentle spirit. Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for making our two-day workshop so productive.

Carol Allen, General Manager, Aged Services, Anglicare Sydney

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Boardroom Relations

Independent, objective and compassionate counsel is a welcome antidote to the loneliness of leadership.

Boardroom Relations is a confidential "sounding board" service for chairmen, CEOs and non-executive directors.

The methodology underpinning Boardroom Relations was developed by Ann-Maree Moodie through her doctoral research, and importantly, it is designed to promote the autonomy of the client.

Rather than a traditional mentoring or coaching service, Boardroom Relations is more akin to Socratic dialogue in which the conversation concerns the client's specific engagement with their board work and how they can exemplify their role as a member of the board.

As Chairman of the Sydney Turf Club, The Ted Noffs Foundation and a number of private companies, I felt the need to be made fully aware of my Corporate Governance responsibilities.
I was introduced to Ann-Maree Moodie and have engaged in her role as a 'sounding board' to chairmen. Her knowledge, solutions and explanations on Corporate Governance have been a revelation, and have had a marked affect on my business and professional dealings.
Ann-Maree's enthusiasm, energy and easy manner make our engagement highly informative and enjoyable.
I have no hesitation in recommending Ann-Maree Moodie to anybody wishing to expand their knowledge on Corporate Governance.

Bruce McHugh - Chairman, Sydney Turf Club, The Ted Noffs Foundation and private enterprises.

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The Chairman's Address

Directors are failing to communicate effectively with stakeholders. Most directors among us are not 'top of the pops' in getting our message across. Quite frankly, we do it badly. Communication is essential to improving the community image of company directors and those who manage companies. You must have governance, but probably the most important thing is communications.

David Gonski, Restoring Faith: Leadership and The Bottom Line, September 2003.

The Chairman's Address is designed exclusively for board members and senior executives requiring skilled and experienced speech writers who understand intimately the corporate governance, business and political environments.

The managing director of The Boardroom Consulting Group, Ann-Maree Moodie, with her 20 years' experience as a professional communicator and interviewer, has developed a methodology of speech-writing which has proven to be so engaging that the completed work resonates with our clients as if the words were their own.

The foundation of The Chairman's Address is indebted to many cherished philosophical and psychological traditions, but most especially to Aristotle's three principles of Ancient rhetoric: argumentation, style and composition.

It also acknowledges the great story-tellers of history who teach, by example, how to spin a gripping yarn.

Read Testimonials.

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Governance Review

Governance Review is a professional boardroom appraisal which assists board members to be more effective in their roles by clarifying individual and collective responsibilities.

It designed to improve the working relationship between the board and the senior management team and it ensures a healthy balance of power and authority between the chairman and the CEO.

The methodology used by The Boardroom Consulting Group ensures clients do not receive a standard set of solutions and recommendations which serve only to exacerbate the homogeneity of boardroom behaviour and processes.

Governance Review is founded on international "best practice" codes but is a unique offering to the Australasian market because it is based on the premise that the role of the board member is not limited to the fiduciary and legal duties of a company director. Importantly, it is concerned with the social structure of the board.

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Crisis Containment Practice

A crisis has a long-term impact on corporate reputation potentially resulting in a sliding share price, the forced resignation of the chairman and CEO, a high turnover of key personnel, lost productivity and tarnishing of a brand.

Our Crisis Containment Practice teaches Boards and executive teams to prepare for a crisis, to understand the impact of media coverage on corporate reputation, and to learn to better manage 'the story'.

A workshop tailored to the specific needs of individual clients is the core offering of our Practice. We explain how to contain a crisis after it has occurred through a combination of lectures and interactive exercises including a mock media conference based on a genuine case study.

An experiential exercise using our Hypothetical Simulations service is recommended for an extended workshop.

We also provide support during discrete crisis events, and we encourage our clients to develop their skills and knowledge in this critical area of corporate reputation by drawing on the expertise of our Media Training Practice.

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Media Training Practice

Management and containment of crisis situations for boards and senior executive teams.

