Carmichael is a leading training and support body for non-profit organisations in Ireland. Jillian van Turnhout is on their panel of trainers for governance.
On April 26, 2023, Carmichael held a Governance Dilemma webinar in which a panel of experts discussed a real-life governance issue that an Irish non-profit organisation had faced. Each of the panel members suggested actions that could be taken. The scenario was anonymised so that the organisation in question could not be identified. The challenge discussed by the panel was that of a board that did not take effective control and oversight of the organisation and a CEO who ignored the board.
The panel members were:
Andrew Madden
Head of Training, Consultancy & Communications at Carmichael.
Andrew enjoys working in the non-profit sector where he sees people motivated by a desire to make a real and positive difference. He is particularly passionate about governance in non-profit organisations as he believes that well-governed organisations are best placed to achieve and realise their own objectives to the fullest.
Gerry Egan
Chartered Director, Company Secretary, consultant, and trainer.
Gerry works with a variety of commercial and non-profit clients specialising in corporate governance, data protection, and strategy and change.
Jillian van Turnhout
Consultant, Chartered Director, and certified by INSEAD in corporate governance.
Jillian has been a CEO, Chair and is an experienced Non-Executive Director (State, Charity, and Commercial boards).
The panel was chaired by Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, CEO of Carmichael Diarmaid has extensive experience as a board chair and a board member in a number of charities and with working with boards and providing governance support and advice. He is actively involved in the Good Governance Awards, Mentoring, and the Board Chairs Network initiatives led by Carmichael.
Each of the panel members gave a number of possible responses and actions that could be taken by the board in the scenario outlined.
After the panel discussion, Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, the Chair of the Panel, made the following remarks:
“It can be extremely stressful for people who have stepped onto boards in a voluntary capacity and are trying to do their best but are coming up against difficulties like this. That can be really challenging for a person’s mental health so that’s important to bear in mind and again to make sure there is a team of allies behind you.
The Charities Governance Code can be a great tool to help review your governance structures and compliance. You can use it as a conversation starter since all charities are required to comply with it so it can be a way to encourage the Board to consider a Board evaluation, address trustee recruitment, or review its strategy as these are all specific standards in the Code.”
If you would like to join the Carmichael Governance Dilemma mailing list, sign up here.