DHN Director Forums

DHN Director Forums are aimed at Chairmen/women, Executive and Non-Executive Directors – and those who advise them. Director Forums are working, interactive and creative groups focused on key business issues – usually at 4.30pm to 6.30pm – followed by networking over a glass of wine – and are ideally suited to active executives looking for a short, sharp immersion in a specific topic, generally seen as topical, sensitive or tricky and in the company of others with similar interests. Director Forums, part of the Devonshire House Network, are also valuable networking events – and designed to fit in unobtrusively to your daily work routines.

We want to influence decision makers, regulatory bodies and government where necessary and to develop Devonshire House Network as a source of quality information and advice on selected topics.

The DHN Director Forums will achieve this ambition through a mix of activities to jointly develop original thought leadership and industry best practice on each topic.

In all our activities, we are keen to work with external experts. In particular, we are grateful to Sharon Constancon who has agreed to present and manage three Director Forum Events on Corporate Governance topics – on 19.6.18, 19.9.18 and 13.11.18. The specific topic for each Event will be agreed beforehand and will be much influenced by the successful Director Form Event that she presented and managed on 19.3.18. Her subsequent White Paper based on this appears on this website under Director Forum Published Material.

(Sharon Constancon is Managing Director of Genius Methods – www.geniusmethods.com. Sharon Constançon, (CDir. MBA. FCIS) practices as Board Evaluator, Forex Treasury Adviser, Chairman, Non-Executive Director, Mentor and Coach. Sharon also has a number of NED appointments and is Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce in London.)

Inform, Research & Stimulate

Director Forums are ideally suited to active executives looking for a short, sharp immersion in a key issue in the company of others with similar interests.

We will also draw on the professional expertise of our Sponsors to advise, contribute and act as “subject matter experts” on some topics.

Each Forum will consist of a small number of participants and invited experts will actively discuss and debate the key issues around the topic – and be contributing their own experiences to the group. These will be held at a central London venue, mostly late afternoon.

For more complex topics, particularly relating to Government consultations, there will be an additional Feedback Meeting, open to all DHN Members, to review the scoping document or formal report. These are planned for early evenings probably with some light refreshments.

The discussions will be summarised – or a final Report produced (depending on topic)  – and a written version shared with participants. The presentations, research and other source materials will be available on the website.

Director Forums operate as a part of Devonshire House Network.  Membership of Devonshire House is by invitation – and brings with it automatic access to the Director Forums.

Purpose

• Contribute and add value to the membership proposition of Devonshire House and promote the best interests of those who are involved with Director Forums.
• Develop the more “cerebral” side of DHN. Share views and contribute to thought leadership and original thinking within specific topic areas and amongst members with this shared interest.
• The meetings will cover the background to the topic but the focus will be on new material, new thinking and difficult areas – some of which cannot be discussed, either easily or at all, on home ground.
• Some topics will be a controversial and lively debate of differing opinions will be encouraged! Personal experience of real-life situations will add to the currency of the discussion.
• Provide members with the opportunity to develop mutual interests and share benefits from closer networking.

Key features

• Opportunity to get insights, current thinking and technical input from specialists and other executives
• Roundtable discussion between participants with a shared interest in a specific topic
• Active participation from all involved
• For some topics, a Feedback meeting to a broader group
• Summary documents and more formal Reports shared
• Access to background material, reports and links to selected third party material via the DHN website
• Generally 4.30pm to 6.30pm – Tea/coffee at 4.30pm and drinks and nibbles at 6.30pm

The format

All sessions will encourage active participation and contribution from attendees, to jointly build an understanding of recent developments, future trends and how the issues are being tackled across different organisations.

We will be inviting “subject matter experts” to enrich the discussions. We are also keen for organisations to sponsor specific events – see below.

Roundtable events:

• Focus on a single topic that affects organisations – from the fields of human resources, employment & business law or general management
• Outcome will be a brief paper summarising the discussion – with conclusions and recommendations as appropriate
• An on-going series covering the broad topic of Corporate Governance – including Board responsibilities, corporate culture and executive pay.

Costs

Costs will vary depending on the venue, but the aim is to keep costs low to encourage participation. There is a nominal cost of £50 + VAT per Event.  There is no charge to DHN Members.

Past Events

See Resources for detailed descriptions of our projects to date.

February 2017 – Review of the Government’s Green Paper on Corporate Governance

November 2017 – How does executive reward drive corporate culture

Our intention is to continue the discussion on topics that we have covered in Director Forums, by updating the material to reflect new developments and current thinking.

Further information on Director Forums