Board composition and division of responsibilities continued
Board strategy session In March 2021 the Board held a dedicated one day strategy session which allowed for “deep dives” into all aspects of the Group’s business. As the Group remains focused on the successful execution of its strategy, the March 2021 Board strategy day presented an opportunity to understand the trends and changes in the cyber and software resilience markets, assess the Board’s confidence in the Group’s strategic direction, and discuss our preparedness to make any future changes. To prepare, Board members received a briefing pack in advance of the day which contained a concise, high level presentation for each business unit, including an overview of global and regional inclusion and diversity initiatives and colleague engagement programmes, along with additional background briefing material, to allow for high quality presentations and discussions on the day. The Board strategy day itself focused on our Global Software Resilience and Global Assurance divisions.
Advisers and brokers offered an external view of the broader market environment for both, before the divisions’ Managing Directors presented to the Board on their transformation plans for growth, provided their reflections on NCC Group’s opportunities within Europe and beyond, and outlined progress and expectations for the Group’s growth propositions, notably the Microsoft Sentinel and Remediate offers. Following an open exchange of views between Managing Directors and the Board to discuss any outstanding questions, the Board strategy day concluded with a Board only discussion that focused on driving long-term value creation for NCC Group. The Board agreed that the 2021 strategy day had been the best to date, provided thought provoking and inspirational insights, and demonstrated the Group’s decisive strategic action to realise its vision. Managing Directors used the feedback from the day to inform their 2021/22 budget considerations and associated approvals, and a progress check will be held at the halfway point to the 2022 strategy day to ensure that the agreed actions remain on track and the Group remains in the best possible position to increase its chances of success. I have really enjoyed getting out and meeting with colleagues across the Group albeit virtually. I have been very pleased by the positive comments received and have been impressed by the people I have met and their engagement and dedication particularly working remotely, with a number of recent joiners never having met their colleagues in person! Of course, there are things to be addressed, of which some are “quick wins”, but some matters will take longer to address. Colleagues also make really helpful suggestions as to how we can improve how the business runs which I feed back to management. I hope that as the designated Non-Executive Director I am able to facilitate positive change and ensure that the colleague voice is heard strongly within the boardroom and reflected within all the decisions we as a Board make that impact our most important stakeholder.
Colleague engagement
Jennifer Duvalier is the Board’s designated Non-Executive Director to lead the Board’s colleague engagement programme. Jennifer also undertakes the designated Non-Executive Director role at both Trainline plc and Mitie Group plc meaning she has the relevant experience as to what is needed and can draw on her successful HR career. She is committed to understanding the views of our colleagues and ensuring they are incorporated into the Board’s decision-making process. Colleagues were introduced to Jennifer via our internal social channels where she explained her role through a video and written communications. Jennifer has access to these channels to enable her to engage fully outside of the formal events. Jennifer has not let Covid-19 get in the way of her engagement activities and the past year has been a busy one with Jennifer meeting colleagues virtually from Australia, the Netherlands, San Francisco, Seattle, Canada, Singapore, Japan and Spain. We were keen to build on the momentum in the previous year. Jennifer is sometimes joined by our Chair, Chris Stone, or other Non-Executives, to meet colleagues, all of whom are invited from below the mid-management level and all parts of the business to ensure diversity of thought. We ensure that no one has their line manager in the (virtual) room to ensure they can speak freely and tell Jennifer what is on their mind. Feedback from each session’s participants is shared anonymously to the Board and to our CEO, Adam Palser. This enables action to be taken, further strengthening the value of listening. Colleagues attending are invited to give their feedback and, so far, results have been positive and valued.
Jennifer Duvalier Designated Non-Executive Director
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NCC Group plc — Annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 May 2021
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