Leading a Board

Leading a Board provides highly relevant insights on dealing with challenges every chairman faces.

—Dr. Andreas Jacobs, Chairman of INSEAD Board, Member of Jacobs Holding AG Board

An insightful, well-researched and crafted book, which demystifies the practice and art of good Chairmanship.

—Helen Pitcher OBE, Governance Expert and Chairman Public, Private and Charitable Sectors


A “must read” for anyone contemplating taking on the responsibilities of chairing a board.


—Bryan K. Sanderson, CBE, Chairman and Founding Director of Home Renaissance Foundation, Chair of Low Pay Commission and Chairman of Florence Nightingale Foundation

This book represents the first cross-country study of the work of board chairs in Europe. It includes unique data collected through interviews with almost 200 experienced board chairs and their key stakeholders – board members, CEOs and shareholders.

The book focuses on whatboard leaders actually do, rather than what they should do, and elaborates on a conceptual contingency framework for understanding chairs’ work in Europe. This includes a comprehensive list of chair practices – iterative behaviour strategies for getting things done, comparisons of contexts for chairs’ work and practices among nine countries, and identification of cross-European and country-specific trends that will shape the work of board leaders in the next decade.

The book will benefit incumbent and future chairs, directors, shareholders, CEOs, executives and regulators in developing a systemic understanding of the work of a chair in the European business context and gaining insights into how the leader of the board deals with specific challenges.

Stanislav Shekshnia is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD, a Director of the “Leading from the Chair” executive development programme and a Senior Partner at Ward Howell. His research concentrates on leadership, leadership development and effective governance.

Veronika Zagieva is a Director of Ward Howell Talent Equity Institute. Her research is focused on leadership development, CEO effectiveness, CEO succession and board dynamics.