Services

In the Boardroom

Our advisory and assessment services help board directors take a fresh look at their roles, responsibilities and practices to ensure current oversight effectiveness and alignment with management.

Today’s board directors are experiencing expanded roles and responsibilities due to stakeholder activism, the rapid pace of digital transformation, and the evolving regulatory landscape.  

Additionally, perceptions of board effectiveness from the C-suite suggest that alignment between boards and senior management can often be improved.  A case in point: a survey of 600 C-suite executives conducted by The Conference Board and PwC in Spring 2023 found that only 29 percent of executives said their boards are doing an excellent or good job.  

Due to increased post-pandemic chief executive turnover and retirements, boards also need to have up-to-date, forward-looking CEO succession plans in place. 

We help boards become even better faster in the following areas:

Board Effectiveness Evaluation
Optimize director composition, diversity, engagement and practices to strengthen overall board performance and ensure preparedness to handle major crises.

Board-CEO Alignment
Clarify respective board and CEO expectations and priorities; address alignment gaps; enhance information flow to ensure consistent, winning partnership and performance.

CEO Succession 
Develop comprehensive CEO succession plans and in-house top talent reviews; conduct CEO candidate assessments to support best-fit leader selection. 

In the C-Suite

Our advisory, assessment and leadership coaching services combine business pragmatics with advanced behavioral science expertise for sustainable impact.

To be an effective CEO today requires the ability to lead in a macroenvironment that is highly fluid, frequently volatile, and marked by uncertainty.  Chief executive success also involves leading an inclusive, hybrid workforce, communicating across media platforms, addressing stakeholder activism, spearheading technology innovation, and implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

To meet these challenges CEOs – and all C-suite leaders – need to possess an enhanced repertoire of capabilities, ranging from personal flexibility and adaptability to conflict management and consensus-building.  These personal abilities then need to be integrated thoroughly into strategic execution activities such as stakeholder engagement and attracting and retaining top quality talent.

We help leaders succeed in the following areas:

CEO Transition and Onboarding
Accelerate the new chief executive’s effectiveness to lead the organization   profitably and responsibly.

CEO Advisory Consultation 
Provide confidential strategic counsel to address long-term and emergent management issues, opportunities and risks; neutralize executive crisis management burnout.

C-Suite Executive and Management Team Performance
Develop next-level individual and team competencies to implement strategic change in high-stakes, digitally enabled business environments.

Technical Professional-to-Leader Transformation
Enhance the leadership skills repertoire, mindset and strategic focus of technical professionals to assume and succeed in C-suite positions.

Contact us for a confidential consultation of your specific objectives.

What Clients Say

“It’s a pleasure to acknowledge a long and fruitful collaboration with Susan Battley.  As both Laboratory Director and formerly as Deputy Director, I have benefited from the structured approach she offers to changing organizations, developing relationships and evolving strategy, as well as from her independent, confidential perspective and counsel on current issues as they arise.  Her long experience with corporate and financial institutions, as well as academic and laboratory settings, is unique and valuable.”

—Doon L. Gibbs
President, Brookhaven Science Associates;
Manager and Operator of Brookhaven National Laboratory
for the U.S. Department of Energy

“Susan Battley was invaluable to me in accelerating my professional effectiveness, and provided the insights and expertise to help me become a better leader to my senior staff and entire organization. I would highly recommend Susan and her firm to anyone interested in professional growth and the development of cohesive, performance-driven management teams.”

—Wes Card
Chief Executive Officer, 2007-2014
The Jones Group

“Battley distills her years as a trusted CEO adviser into performance-boosting strategies and solutions.”

—Howard Putnam
Former CEO
Southwest Airlines


 

“The insights that Susan Battley has provided me and those who work with me have enabled us to make significant progress as we have grown. Susan was quick to understand the issues, and provide me with several alternative ways of dealing with them. My leadership skills benefited tremendously through my association with her.”

—Margaret M. Cannella
Global Head of Credit Research & U.S. Corporate Strategy
JP Morgan