At a major government parastatal, the chairperson arrived with clean intentions and a private sector mindset. He expected performance dashboards, quick decisions, and direct CEO accountability. Instead, he met a wall: the CEO avoided hard questions, directors whispered before meetings, and every time the board pushed for reform, a call from “above” would undo it. The problem was not politics; it was the chair’s failure to understand politics.

In state-owned institutions, the rules of engagement are different. The CEO is not just a chief executive; they are often a political appointee. Loyalty, networks, and alignment with appointing authorities carry more weight than KPIs. In this reality, a board chair who insists on textbook corporate governance without political wisdom will fail every time. Read more

"The best board chairs operate with both political literacy and corporate precision. They do not just survive power, they shape it."

A chair of a national commission once told me, “Our board is fine, we trust each other.” Six months later, three directors were under investigation, two strategic projects had stalled, and the CEO stopped attending meetings.

The Company Secretary called again, not for strategy support, but for crisis recovery. Most board failures do not begin with fraud or scandal.

They begin with blind spots, unchecked assumptions, unchallenged behaviours, and unmeasured effectiveness. The boardroom is the cockpit of your institution. If you never check the instruments, do not be shocked when the organisation crashes. Read more

If your board is still relying on quarterly reports to understand risk, you are already too late. At one of the financial Institutions I consulted, the board confidently signed off a clean internal audit report only to wake up to a ransomware attack that shut down operations for three days.

The audit committee chair later confessed to Mr Strategy, “We asked all the wrong questions. We trusted compliance reports instead of interrogating risk intelligence.” That is the new reality of risk in the digital age: fast, silent, and often invisible, until it is too late.

Today, governance without digital risk literacy is negligence. Directors do not need to be IT experts, but they must ask better questions. Sharp questions. Strategic questions. Because what you fail to question may soon destroy your enterprise. Read more

Theme: Securing the Future – AI-Driven Security and Risk Management

Join industry leaders, cybersecurity professionals, and innovators for this premier event focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping security and risk management. Gain actionable insights, explore real-world solutions, and prepare your organization for the future of digital defense.

PLUS – Don’t Miss Our Free Cyber Security Awareness Week!
In the lead-up to the conference, we’re hosting a free Cyber Security Awareness Week packed with practical sessions, expert tips, and engaging activities to help individuals and organizations strengthen their cyber hygiene.

📅 Cyber Security Awareness Week
📅 IFIS Cyber Security Conference: 16th October 2025

✅ Learn from experts
✅ Build awareness
✅ Strengthen your defenses

Note: Institute of Forensics & ICT Security  is a training arm of Summit Consulting Ltd

Register now and be part of the movement to secure our digital future.

For more inquiries. Get in touch with us today at 0782610333 or email us at strategy@new.summitcl.com. 

Enroll in the Future-Ready Board Course and Transform Your Governance Impact

Imagine your boardroom as the command center of a high-stakes mission. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, effective governance goes beyond ticking boxes; it calls for bold, forward-thinking leadership. The Future-Ready Board Certificate in Effective Directorship is your roadmap to mastering modern governance. Gain the skills to anticipate risks, seize opportunities, and lead with purpose.

This course, led by a team of distinguished governance experts, empowers you to bring lasting value to the boards you serve. Don’t just adapt, thrive. Be the director your board needs for the future. Read more >>

This thought-provoking book offers an incisive examination of corporate governance from both a historical and contemporary point of view…I highly recommend it for your useful and sustainable leadership benefit” – Michael Mugabi, Former President, Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda.