Board Advisory Services at ELSO Consulting

Independent perspective when the quality of the conversation matters

Boards operate at the intersection of governance, strategy, performance, leadership, and risk. Yet by their nature, they can also be some distance from the day-to-day reality of the organisation.

With more than 20 years' experience in business consulting at Board level across complex multinational and UK organisations with different ownership structures, ELSO provides Chairs, Boards, and CEOs with independent support tailored to the circumstances of the organisation.

Having experienced the relationship from both sides of the Board table, we understand the challenge of maintaining appropriate Board oversight while allowing executives to lead. We can help bridge the gap between the questions the Board needs to ask and the realities the CEO and executive team are managing.

Support can include:

- Executive effectiveness reviews

- Independent organisational diagnostics

- CEO, succession, and leadership capability considerations

- Organisational performance and people matters requiring Board attention

- Governance, accountability, and decision-making

- Organisational design and operating model challenge

- Oversight of significant organisational change

- Culture, leadership, and organisational risk

- Facilitating difficult or sensitive Board and executive conversations

- Independent advice to Chairs and CEOs when an experienced external perspective would help

Pragmatic support, not more governance for the sake of it. The aim is not to draw the Board into operational management or introduce unnecessary process.

We work openly and constructively with Chairs, Board members, and CEOs to help distinguish between matters that require Board attention and those that rightly belong with management, bringing independent challenge while respecting the different roles around the table.

Sometimes that means a structured review of strategic planning. Sometimes it means facilitating a difficult conversation. Sometimes a Chair, CEO, or Board simply needs an experienced independent perspective on a complex organisational issue or potential organisational restructuring before deciding what to do next.

Helping Boards ask better questions, have better conversations, and create greater clarity about what the organisation needs.