If you would like to meet Leone or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
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Leone Martin is an accomplished young marketer who specialises in direct and small business marketing. Having started her career as an intern at one of the worlds most recognised business to business brands Intel, where she managed a number of high net worth mobile technology accounts, She went on to obtain strong academic success achieving a Marketing Management degree from Manchester Metropolitan University. Before going on to gain a Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Diploma in Marketing and an Institute of Direct Marketing Diploma in Direct and Digital Marketing. She is currently working toward chartered marketer status.
Leone has gained varied professional experience having worked across a number of sectors including technology, retail and financial services. She currently works within a FTSE 250 financial services company as a Marketing Manager.
The founder of Marketing Matters Direct, Leone is passionate about providing small & start up business owners with the marketing information they need to be successful. Her marketing education and support company works with small business owners, helping to empower them through knowledge of marketing best practice, and supporting them to implement effective marketing processes in order to enable them to attract and retain profitable customers. Leone has developed a marketing diagnostic tool called the small business marketing health check which helps identify areas businesses can improve in order to achieve marketing success. Health checks are offered complimentary to small business owners and have been well received to date.
Leone works closely with the community and has delivered a number of voluntary talks at the Birmingham Chamber of Commence to unemployed individuals who are starting their own business, including creating a informative video with 10 top marketing tips for successful small business marketing.
Leone is grateful for the opportunities and experiences she has had throughout her career to date and is passionate about ensuring other young people have access to opportunities so they are able to develop and excel in what they love. She is currently working with Play Wright Media CIC to develop a youth employment programme called Development Through Marketing which helps young people between the ages 18-23 who are not in employment, education or training develop the soft skills they need to access employment and training opportunities. The programme uses the basic principles of marketing as a vehicle for young people to set goals, identify their target audience, develop a plan to access available opportunities and implement their plan with confidence.
If you would like to meet Lanre or have an informal chat about his suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
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Lanre currently works for Accenture as a Risk Management consultant specialising in Fraud and Financial Crime. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2009. He also sits on the board at Credit Union, NewCred as a Non-executive director.
Lanre holds a Bcom International Business Commerce degree obtained from Birmingham University, part of which also included a year of study at Cornell University, NY.
Lanre has spent many years mentoring young people in his local area. In December 2008 he was appointed a National Reach Role Model, a programme initiated to encourage and motivate young people. This gave him the opportunity to tell his personal story to young people across the country. These talks have often been described as inspirational, purposeful, refreshing and confidence boosting.
Lanre is also a poet and uses his poetry to uplift, inspire and motivate listeners and allow them to understand the importance of life and making the most of it. In 2010, Lanre released a Spoken Word Album, ‘Inner Ambitions’. It has also been used by schools, organisations and top level GB athletes as a source of motivation.
If you would like to meet Kishen or have an informal chat about his suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
“Kishen has a special interest in Corporate Governance and has consulted for multi-million pound corporations.”
Kishen is the founder and Director of Fast Fwd Multimedia Ltd – a successful Birmingham based Digital Agency that develops websites and builds mobile apps.
He previously served as board director for an international insurance services firm, where he was responsible for internal service provision to offices in 13 countries. Kishen has also consulted for other multi-million pound corporations.
He has led major technology programmes including ERP rollouts and cloud computing migrations. He has also delivered high profile online projects for clients.
He has worked internationally, with assignments in seven countries and is an expert in IT strategy, e-business, online marketing and organisational change management.
Kishen is 30 years old, married and has a degree in Law and an MBA.
He has a special interest in Corporate Governance and built a cloud computing application called CGFirst, to help businesses manage their corporate governance responsibilities.
Kishen is on the council of governors and is a trustee, for St George’s School in Edgbaston.
If you would like to meet Kirsten or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
“Kirsten is a keen advocate of Birmingham and wishes to continue promoting and contributing to its ongoing development and growth.”
Kirsten joined Colmore Business District in summer 2010 and works on delivering a variety of projects and schemes including public realm enhancement, transport schemes and cultural initiatives. Before this role, Kirsten graduated from the University of Sheffield with an MA in Political Theory and then joined a local authority in the Town Centre Management team. Kirsten is a member of Birmingham Future’s City Centre Committee.
Kirsten joined Colmore Business District in summer 2010 and works on delivering a variety of projects and schemes including public realm enhancement, transport schemes and cultural initiatives. Before this role, Kirsten worked at a local authority in the Town Centre Management team.
