Broaden skill sets and embed the tenant voice, governance experts advise

“So, think about how you can continue to build those personal relationships among your board, even if you are working in a more hybrid way,” she said.

“Our aim really is that we want to create a high-performing team, not just a group of individuals that are working together on our board. We need them to set a common purpose for the organisation; we need a common approach to how they work together with those diverse behaviours and experiences.

“And we need to think about the collective and individual accountability that our board members have when they’re focusing on our strategy, when they’re managing our risks, in order to keep our organisation safe.”

Fellow panellist Deirdre LaBassiere, who is interim deputy director of corporate governance at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, said culture was the “heart and soul” of any organisation and that this was no different in the housing sector.

She said: “A strong organisational culture fosters collaboration, innovation and an unwavering commitment to the mission of providing affordable, safe and quality housing to our communities. I’ve seen that it’s the culture that guides employee behaviour, decision-making and the overall reputation of the organisation.”

Ms LaBassiere said a “strong culture” of risk awareness and ethical conduct was “essential” for achieving strategic objectives.

She said the right culture empowered employees to manage and identify risks, and boards played a “really key pivotal role” in establishing that culture of accountability and transparency.

To achieve this, they needed to be “well informed and vigilant”, Ms LaBassiere added.

She said that boards needed “regular, accurate and timely information” on the organisation’s performance, and assurance that the social housing provider’s culture was aligned with its mission and values.

Ms LaBassiere said that when members were being recruited, landlords should ensure they fit the provider’s objectives and values and are prepared to dig deep and ask questions.

She said: “The synergy of culture, risk management, strategic objectives and board assurance is essential for the success of registered housing providers. A strong organisational structure that prioritises risk awareness and ethical conduct is the foundation for achieving strategic objectives.”

Argiri Papathos, director of governance and compliance at Peabody, gave her five tips for the “recipe for successful board effectiveness”.

She said that boards needed to ask for information, and test and validate it by speaking to residents and staff to find out if the “glossy” board reports resonated with what was happening on the ground.

Ms Papathos said that executive teams should invest time in onboarding board members, informing them of the landlord’s strategies, vision, journey and key decisions over the last couple of years, rather than just sending them an invitation to a board meeting and an information pack.

She said board evaluation was important and boards should be given a space for meeting without executives present to discuss anything sensitive, such as a lack of support for the chief executive.

Ms Papathos added that a chair who facilitates discussions must be appointed, with everyone having the opportunity to participate and express their views.

She said culture was important, on top of these points, as board members must respect each other, which builds trust and allows for difficult information to be shared in a safe environment.

Ms Papathos said: “That allows for conversations to be challenging, but constructive in the right way, and enables creative operation. It is not conflict, but an opportunity to have diversity of thought.”

Rachel Challinor, director of governance and compliance at Longhurst Group, said the customer voice was “more important than ever” and this needed to be focused to ensure it was “flowing through all of the organisation”.

She said boards had an ethical responsibility to hear the voice of the unheard and to amplify that across the business.

“We need to really, truly show effective decision-making with our customers involved, and to do that, we need everybody in the organisation playing a part,” said Ms Challinor.