Fidelio Breakfast – “Brexit and the implications for Board composition” 11 October 2016
The UK Referendum on 23rd June resulted in a vote to leave the EU. This introduced substantial uncertainty for corporates and the Boards that lead them. As a Board Development and Executive Search consultancy Fidelio recognises that the Referendum Result has profound implications for Board composition, raising questions about the skills that are now needed at the Boardroom table in order to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.
To help us explore what is surely a critical issue for Chairmen and CEOs, we were delighted to welcome Sir Simon Fraser. Simon was permanent under-secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Head of the UK Diplomatic Service from 2010 to 2015. Simon also chaired the Management Board of the FCO and was a member of the Civil Service Board. Previously he was permanent secretary at the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and also served as director general for Europe and Globalization in the FCO and as chief of staff to European trade commissioner Peter Mandelson. In his current role Simon supports CEOs and Chairs thinking about the consequences of Brexit and their response. Thus Simon brought deep insight into the challenges that lie ahead, as well as the skills and experience that will be needed in the Boardroom.
Specifically over breakfast we asked Simon to address:
- Where do we currently stand on “Brexit means Brexit”?
- What is the Board-level response to date?
- What skills will be needed in the Board room to navigate the uncertainty ahead?
This breakfast was attended by a small group of Chairmen, as well as Non-Executive and Executive Directors, and was by invitation only. The breakfast took place on Tuesday 11th October at Villandry St James’s, 12 Waterloo Place, SW1Y 4AU.