Simon Osborne - Director
Simon has been a board evaluator since 2003 and for many years co-headed the former CGI Board Evaluation. He is also a governance consultant and trainer. Simon is a Fellow of the global Chartered Governance Institute (‘CGI’), having qualified first as a solicitor.
Since 2019, Simon has been an Executive Fellow with London Business School’s Leadership Institute, raising the institute’s profile in the business community as an ambassador and representative of its efforts. He is a guest speaker for parts of LBS's Introduction to Governance and Boardroom Dynamics elective and assists with delivery of executive education programmes. Simon is also an adviser to the International Corporate Governance Network and, in 2019/2020, served as Principal Adviser to the Astana International Financial Centre to develop the AIFC Corporate Governance Principles and Guidance.
He is a former CEO of The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland. He worked as in-house counsel for 30 years in the British railway industry; latterly as company secretary and general counsel, then as a main board executive director, of the former Railtrack Group PLC. The influencing and negotiating skills required of a company secretary are vital too for his role as a board evaluator.
Simon is a vice-president (formerly a board member and deputy chair) of a Royal Charter charity, the Railway Benefit Fund. Previously he was an NED for several years of a boutique media and events company. He has served also on the audit committees of The Law Society of England and Wales and a major City of London law firm; the Committee of Inquiry into UK Vote Execution; the former authority for the British Transport Police Force; and the statutory Railway Heritage Committee.
Geoffrey Shepheard - Director
Geoffrey has been a board evaluator since 2002, as co-head of the former CGI Board Evaluation. He has a long-standing and excellent track record of carrying out evaluations of boards, committees and directors; and has wide-ranging experience of handling problems encountered by FTSE companies and both private and public bodies.
Geoffrey is a Fellow of the global Chartered Governance Institute, having qualified as a chartered secretary in 1969. He is an experienced evaluator, having carried out over 500 director interviews. He has been requested by major clients to carry out repeat evaluations. He brings considerable knowledge of the range and reactions of directors, supported by a quiet, approachable style.
In public practice, as a chartered secretary, Geoffrey worked closely with chairmen and senior directors of FTSE companies, often on extremely sensitive boardroom matters; and specialised in company law, company secretarial practice and human resource management. He is a former vice-president of the CGI’s International Council and a member of the CGI division for the UK and Ireland.
Catherine Wright Davies - Principal
Catherine is a consultant evaluator and former member of the CGI policy team, working with both corporate and not-for-profit sectors. She is a law graduate and a Fellow of the global Chartered Governance Institute (‘CGI’), with 18 years’ experience of advising PLC and AIM listed companies on corporate governance and company law. She is particularly experienced in issues surrounding effective boardroom practice and behaviours.
Catherine has established an excellent reputation for her thoroughness in getting to the root cause of issues and for effecting appropriate solutions. She has worked with board members both in and outside the boardroom and has assisted in developing governance guides such as the FRC Guidance on Board Effectiveness.
Her professional career started in banking before studying law and training as a company secretary in the fund management arena. Catherine transferred to the construction industry, where she became group company secretary for Renew Holdings plc (previously Y J Lovell Holdings plc). She joined the policy department of CGI in 2007, where she helped shape the good governance policy agenda. She later became a consultant board evaluator, where she has applied her experience of understanding behaviours and personalities. Central to all of this is her ability to build good relationships and a rapport with people. The ability to listen is paramount as is the need for diplomacy.
Working with such a diverse group of stakeholders and partners has aided her development of sound communication skills which she has applied more recently as a board member of an international bilingual school, teaching law and English language as a visiting lecturer, coaching young professionals in business English and company practices and reviewing technical publications for CGI.
Vyla Rollins - Board Developer / Executive Coach
Vyla Rollins is an award-winning organisational psychologist and acknowledged organisational development adviser and executive coach for individuals in board, individual director, C-Suite and emerging leader roles.
Vyla is a Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Member of the Association of Business Psychologists. She is currently executive director of the London Business School Leadership Institute; on the board of trustees for the Clore Social Leadership Foundation and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britian; and a member of the Novartis Culture Leadership Board (C-LAB).
She has in-depth experience in the design and delivery of executive coaching and team/group effectiveness initiatives, applied leadership development interventions and strategy facilitation at board and C-Suite levels, as well as for emerging leaders.
Simon Bernardino - Business Manager
Simon is an experienced business manager and management development specialist. His background includes teaching to postgraduate level, academic research and corporate business life.
Throughout his professional career Simon has established close partnerships with clients and demonstrated an ability to develop and deliver effective interventions that, with the commitment of clients and their teams, contribute to lasting change. He has been able to translate training and development to impact where it matters most: business performance.
At the strategic level Simon has worked with executive board teams and individuals, helping them translate corporate vision, mission and values into practical actionable objectives, through organisational culture and climate surveying, to leadership coaching and development. In all his activity he seeks to help organisations to get their people from what to how through applied learning.
Charlotte Nightingale - Virtual Marketing Executive
As a virtual marketing executive, Charlotte brings 25 years' experience to Conseo Board Review, ensuring our services are effectively communicated and promoted to our target audience. With a keen eye for detail and strategic thinking, Charlotte leverages her LinkedIn expertise to manage strategically our presence on the platform, engaging with industry professionals and driving meaningful connections. Charlotte plays a pivotal role in enhancing our brand visibility and reputation, driving growth opportunities through targeted marketing initiatives.