The board chair
Inheriting a board whose risk appetite was set before AI was a P&L variable. Looking for independent perspective that holds up to regulator and shareholder scrutiny.
A WORKING DOCTRINE 01 PRACTICE · BOARD ADVISORY
Retained counsel for boards navigating AI, leadership and institutional consequence.
Confidential advisory for chairs, boards and committees deciding what AI should change, where accountability sits and how leadership capability must evolve. Underneath all three of those questions sits cognitive surrender, the moment a leader adopts a machine’s conclusion as their own without noticing that authority has changed hands.
Kate changed the quality of the AI conversation at board level. We moved beyond asking whether AI was being managed to whether we had the evidence to challenge the answers we were given. The Board AI Index exposed where confidence was running ahead of evidence. It changed what we brought to the board and the questions directors asked.
Kate challenged some of the assumptions sitting underneath our decisions about AI. We came away from the session having changed how we approached two significant decisions. That is unusual. Most executive sessions generate discussion. This one changed what we did.
02 WHO THIS IS FOR
Who this is for.
The nominating committee
Searching for a fifth director who can challenge the executive on AI risk without grandstanding, and a chair-elect who can hold the room together. Before the slate is set, whether AI should take a board seat is a question the pre-read has usually answered already.
A SLATE THAT HOLDSThe lead independent director
Mid-term in a chair handover, expected to keep the room calm and the chair informed. Needs a sparring partner who understands governance cadence.
A SUCCESSION PLAN 03 ENGAGEMENT MODEL
Annual retainer, banded to board complexity — not headcount.
Four board engagements at any one time. Quarterly cadence, with chair calls between meetings as required. The cap is intentional and not flexible. A board wanting a structured read before that commitment can begin with the Board AI Index.
ENGAGEMENT SPECIFICATION №
- FORMAT
- Quarterly board attendance + chair calls
- CADENCE
- Twelve months minimum, by quarterly review
- DELIVERABLE
- A board doctrine, written
- CAP
- Four engagements at any time
- CONFIDENTIALITY
- NDA standard
- INVESTMENT
- On enquiry
Signed · Dr Kate Barker, advisor
04 QUESTIONS
The questions chairs actually ask.
A short FAQ. For longer conversations, please write directly.
Are you a director or an observer?
Neither. I work as an independent advisor to the chair and the nominating committee. The board remains in control of every decision.
Will you publicly endorse our position on AI?
No. Anything you would not say in your own annual report is not something I will say on your behalf.
How does this differ from a Big-4 advisory?
A retainer with one principal, not a project staffed by a team. The argument is mine; the work is signed.
05 RECENT CASE STUDIES
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Senior Board Advisory to a global energy company in the Gulf: a board leadership diagnostic and succession framework aligned to energy transition and governance excellence.
Read case study 06 GET IN TOUCH
A first conversation, without obligation.
Forty-five minutes. Confidential. Every enquiry read personally.
By appointment