Creating (or Rebuilding) the Board of Directors...

Professional and effective corporate governance begins with good directors. Our consultants at Dunkirk Governance Specialists can evaluate the effectiveness of your directors, and also deliver a constructive assessment of how well the Board works as a team. We can also recruit directors to strengthen and invigorate an existing Board of Directors, or provide a full complement of highly qualified directors.

A summary of our service offerings is as follows:

Creating, Structuring & Organizing an Effective Boards of Directors
Our consultants take a structured and disciplined approach to building a solid foundation for effective governance. This includes the following:
  • Define a "Common Reference Description" for Board Members
    This is essentially an exacting job description and qualifications statement for directors. We begin with our own high standards and expectations, and modify these criteria to meet the specific needs of your business.

  • Identification of Board of Directors Expertise Requirements
    There are certain specific technical requirements that should be possessed by any board member, such as a thorough understanding of financial reporting and financial statement analysis. There may also be specific knowledge and expertise that will greatly enhance the ability of directors to serve your business. Our consultants will help you identify the unique skills and expertise required for your Company's Board of Directors.

  • Development of Shareholders Expectations of Board Members
    Understanding shareholder expectations and objectives is an essential for a Board of Directors to do its job properly. While some expectations, such as increasing sales and profits, are generally regarded as the obvious goals of a corporation, shareholders often have numerous other goals for their businesses. This might include, for example, environmentally responsible manufacturing processes, or building employee loyalty through unique benefits programs, or supporting various charitable endeavors as part of the Company's mission statement. It is essential that the Board of Directors and shareholders both have a clear understanding of their mutual expectations.

Identification & Development of Effective Board Committees
Why do Board committees exist, and what is their proper role in the corporate governance process? While the answer to these questions might appear intuitively obvious, the duties, responsibilities, and objectives of Board Committees should be clearly documented and agreed to by the entire Board. Our consultants can help bring clarity and vision to your Company's committees, as well as aid in drafting Charters for each committee. Our specific service offerings for Board committees includes the following:

  • Structuring Effective Standing & Ad Hoc Committees
  • Selecting Committee Members & Defining Expectations
  • Building Results-Focused Committee Processes


Recruiting Capable Board Members
Through decades of experience as both directors and consultants, and also performing hundreds of consulting projects across a diverse array of industries, we have developed an extensive network of contacts to help you find the right directors who are best suited to serving your company. But we are also keenly aware that it takes far more than a successful career and strong technical knowledge to become an effective director. This is where Dunkirk Governance Specialists can add tremendous value to the director recruiting process: by identifying and evaluating the unique personal and professional characteristics that make the best board members. A director's role is one of both dichotomy and unity - it requires someone who is both:

  • a leader (of management) and servant (to the shareholders)
  • an independent thinker and collaborative deliberator
  • an effective coach and cheerleader for management, and yet their harshest critic
  • a person with a strong sense of self, yet devoid of arrogance
In addition to all of the foregoing, we seek directors who are adept at working as part of a team, and who are far more concerned with obtaining results than recognition.


 Preparing Board Members for Effective Governance
Even the most experienced executives need formal preparation and training when joining a board of directors. Those without governance experience but who show strong potential to serve as a director can reap substantial benefits from proper training and preparation. Dunkirk Governance Specialists can facilitate the performance and progress of new directors through the following services:
  • Training the Effective Board - This includes thorough training programs on all aspects of prudent corporate governance practices
  • "On-Boarding" New Board Members - An in-depth program, often held off-site over several days, that gives new directors an extensive and detailed education of the company on whose board they have been asked to serve. It includes the detailed information sessions about substantially all aspects of your Company business and industry in which it operates. It is an extensive and densely packed education program.
  • Developing a Board Consensus on the Shareholder's Definition of "Value" - In our experience, this is a very important, but often overlooked issue. It is a process whereby the Board of Directors creates a unified vision of what matters most to the Company's shareholders. It begins with establishing a clear vision of the shareholders' mission for the Company, and the framework and culture that will be embraced by the Board in the fulfillment of this mission. It is a written statement that serves as a guide to the directors in respect of their service to the shareholders.
Provide Ongoing Coaching & Governance Assistance to Board Members
In addition to corporate governance experience, our consultants have a rich background in developing and conducting corporate training and education programs. We have found that ongoing coaching and "governance assistance" programs greatly increase the likelihood that a reinvigorated corporate governance program will succeed. Our consulting engagements typically last 12 months or more (to encompass four quarterly board meetings) as we maintain an ongoing relationship with our clients in order to ensure that our programs are properly implemented and successfully executed.