Grit in the Boardroom - Executive Interviews on Corporate Governance and Risk Management

About Grit in the Boardroom - Executive Interviews on Corporate Governance and Risk Management

Do you want to know how leaders confront a corporate scandal and what it really takes to lead under pressure? Grit in the Boardroom is the bi-weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on boardroom decisions, exploring how high-stakes strategy turns into business resilience in practice. Host Erika Eliasson-Norris – CEO of Beyond Governance, Founder of a multi award-winning consultancy, and Governance Assessor to the UK’s Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry – guides listeners through management case studies, turnaround stories, and candid executive interviews. With nearly 20 years inside the C-suite, Erika highlights the strengths, shortcomings, conflicts, and strategic decision-making that define modern corporate governance. Every episode brings together voices from across leadership: executives, chairs, and directors who have stood on the edge of critical calls, felt the weight of risk, and lived with the outcomes. Expect leadership decisions, director dialogue, and perspectives from across industries where governance and grit collide. Guests include: -Roger Steare, British Ethicist and Corporate Philosopher – on morality and humanity in leadership decisions. -Pav Gill, Founder & CEO of Confide Platform – on navigating the Wirecard whistleblowing corporate scandal. -Emma Parry, Founder & CEO of NovaFin Consulting Ltd – on gender diversity and company culture change in corporate governance. -Professor Sir Andrew Lewis Likierman, London Business School – on mergers, acquisitions, and AI’s impact on board effectiveness and boardroom dialogue. These conversations deliver more than headlines. They provide: -Practical C-suite insights and a behind-the-scenes view of major boardroom decisions. -First-hand accounts of growth under pressure through risk management, resilience, and renewal. -Applicable governance lessons, chair perspectives, and strategies to help you sharpen your own leadership and advance in your organisation. -- About the Host: Erika Eliasson-Norris is a respected voice on board effectiveness and strategic decision-making. She works with boards and leadership teams to transform governance into a strategic advantage. As author of The Secret Diary of a Company Secretary, Erika provides a candid account of life inside the boardroom – a foundation for the honest conversations she now brings to Grit in the Boardroom. -- If you enjoy podcasts like How I Built This with Guy Raz or Worklife with Adam Grant, you’ll find Grit in the Boardroom to be your go-to source for real boardroom decisions, authentic executive interviews, and the unfiltered stories of leaders navigating complexity with grit.

Publisher

Erika Eliasson-Norris

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jan 2026

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Persuasion in the Boardroom: Authority, Integrity and the Words to Avoid

   Recorded in New Zealand at the IoD Leadership Conference in Wellington, this episode is another in Grit in the Boardroom's New Zealand series, part of the show's international run of executive interviews with the country's most respected business leaders. In this director dialogue, Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with Tony Carter: Chair of Datacom and MyFoodBag, a director of The Warehouse Group, and former CEO of Foodstuffs New Zealand, who has also chaired Air New Zealand and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare. Tony's career offers rare C-suite insights and genuine chair perspectives on boardroom decisions, leadership decisions, and corporate governance, shaped by decades moving between the executive table and the board table across retail, aviation, healthcare, and technology. Together they explore authority versus influence, and why the worst words a leader can hear in the boardroom are "you're wrong." Tony shares governance lessons on spotting integrity red flags early, why the closeness between a CEO and a chair can quietly turn a board into passengers, and why moving beyond box-ticking risk management toward genuine "show me, don't tell me" scrutiny is critical to strategic decision-making and high-stakes strategy. Drawing on his years running Foodstuffs' franchise network and management case studies spanning private equity ownership and competing shareholder interests, he talks candidly about company culture, cultural fit in board appointments, and how leaders should think about company culture change as AI reshapes entire industries, while insisting "behaviour shouldn't change, value shouldn't change." He also reflects on business resilience and growth under pressure, from Air New Zealand's tailwind years before the airline was hit by pandemic lockdowns just months after he left, to Fisher and Paykel Healthcare's decades-long R&D discipline, and what separates real board effectiveness from a rubber stamp. It's an episode full of hard-won governance lessons from one of New Zealand's most experienced chairs. What you'll find in this episode: Why integrity red flags are the one thing Tony says he now weighs above all else in a leader How influence beats authority every time in the boardroom Why a CEO and chair who are too close can turn a board into passengers What the Australian banking Royal Commission's "show me, don't tell me" principle means for board scrutiny Why complacency is hardest to spot in the good years, not the bad ones How cultural fit — not just skills — decides whether a new director actually works Why Tony believes behaviour and values shouldn't change, even as AI forces everything else to About Tony: Tony Carter is one of New Zealand's most experienced company directors. He is Chair of Datacom and My Food Bag and a Director of The Warehouse Group. A retailer by background, he was CEO of Foodstuffs New Zealand before building a governance career that includes chairing Air New Zealand and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, now New Zealand's most valuable company. Tony is known for his emphasis on transparency, listening and constructive challenge, and for a governance style built on supporting management rather than second-guessing it. Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite. As Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the largest public inquiry in UK history, Erika Eliasson-Norris is helping shape accountability, governance reform, and corporate oversight across the UK. ... Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance helps organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   From Stand-up to the C-Suite: Cancer, Comedy, and the Grit to Weave People Together