Kirsten graduated from University of Sheffield with an MA in Political Theory. She is currently studying for an MBA at Aston Business School. As part of a team at Colmore Business District, Kirsten recently took part in a 4 day, 80 mile sponsored walk across Hadrian’s Wall helping to raise over £3000 for The Prince’s Trust.
Kirsten is part of the Birmingham Leadership Foundation’s ‘100 Young Leaders’ initiative. In addition to this, she is a member of Birmingham Future’s City Centre Committee which organises events and speakers to inform members on and link them to key city developments and policies. Kirsten is a keen advocate of Birmingham and wants to continue to contribute to, participate in and promote its ongoing development and growth.
If you would like to meet Justice or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
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Justice Williams MBE is Editor in Chief of social business City&Style Magazine, a chic and stylish lifestyle publication for aspirational young women primarily aged 21-35 and founder of Kandid Talent CIC, a creative agency for nurturing talented young individuals and assisting them to achieving their potential through entrepreneurial activity, events, training and activities related to the creative industries.
In 2009 she became the youngest woman of Afro-Caribbean heritage to be honoured with an MBE by the Queen and was awarded Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Most Inspiring Woman of the Year Award and also received a ‘Women to Watch’ award from Red Magazine in 2010. Justice currently sits on the board of The Rosemarie Centre, a day care facility based in Lozells.
Justice lends her expertise on judging panels such as The Brit Writers Award, Young Enterprise and Urban Music Crown and has undertaken a range of speaking engagements from primary schools to the House of Commons and has been invited to Downing Street three times by Sarah Brown, David Cameron and Samantha Cameron. Justice has worked alongside industry leaders such as MTV, Deloitte and as an appointed global ambassador and mentor to young women for Levi Strauss.
If you would like to meet Daniel or have an informal chat about his suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
“My career ambition can be summarised are to become a reputable Creative Strategist/Director working to manage and lead/innovate changes in society through digital media and technology.”
Daniel never misses an opportunity to apply his skills and expertise in order to persistently cultivate his professional growth. He has interned in various marketing and communications roles including Tomorrow People Marketing Consultancy, The Future Melting Pot and presently works at Aston University.
Within months of leaving university, he has tendered for, won and successfully delivered a commission for digital Birmingham’s Say Hello Campaign under his own company YEP Media Ltd, working with some of Birmingham’s flagship Arts organisations. He also freelances as a graphic designer/media producer for variety of clients.
Daniel is equally passionate about applying his creative media skills and strategic leadership qualities to the community and voluntary sector. He acts as communications director at Aston-Newtown Seventh-day Adventist church where he is a member and has voluntarily created and managed a social media strategy for the newly established Chanel-Lee Smile Foundation.
Daniel is also passionate about guiding young people with their career development particularly youth who are creatively inclined thus spearheading the OneShot project under Birmingham Leadership Foundation’s 100 Young Leaders programme. He is also very keen to tackle intergenerational issues particularly in the African Caribbean Community, thus he led a sparkling project called the Lost Links along with the UpRising Leadership Programme funded by Unltd.
If you would like to meet Charlotte or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
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Charlotte Slater joined Moo Moo Youth Marketing in 2007 and in 18 months worked her way up to being Director (aged 23). Since then she has led the company to diversify through running successful services and campaigns to engage, equip and empower young people.
Before Moo Moo, Charlotte had a varied career with often more than one job at the same time. These jobs include: retail, call centre, oversees development charity World Vision, Child Protection Trainer, Alumni caller for the University of Birmingham and working in Bedfordshire County Council conducting a needs assessment on the service provision for Adults with Asperger Syndrome.
Charlotte has also been an active volunteer from working in homeless shelters, teaching Sunday School, chairing a Community Action Society at University and volunteering her way round Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa providing service to what ever was needed, which varied from teaching to manual labour!
Learning from experiences in England and Africa and her degree in sociology, a passion for behavioural theory, perceptions and cycles of deprivation was born. Now married and expecting her first child, she is more than ever determined to be involved/run projects to break cycles of deprivation and raise aspirations in young people.
If you would like to meet Charanvir or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
“Aim for the moon and you`ll reach the stars!”
Maintaining motivation, momentum, drive, dedication and commitment are all qualities I aim to perfect. The world is an endless pot of knowledge, not to explore is to deprive one of skills, experience, diversity and value.