Ann-Maree Moodie's a critical asset to the VERITAS management and sales executive teams in her role as a communications and corporate governance specialist. Ann-Maree assists our senior managers to understand the complex issues of corporate governance and how they apply to our customers. She is rigorous in developing ideas and opportunities for VERITAS based on her broad range of industry connections and her ability to discuss complex issues with the management teams of our customers and partners.
Since our partnership with Boardroom Consulting Group began in 1999, Ann-Maree has shown utmost professionalism and enthusiasm at all times. She is great asset that I personally wouldn't want to do without.

Narelle Wilson - General Manager Marketing, VERITAS Australia and New Zealand.

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BOARD Magazine

Australasia's pre-eminent publication on boardroom communications issues researched and written by our team and invited guests.
Download BOARD Magazine for September 2005.
Download the launch issue of BOARD Magazine.

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My Esteemed Colleague

The greatest impediment to creativity is bureaucracy and consensus.

Edmund Capon, Director, Art Gallery NSW. BOSS, June 2004.

If the work of a board of directors is reducible to one task it would fundamentally be to make decisions.

In order to fulfill this role, it is imperative that all perspectives, theories and ideas are gathered, considered and weighed upon. Otherwise, the cursed plagues of conformity, consensus and mediocrity will always threaten.

'My Esteemed Colleague' is a one-day, experiential workshop about decision-making and debate. It teaches a range of decision-making tools which specifically broaden group discussion by focussing on theories, rather than solutions.

The workshop is designed for boards and executive teams, but is invaluable for any group of people charged with making decisions. Participants practise the techniques by discussing and debating problems currently being faced by the group itself, by the organisation and by the industry/sector in which it operates. The workshop culminates in a formal debate.

This service is also offered as part of Strategic Intent and by individual consultation in Boardroom Relations.

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Education of Man

The Education of Man is a revolutionary course in modern management education. The contemporary MBA emphasises subjects concerned with business administration - accounting, finance, marketing, operations and human resources - and later incorporating the study of leadership and of strategy.

In teaching MBA students to think strategically, management educators seek to encourage students to explore how we think, what we think about, how others see the world, and how the decisions we make impact others.

This was also the quest of the original educators of future leaders - the Ancient Greeks - whose legacy was a program of study designed to create independent thinkers who could make wise decisions on behalf of their communities.

The study of the liberal arts- known as studia humanitatis - was believed to create well-rounded, perceptive, worldly and responsible individuals. Cicero claimed that studia humanitatis was the corner stone of a sophisticated society.

This course is founded upon the principles of studia humanitatis and is therefore concerned with the Education of Man. It interweaves the subjects of a classical education to trace the history of Western Civilisation from the Ancient Greeks to the polemists of the present day, in a bid to explore why a return to a study of the liberal arts benefits management.

Emphasis is placed on the study of the aesthetics, with lectures encompassing art, music and literature, as well as highlighting some of the people who have influenced the way we think and act: those whom we today might call "public intellectuals".

The humanists - as did the salonnieres of 18th Century France - believed that the study of the liberal arts should be conducted in an informal manner, through conversation, discussion and debate. It was believed important to set aside time for reflection and for rumination, and for savouring the finer things of life.

It is in this spirit that we invite you to engage with us in conversation about The Education of Man.

With effortless charm, grace and tantalising seduction, Ann-Maree Moodie ignites our curiosity to seek the deeper sense of the world, and of ourselves. With academic flair, feminine style and simmering wit, she helps to bring the exceptional in each of us closer to the surface of our every day lives.
Her guiding hand, at the same time strong and yielding, has been a great muse to my dream of recreating a circle of enlightenment inspired by the style, wit and drama of the 18th century French salon.
For anyone privileged to know Ann-Maree, consider yourselves blessed by the presence of a bright spark in an otherwise dull world.

Julia Vargiu, Salonniere of the Voltaire Room at Salon Pate in Eat City Restaurant

The philosophical dialogues Ann-Maree Moodie wrote and performed at the Art Gallery of NSW during Professor Robert Spillane's lecture series, 'The Mind's Eye: An Introduction to Philosophy', provided a delightful, imaginative and thought-provoking aspect to the lecture series. The audience feedback was fantastic.