   Recorded in New Zealand during the IoD Leadership Conference 2026 in Wellington, this episode continues Grit in the Boardroom's international run of executive interviews with another extraordinary leader. In this candid conversation, Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with David Downs: CEO of Education New Zealand, former stand-up comedian, cancer survivor, and self-described "genetically modified optimist," for a masterclass in leadership, emotional intelligence, and C-suite insights on what it takes to connect with people when the stakes are highest. David's career spans the comedy circuit, Microsoft, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the New Zealand Story Group, and medical innovation at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, a path that's given him a rare leader’s-eye view of strategic decision-making and high-stakes strategy across very different sectors. Together they explore boardroom decisions, leadership decisions, and corporate governance under pressure: why corporate storytelling, not spreadsheets, remains the most powerful leadership tool; how reading an audience translates from comedy clubs to boardroom dynamics; why vulnerability and a strong feedback culture are what separate good boards from great ones on the path to board effectiveness; and why moving beyond traditional risk management, treating risk as a portfolio rather than a threat, is what boards overseeing innovation need to embrace. Told he had six months to live, David shares governance lessons on business resilience and growth under pressure, including his "memory foam pillow" model, and why Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning changed his perspective on purpose-driven leadership. He also warns that organizational culture can absorb new people before they've had a chance to speak up and argues a leader's job is never to be the smartest person in the room but to create the conditions for everyone else to do their best work, echoing the Māori concept of Rangatira, to weave people together. Expect management case studies and turnaround stories delivered with the wit of a man who once got slow-clapped off stage at a plumbers' conference and lived to tell the tale. What you'll find in this episode: Why stand-up comedy is the ultimate masterclass in reading an audience and leading people How the 'five dumb questions' rule builds psychological safety, feedback culture, and better board effectiveness What a terminal cancer diagnosis taught David about resilience, risk, and perspective Why the Māori concept of rangatira redefines what it means to lead How boards overseeing innovation should think about risk as a portfolio, not a threat Why purpose, not happiness, is the fuel that sustains leaders through the hardest decisions What new employees and brand-new cars have in common (hint: don't leave either in the garage) Why company culture absorbs people, and how leaders can push back on that About David: David Downs is the Chief Executive of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao, the government agency connecting New Zealand with learners, educators, and future leaders worldwide. A former stand-up comedian and TV performer, he built a career across Microsoft in New Zealand and Asia Pacific, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the New Zealand Story Group, where he served as CEO for five years. He is an Ambassador and Fundraiser for the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Chairman of the Well Foundation, and a Board Member of Blood Cancer NZ. A cancer survivor once given six months to live, David is a passionate advocate for medical innovation, purpose-driven leadership, and the power of storytelling. ______ Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite. As Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the largest public inquiry in UK history, Erika Eliasson-Norris is helping shape accountability, governance reform, and corporate oversight across the UK. ... Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance helps organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/

3. 

   9 Sept 2026

   The Challenger Director: Ultra Marathons, Boardroom Decisions, and the Grit to Never Give Up

   Recorded in New Zealand during the IoD Leadership Conference 2026 in Wellington, this episode brings Erika Eliasson-Norris's executive interviews to an international audience for the first time, as part of Grit in the Boardroom. In this director dialogue, Erika sits down with Ben Kepes, a professional director, technology analyst, entrepreneur, and investor, for a masterclass in leadership and C-suite insights on what it really means to challenge from within. A high school dropout turned electrician, Silicon Valley investor, firefighter, paramedic, and ultra marathon runner, Ben offers rare chair perspectives on strategic decision making, risk management, and business resilience. Together they explore boardroom decisions and leadership decisions under pressure: the tension between provocation and diplomacy, why high stakes strategy demands acting on incomplete information, and how strong corporate governance guards against the kind of corporate scandal seen in cases like the UK Post Office. Drawing on 20 years in Silicon Valley, over 50 startup investments, and 34 years building Cactus alongside his two sons, Ben shares governance lessons on board effectiveness, growth under pressure, and company culture change, arguing that not making a decision is the biggest risk of all. Expect management case studies and turnaround stories that move from the boardroom table to the ultra marathon trail. What you'll find in this episode: • Why board effectiveness depends on genuine cognitive diversity, not token disruption • How strong opinions loosely held shape better boardroom decisions • What being the son of Holocaust survivors teaches about obligation and legacy • Why not taking a risk is the biggest risk in strategic decision making • How ultra marathon endurance mirrors business resilience under pressure • Why company culture, not audit, is the real foundation of governance • How growth under pressure at Cactus mirrors leadership at the board level • Why compliance-for-its-own-sake is the conventional wisdom boards should challenge most Ben Kepes is a professional director, technology analyst, entrepreneur, and investor based in New Zealand. He left school early, trained as an electrician, and spent 20 years in Silicon Valley investing in over 50 startups. He founded Cactus 34 years ago and now runs it alongside his two sons. The son of Hungarian Holocaust survivors, Ben brings a personal lens to obligation and legacy, and has completed hundreds of ultra marathons. Known as a challenger director, he champions cognitive diversity and the conviction that the biggest risk a board can take is to make no decision at all. Grit in the Boardroom is a bi-weekly podcast where Erika Eliasson-Norris sits down with the best in business for executive interviews. She and her guests explore corporate governance beyond the sealed doors of the C-suite. As Governance Assessor for the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the largest public inquiry in UK history, Erika Eliasson-Norris is helping shape accountability, governance reform, and corporate oversight across the UK. — Beyond Governance provides on-demand company secretarial support, governance advisory, and governance training to boards, Company Secretaries, and General Counsel. Beyond Governance help organisations strengthen governance, manage risk, and support critical projects without the need for permanent hires. Learn more here: https://beyondgovernance.com/

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