From a young age I have always had an academic mind, I craved and sort out knowledge, life and experience. Growing up I took the traditional route of school, college and university. I graduated with a 2.1 in law which I was very proud of however I still felt there was yet more to achieve.
It was time to put all my skills into practice and I began volunteering at the Citzens Advice Bureau. Here I advised on many different areas such as debts, employment, immigration, family and benefits. Exploring the clients issues, reflecting, planning and following through a case was merely the tip of the iceberg. The real reward came from the gratitude the client would express from just solving their problems. I am passionate about people being treated right and not being deprived or segregated for trivial reasons. I began to confirm that this I was in my element and wanted to become an individual that can use their knowledge to help safeguard and improve people’s lives.
I wanted to become a well rounded person and acquire further skills which would aid my progression in life. This is where I took the next step into the Birmingham Leadership Foundation. From this opportunity I met likeminded people who wanted to help create a better future for the youth of today. We all felt that we saw there was a great need and it could no longer be ignored hence our group, One Shot was formed. Our aim was to help young people to present their goals, aspirations, entrepreneurial ideas in front of a panel of experts, business professionals and community leaders. From this stage we aimed to secure training, work experience or advice and guidance for the young people. This platform was created as a spring board for any young person aiming to break down any boundaries!
I am know aiming to expand my knowledge into the realm of Governance. I want to be able to develop further so that I may make decisions, influence frameworks and learn more about myself and how to help others.
Focus Dedicate, Aim, Achieve Greatness!
If you would like to meet Anthony or have an informal chat about his suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
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Anthony read law at the University of Birmingham 2004. Upon Graduation, The University of Birmingham awarded Anthony the annual prize for ‘that student who, in the opinion of the University, has made an outstanding contribution to the life of the University’.
Anthony joined Wragge & Co as a trainee solicitor and then qualified as a commercial development solicitor in 2007 acting for development clients such as Salhia Kuwaiti Sovereign fund and CBRE and Jones Lang La Salle.
Anthony decided to leave the law in late 2008 to pursue an opportunity within the commercial development industry, joining a small company developing The Cube in Birmingham City Centre. Upon that company entering administration, Anthony was asked to stay on and, then as co-Director, help lead the multi-million pound mixed-use scheme, on behalf of Lloyds Banking Group, to completion in 2010. The Cube is now home to the City’s leading brands such as Marco Piere White, Hotel Indigo, The Club and Spa, The Highways Agency etc.
In 2008, Anthony was the youngest winner ever of the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year award and is the youngest placed person in the Birmingham Post’s Power 50. Anthony is the youngest Chairman of a Career Academy in the UK chairing the City’s Enterprise Academy after founding it in 2009. In 2011, Anthony was placed in the Midlands Insiders list of ’42 under 42’ entrepreneurs to watch. In December 2011, Birmingham Metropolitan College awarded Anthony a Fellowship to the College for his services to Birmingham.
Anthony has since helped set up a commercial telephony vehicle in the Jewellery Quarter and in addition, a property specialist consultancy outfit too.
If you would like to meet Andrea or have an informal chat about her suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
She is passionate about working with young people in particular, knowing from personal experience that obtaining exposure from an early age will equip them with necessary life skills.
Andrea graduated with LLB (Hons) First Class and an LLM in Commercial Law (with Merit) from Birmingham City University and Birmingham University respectively in 2003 and 2004. She then completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Birmingham.
From 2006, Andrea trained at Cobbetts LLP, an international full service law firm. She qualified as a Solicitor into the Commercial Litigation Team in 2008. Her practice encompasses varying aspects of commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution work. She is involved in numerous contractual claims, property disputes as well as injunctive and enforcement proceedings. She has a strong specialism in professional negligence claims and is heavily involved in contentious probate cases, trust disputes and charity litigation/regulatory matters.
Andrea is greatly involved in mentoring college and university students where she assists with CV drafting, profile building and self-development. She is also an active member of her Church’s young adult’s group where organises and co-ordinates outreach programmes, social events and fundraisers.
Andrea is a founding and steering group member of Birmingham Black Lawyers, a non-profit organisation launched in April 2011 with a key aim of encouraging integration within the Birmingham legal profession and the wider community.
If you would like to meet Adnan or have an informal chat about his suitability as a mentee please call us on 0845 505 1875.