Louise O'Halloran, Development Manager, Art Gallery Society of New South Wales

Ann-Maree Moodie's Education of Man course was invigorating and inspiring. Through the challenging French salon-style debates, where we discussed some of the big questions in life, the group found an immense amount of excitement and enthusiasm for life. It was an energising weekend of philosophy that helped me to better understand myself and the world we live in, in an historical context - from heroic women and the muses to our current post-truth and post-modern environment.

Skye Nettleton, (MBA, 2005 Allen Knott Scholar)

Your 'Education of Man' seminar was a delight. It is refreshing to know someone is out there trying to open our eyes and minds as managers and as business leaders. I feel we all need 'enlightening' in regards to reflection, observation and contemplating alternative world views. Seminars such as this help to pave the way for us to begin the process. I wish it had have been available years ago for students of management.

Suzy McGavin, (MBA, 2004)

Your Education of Man course has had an immediate impact on the way I am thinking through many issues concerning management, leadership and education. I look forward to developing my reading in this area, which will be a first for me. I hope many more managers and leaders will find their way around to discussing these matters, too. Thank you.

David Lennox, (MBA 1995)

Thank you for your generosity of spirit, both as a teacher and for providing me with the space for unfettered thought. I found the weekend's colloquy invigorating and challenging. You have left me with much to ponder and a hunger for the difficult rewards of engagement with the primary texts, and for thinking itself.

Judith Fox, Novelist, (shortlisted Miles Franklin Literary Award 1996)

I want formally to acknowledge the crucial role you played in devising, researching and teaching the inaugural Education of Man course at MGSM. It was a delight to teach this intellectually demanding course with you; it was also a learning experience for me. Your deft use of historical and biographical material filled in the gaps created by a philosophical approach to the topic. Moreover, your emphasis on the importance of the studia humanitatis and the role of the French salon introduced important elements in the unfolding of the story of the 'education of man' over the centuries. Words such as 'inspired', 'challenging', 'life-changing', 'demanding' and 'exciting' testify to the impact the course had on participants. Thank you sincerely for your dedication and commitment to furthering the cause of education in the liberal arts. It will be a real pleasure to teach with you again.

Professor Robert Spillane, MGSM

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Saxton Speakers Bureau

Saxton Speakers Bureau represents Australia's pre-eminent public speakers including Paul Keating, Bryce Courtenay, James Strong, Ita Buttrose and Richard Morecroft

Ann-Maree Moodie is represented exclusively by Saxton Speakers Bureau as an expert on boardroom dynamics, board performance and corporate communication. She is also regularly booked as a facilitator for major conferences.

Ann-Maree Moodie has an impressive reputation in the field of corporate governance reform. Ann-Maree is an expert in her field and her warm, open presentation style combined with her thorough preparation and professionalism is greatly appreciated by her audiences and by our clients. Ann-Maree is an asset to our stable of high class speakers.

Graham Anderson - General Manager, Saxton Speakers Bureau.

Saxton Speakers Bureau Phone (03) 9811 3500. www.saxton.com.au

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Pricing Policy

The Boardroom Consulting Group Pty Ltd is committed to assisting boards in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to achieve exemplary corporate governance practices.

In making this commitment, we recognise that not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, arts organisations and professional associations which rely predominantly on the work of volunteers, are driven by motivations different to those of the commercial sector.

In our respect for those boards whose members contribute their expertise and knowledge for little or no financial gain, The Boardroom Consulting Group offers flexible and discounted pricing structures.

This is consistent with our philosophy that board life should be as much about why you are a director as it is about what you do as director.

The pricing structure applies to all our services, seminars and workshops. This includes mentoring, coaching and media training for CEOs employed full-time by not-for-profit boards.

Not-for-profit chairmen and CEOs are encouraged to contact Managing Director Ann-Maree Moodie directly on ann-maree@boardroomcg.com

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