Reconnecting with purpose
Why governance should always come first
At the start of this year, the team and I sat down to revisit something we ask our clients constantly:
How connected are you to your company purpose?
How does that connection shape your decision making at Board and committee level?
Whenever we conduct Board Performance Reviews, these questions form a core part of our conversations with Directors. It felt only right that we hold ourselves to the same standard.
When I founded RGS, I was driven by a very clear ambition - I wanted organisations to think of governance specialists first before lawyers and accountants. When I started this eight years ago, I only knew of the amazing Bernadette Young doing governance consulting and now there are so many more of us. I think it’s testament to the fact that together we’re championing the recognition of governance expert first.
If I could get my highlighter out here, I would - governance isn’t a subset of legal or financial advice. And it has always been my intention to build a consultancy that Boards can call on as a partner. Yes, sometimes that involves a brief conversation but usually it extends into a deeper dive. In whatever way Boards choose to engage with us, I can confidently say they’re always drawing on deep, specialist expertise that should come before, or at the same time as engaging with legal and finance arms of a business.
Round Governance is a purpose led governance consultancy and part of a wider network of governance professionals committed to strengthening the sector together.
Social conscience at our core
When I had my son, I wanted to create a world that allowed me to be present for him without sacrificing my career. Enter stage right – RGS.
I created two entities that needed my attention in 2017. And doing so truly reshaped my perspective on leadership, work and what matters.
From day one, our foundations have been built on:
A positive, human-centred culture
Flexibility without compromising quality
Integrity in every interaction
These principles continue to guide how we do business today. We take on clients who truly understand our purpose and who are respectful of it too.
I’ve never been driven by the pursuit of endless wealth. Don’t get me wrong, who doesn’t enjoy nice holidays but being able to make my son’s pancakes in a morning means more. And I firmly believe that ambition and balance aren’t mutually exclusive.
Practising what we preach
So, this year, fuelled by coffee and our own expectation of strategic clarity, the team and I put a magnifying glass to our own strategy. We challenged, reshaped, and sharpened it.
We reaffirmed our purpose:
To strengthen governance and board effectiveness, supporting informed decisions that drive organisational value and success.
And our vision:
To be a trusted and exceptionally regarded governance partner for organisations that want to lead with integrity and impact.
We also revisited the strategic framework that underpins how we work. We covered how we approach delivering value for clients, maintain the highest standards of governance expertise, and grow in a way that preserves our culture and integrity.
I won’t list everything we reflected on here, but what matters is this: we’re crystal clear on what we stand for and how we’ll continue to deliver practical, proactive, and high-quality governance support. If you’d like to see more of what has evolved, do hop over to our website where we’ve captured the highlights.
(Yes — this is also your gentle reminder that we continue to deliver Board Performance Reviews with both rigour and humanity.)
What I wanted from this process
Ultimately, I wanted this exercise to confirm we’re still doing the right thing for the entire team, business and clients.
I knew that if we all had a little refresh it would bring us right back to the core of RGS and with that comes pace, purpose, fulfilment, and a well governed business that allows room for a cheeky holiday now and then.