“I have actively contributed within my local community by volunteering in and attending youth advancement programs”
For the last decade, I have actively contributed within my local community by volunteering in and attending youth advancement programs, by teaching disadvantaged children, organising local sports events and CV clinics; local government studies and NGO’s, such as green paper consultations and conferences. During this period of austerity where under-represented communities are being disproportionally affected I wish to increase my participation and make a greater difference.
Currently, I serve as a Governor at my local comprehensive school. I have worked with the school to get integrated with the local community, serve on the Finance and Staffing committees and have worked in collaboration to get the School out of special measures. As a former Assistant Teacher working with Dudley Council I came to understand that the need for leadership, which I then applied as a mentor at Mosaic, and as a local community volunteer within Brierley Hill.
I graduated from the University of Birmingham having read law and had the opportunity to work as an intern within Corporate Policy and the Legal Department at Birmingham City Council. Due to the recession I established my own property management company. For the last decade, I have actively contributed within my local community by volunteering in and attending youth advancement programs, by teaching disadvantaged children, organising local sports events and CV clinics; local government studies and NGO’s, such as green paper consultations and conferences. During this period of austerity where under-represented communities are being disproportionally affected I wish to increase my participation and make a greater difference.
Currently, I serve as a Governor at my local comprehensive school. I have worked with the school to get integrated with the local community, serve on the Finance and Staffing committees and have worked in collaboration to get the School out of special measures. As a former Assistant Teacher working with Dudley Council I came to understand that the need for leadership, which I then applied as a mentor at Mosaic, and as a local community volunteer within Brierley Hill.
I graduated from the University of Birmingham having read law and had the opportunity to work as an intern within Corporate Policy and the Legal Department at Birmingham City Council. Due to the recession I established my own property management company.
Davies has just published his second annual review of progress on the recommendations in his Women on Boards report of 2011. Much progress has been made. Women now account for 17% of FTSE 100 and 13% of FTSE 250 board directors (as at 1 March 2013), an increase of nearly 40%.
[pullquoteright] “We are now moving to a place where it is unacceptable for the voice of women to be absent from the boardroom.”[/pullquoteright] Crucially women have secured 34% of all FTSE 100 and 36% of all FTSE 250 appointments since 1 March 2012 – the increase in 18 months is equivalent to the increase in the whole of the last decade! He comments “We are now moving to a place where it is unacceptable for the voice of women to be absent from the boardroom.”But the increase has plateaued, and Davies is now proposing a target of 25% minimum by 2015. He argues this is the best and only way to avoid European regulation.
Importantly he identifies an emerging risk. While women are now better represented in NED roles (at 16%) only 5% of FTSE 250 executive directorships are held by women. The FTSE 100 equivalents are little better: only 6% of executive directors are women compared to 22% of non-executive. This highlights the critical importance of the executive pipeline. Unless organisations focus on developing the talent right across their workforce (and not just the male half) women may opt for the greater opportunities offered by a portfolio of non-executive roles. As Davies puts it there is a risk that women will be “sidelined into supervisory non-executive roles, whilst the active day to day business of running companies is left to their male counterparts.”
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Ash dieback threatens the survival of the Ash tree in the UK – and the flora and fora that depend on it. Listening to the Today programme I learned that the British Ash is more limited in its genetic diversity than Ash elsewhere in Europe, weakening its chances of survival. As the Forestry Commission comments: “the single best strategy (to improve resilience) is to increase the genetic and age diversity of your woodland”.
Diversity on boards is important for a number of reasons – to better reflect the communities we serve or understand markets and customers we may not be reaching, to ease succession planning and build capacity for renewal, to meet regulatory expectations and achieve fit with partners’ or customers’ policy objectives (1) – but the single most important reason to increase diversity is to improve the quality of thinking.
Self-evidently, the quality of thinking impacts on decision making. We know for example that faced with increasing complexity, cognitive limitations are a constraint on strategic thinking. Individuals develop unconscious thinking habits which are to some extent culturally influenced. The important role of a board team that has challenging conversations has been well illustrated by governance failures.
Furthermore, recent scandals have often had at their root a ‘disconnect’ between organisational values and business direction. Boards seem to have lost touch with their moral compass (2). Among other factors, we know that a group of similar and like-minded individuals – especially a long standing one – reduces the likelihood of prevailing assumptions being effective challenged (the well documented phenomenon of ‘group think’).
