Grit in the Boardroom - Executive Interviews on Corporate Governance and Risk Management
Erika Eliasson-Norris
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 25, 2026 • 38min
From Personal Networks to the C-Suite: What Aspiring Directors Should Know About Board Effectiveness and Future Leadership Skills
Are you presenting yourself strategically to the people who will let you sit in the boardroom? Networking, communication, and continuous self-reinvention during company culture change is critical to success in senior leadership and non-executive director roles.
Host Erika Eliasson Norris – CEO of Beyond Governance and Governance Assessor to the UK’s Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry – sits down for one of the show’s in-depth executive interviews with Emma Parry, Founder & CEO of NovaFin Consulting Ltd. Together they explore how emotional intelligence helps leaders navigate complex situations, improve board effectiveness, and build stronger alignment across the C-suite.
Drawing from real management case studies, Emma shares practical examples of how leaders handle pressure, encourage meaningful director dialogue, and approach leadership decisions when organisations face uncertainty. We look to understand how corporate governance, leadership, and strategic decision-making shape modern organisations is essential for anyone looking to influence boardroom decisions. The conversation also highlights how strong networks, thoughtful communication, and clear governance frameworks can strengthen business resilience and lead to genuine turnaround stories.
What you’ll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:
Why gender diversity strengthens leadership and improves decision-making at the top.
How professional networks and LinkedIn can support career progression into the C-suite.
What aspiring directors should know about entering the boardroom.
Why risk management, governance awareness, and strong communication skills matter for future board leaders.
Practical insights on navigating company culture shifts and maintaining effective governance during change.
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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.
Mar 11, 2026 • 1h 3min
From the Dot-Com Boom to the AI Era: Why Rapid Innovation is Key to Business Resilience
What if innovation wasn’t a side project, but a tool your teams could use every day to make better decisions, solve problems faster, and drive growth?
With board roles at British Airways, Chanel, and the British Chambers of Commerce, guest Baroness Martha Lane Fox brings sharp chair perspectives and grounded C-suite insights into what really happens in high-stakes boardrooms. From the dot-com boom and bust to helping steer Twitter through its sale to Elon Musk, she shares candid reflections on leadership, risk management, and navigating scrutiny under pressure.
In this episode of Grit in the Boardroom, Erika Eliasson-Norris, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Beyond Governance and Governance Assessor to the UK’s Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, sits down with Martha to explore how corporate governance must evolve in an era of rapid digital change.
This executive interview goes beyond theory. It challenges boards to rethink strategic decision-making, strengthen director dialogue and build board effectiveness that supports long-term business resilience rather than short-term optics. At its core, the conversation is about embedding innovation into governance systems, not isolating it in committees.
What you’ll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:
Why innovation and AI cannot sit in a side department if you want meaningful growth under pressure. Boards must hardwire experimentation, cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy into incentives, oversight and everyday boardroom decisions.
What healthy challenge looks like in practice and how to avoid performative confrontation. Strong corporate governance depends on constructive tension, not point-scoring or silent groupthink.
How clarity of purpose strengthens company culture and improves execution. Clear expectations and individual accountability reduce micromanagement and improve business resilience.
Why trust between chair, non-executive directors (NEDs) and the CEO transforms meetings. High-trust environments enable sharper leadership decisions, more honest debate and better governance lessons drawn from real-world management case studies.
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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.
10 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 1h 12min
Execution Over Ego: The Boardroom Decisions That Make-or-Break Governance
Ram Charan, global advisor to CEOs and bestselling author known for execution and board effectiveness. He discusses why boards must pick and, if needed, replace CEOs quickly. He contrasts board structures across markets and the power of the chair. He explains how courage, disciplined execution and AI-driven operating models reshape governance and leadership.
Feb 11, 2026 • 1h 4min
Ethicability: The Leadership Lever That Transforms Company Culture
How to avoid corporate scandals, improve board effectiveness, and foster company culture change that drives business resilience and growth under pressure is the focus of this first episode of Grit in the Boardroom. Host Erika Eliasson-Norris - CEO of Beyond Governance and Governance Assessor to the UK’s Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry - is joined by Roger Steare - the “corporate philosopher” to explore the humanity in boardroom discussions and what ethical factors are made in the C-suite.
From navigating pension dilemmas worth £300 million to guiding boards through crises and beyond, Roger shares rare C-Suite insights, management case studies, and governance lessons that reveal what true strategic decision-making looks like under pressure. He shares his experiences having advised heavyweight organisations, including BP, HSBC, Barclays, and Nationwide. His insight into governance stems from a deep-rooted understanding of moral reasoning, showcased in his publication, Ethicability.
This insightful executive interview on moral clarity in leadership touches on the reality of boardroom decisions, the role of fear and politics in shaping leadership decisions, and how organisations can build cultures of fairness, truth, and accountability.
What you’ll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:
A pivotal board decision involving pension schemes and the importance of fairness and transparency in resolving corporate dilemmas.
Fear and internal politics that can sanitise and mask true issues in corporate governance and decision-making.
Strategies for boards to engage with ground-level truths through meaningful engagement with diverse workforce perspectives.
The ethicability model to ensure good governance through adherence to rules, integrity, maximising good, and embracing truth.
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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.
Feb 11, 2026 • 55min
Poor Boardroom Decisions: What the Wirecard Board Failed to Hear
Former FinTech general counsel and whistleblower behind the Wirecard scandal, Pav Gill, joins Grit in the Boardroom to explain how to navigate the intimidating reality of corporate scandal and how to avoid being complicit. Host Erika Eliasson-Norris - CEO of Beyond Governance and Governance Assessor to the UK’s Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry - talks to Pav about what governing boards can learn from scandals like Wirecard, how to build trust and accountability in corporate governance, and the role of empathy and courage in real boardroom decisions.
From turnaround stories and company culture change to governance lessons drawn from one of Europe’s most infamous collapses, this episode delivers powerful management case studies, chair perspectives, and practical guidance for leaders navigating growth under pressure and the demands of high-stakes strategies.
What you’ll find in this episode of Grit in the Boardroom:
The challenges and risks associated with whistleblowing, including personal and professional repercussions.
How the tone from the top influences corporate culture, the convenience of blaming upper leadership, and the responsibility of creating a positive subculture.
What can be learned from corporate scandals like Wirecard and 1MDB, including the warning signs of fraud and the necessity for effective governance practices.
The role of non-executive directors (NEDs) in safeguarding corporate governance and acting as a genuine check on leadership practices.
A platform for improving compliance and governance processes, stressing the need for a single source of truth to handle ethical violations effectively.
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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.
Jan 28, 2026 • 1min
Trailer - Grit in the Boardroom
Expect breakdowns of leadership decisions, open director dialogue, and governance perspectives from across industries on Grit in the Boardroom. Bi-weekly episodes of Grit in the Boardroom bring together voices from across leadership, including executives, chairs, and directors, who have stood on the edge of critical calls, felt the weight of risk, and lived with the outcomes.
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.
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.
Explore how high-stakes strategy turns into business resilience on Grit in the Boardroom from 11 February wherever you get podcasts, with new episodes releasing bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
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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.