More positively a growing trend has been reported recently to put values and effectiveness at the top of the board agenda2. The importance of a balanced Board in terms of gender in particular has had a higher profile since the Davies report (2011) made recommendations for action to achieve gender-balanced boardrooms. Research measuring the share price performance of 2,360 companies globally over the past six years demonstrated that firms with women on boards consistently out-performed those led entirely by men. It concluded that “it would on average have been better to have invested in corporates with women on their management boards than in those without” (Credit Suisse Research Institute 2012) (1) Most of us would recognise a similar imbalance in the age and ethnic make-up of Boards.
Diversity without equality does not deliver – if new joiners have to fit in with the group, on the group’s terms, they will not produce the improvements in Board performance discussed above. Interpreting someone else’s difference from the perspective of one’s own ‘normality’ marginalises those perceived as different. Equality is about removing barriers and ensuring all groups (specifically those with “protected characteristics” who have legislative protection) have equal access and can participate on an equal basis. Their experience and skills are equally valued with those of others. This is often confused with ‘equity’ i.e. being fair (although fairness is not a bad moral touchstone) or treating people as if they are the same (hence a positive approach to diversity starts from appreciating difference).
Diversity means recognising that differences are individual as well as societal, cultural, religious etc. Each of us has an individual relationship with our own background and influences, and brings our own unique perspective to a Board team. Ticking boxes and counting numbers just won’t do it –it’s a means of measuring action, not action in itself. Truly diverse and equal Boards are leadership teams made up of individuals who all contribute from a position of equality and in their own unique way to collectively make the best possible decisions and guide their organisations through uncharted waters. As the old adage has it, if you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got – and in times of change that simply won’t cut it.
Author: Patricia McCabe FACGP
(1) Credit Suisse Research Institute (2011). The research identified several key reasons why greater gender diversity correlated with stronger corporate performance, which included greater effort across the board, a better mix of leadership skills, access to a wider pool of talent and better reflection of the consumer.
(2) Governance Insights- the tone of governance Grant Thornton October 2012
Recently, the issue of gender on boards has become a topic of much debate. To be honest, if we think realistically about any company executive of a high profile company and their direct subordinates, we typically see this picture- white, middle class male! So, in an age where equal rights and issues of gender discrimination are prevalent, it is not surprising that this issue has come to the forefront of many business debates. The issue is also topical given the fact that Lord Davies who compiled the report ‘Women on Boards’ in 2011 stated that “At the current rate of change, it will take 70 years to achieve gender balanced boards in the UK.” The percentages as reported in 2011 of women on FTSE 100 boards was a mere 12.5%. The percentage of men is 87.5%.
In the UK today, women are advancing and progressing more and more. We have seen an increase, albeit minimal in the number of women in influential positions such as MPs. So why has this not translated onto boards? Surely in any positions of influence, it is a good idea to have a representation from the community or demographic that the organisation serves and in the majority of cases, major companies are offering services to both men and women. Should this then not dictate that the boards reflect this?
Questions may be raised as to why, if for so long men have dominated the board room and companies have thrived, then why does it make any difference if women and the views of women are now represented on boards? The Prime Minister David Cameron said at a summit in Sweden in 2012 that he has not ruled out introducing quotas to ensure that more women get top executive jobs but should it take parliamentary intervention to make the change? When Lord Davies report intimates that “Companies with more women on their boards were found to outperform their rivals with a 42% rise in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity”, unless there is a significant change, would it make economic sense for the government to implement quotas especially in a time of such austerity?
How much does this really matter? Section B.2 of the UK Corporate Governance Code- Appointments to the Board states that “There should be a formal, rigorous and transparent procedure the appointment of new directors to the board.” The Supporting Principle highlights that due regard should be given to the “…benefits of diversity on the board, including gender.” The code offers guidance with which companies are required to “comply or explain.” Chairmen are encouraged by the Code to report annually on how principles on the role and effectiveness of the board have been adhered to. So, the guiding document for governance practitioners itself outlines and highlights the need and importance for considering gender when appointing to boards.
The introduction of quotas, encouraging positive discrimination could however lead to a number of problems arising with board composition and overall performance. For example, as women are not ordinarily in the most senior leadership positions within companies, it is possible that welcoming them onto boards could exclude more competent men from attaining the positions. This is just one of the opposing arguments in the 2010 Storvik and Teigen report ‘Women on Board- The Norwegian Experience’. The report itself raises questions as to whether or not the imposition of a quota presents issues of discrimination within itself.
In reality, there are various issues that preclude this debate. Loosely, women have to take time out of their careers to raise families and subsequent to this, many of them reduce their working hours and commitments to be able to continue in this role alongside developing their careers. This break in their career development could contribute to the lack of women that currently serve in the most senior leadership and executive positions. Conversely, there could merely be discriminatory attitudes that prevail within organisations that are not challenged and so have allowed this to perpetuate.
Regardless of the causal factors, what is clear is that in a society where diversity is everything is a strand that runs through everything, the same principles must translate to the seemingly hidden places. We must do more to include and train and develop young women and women who are in middle management positions to achieve the highest positions in companies.
Our challenge to you as a CEO, director or business owner is to seek opportunities to engage women around you with the potential to be the next leaders and welcome them onto your boards.
Until next time!
Football has been for many years an embedded aspect of British culture. The Premier League is probably one of the most talked about leagues globally and its international player base means that now, more than ever football is a global hot topic. Recently, the focus of the game has changed and there has been increasing media coverage of clubs going into administration along with allegations of bribery and corruption.
Possibly the most infamous story that hit our news screens was that of the allegations of corruption in the run up to the FIFA presidential campaign. Sepp Blatter, the name of the current president of the World Football Governing Body, was one that was repeated on a number of occasions in relation to various, what could be described as scandalous elements of the campaign. One of the candidates, Mohamed Bin Hamman was banned from football for life after being found guilty of attempted bribery. He was the former President of the Asian Football Confederation.
What we witnessed during this time was the bad practice of leaders of global football organisations being exposed and mass corruption and bribery being unearthed. Since then, we continue to see that football is suffering due to a lack of good governance. Insufficient transparency, geographical nepotism and greed are dictating what once was a game about a ball, a field and twenty two players.
In 2011, Chuck Blazer the General Secretary of CONCACAF- the governing organisation for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean was quoted as being the whistle blower in the poor practices and allegations relating to the FIFA Presidential Campaign. He believed that there was no separation between the President Sepp Blatter, the Chairman of the Ethics Committee and the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee who were all Swiss, allowing for domination of the body by Blatter. He also highlighted the under-representation on the board of women and other types of professionals within the field such as clubs, leagues and referees. The report by Lord Davies in relation to the under-representation of women on private sector boards highlighted similar recommendations. Will this force the government to act and legislate to ensure board diversity is representative in all sectors?
Blatter himself, after managing to secure enough votes to remain as President has now expressed his concerns about the management of the preparations for the 2014 World Cup due to take place in Brazil. Arguably, this could be a tactic to distract from the now constant stream of revelations regarding his own practice. However, the Head of Brazils 2014 World Cup organising committee, Ricardo Teixeira last week took a leave of absence ‘for medical reasons’ after increasing pressure for him to resign over corruption allegations. Teixeira has been the President of the Brazilian Football Federation for twenty three years. He has been accused of improper conduct by the English Football Association in relation to improper conduct during bids for the 2018 World Cup and in 2001 he was investigated for crimes including tax evasion and money laundering. On 12th March 2012, he resigned. As governance practitioners reading this article, we can see that there are some clear problems around the issues of leadership, openness, transparency and accountability which are all principles on which good governance is based.
One of the key failures which appears time and time again in football is money, collusion over it and the mismanagement of it. In fact, this is one of the most significant features of poor governance. This is the top of the list in one of the most recent, UK based football failures. Headlines such as ‘Port Vale Unable to Pay Players’ and ‘Port Vale Board Not the Only Ones to Blame’ have haunted the Staffordshire based club. After a £1 million loan taken out ten years ago saw the club rescued from a previous take over, the club have now defaulted on payments leaving players without a salary and the club facing administration. To add to this, the club’s Director Peter Miller resigned from the board leaving them unable to execute their duties in relation to the governance of the club. Shareholders attempted to remove the remaining directors but failed to get the relevant paperwork together on time meaning the directors remain in post.
Highlighting the continuing failure of governance in football demonstrates how important a clear understanding governance remains within all sectors. While to millions the game continues to be about a ball, a field and twenty two players, what these- only some of the stories about failing governance in football reveal is that football is indeed more than just a game!
