Karl George MBE
Karl George is a thought leader and internationally established consultant in governance. He is Managing Director of the governance forum and creator of the Effective Board Member programmes. He works with boards and senior executives in the private, public and voluntary sectors and has over twenty years combined experience in accountancy, business and strategic development.
He works with CEOs, boards and senior executives across the private, public and voluntary sectors delivering exceptional insight for corporate governance solutions. A seasoned non-executive, Karl’s expertise in governance alongside his qualified accountant status makes him a sought after adviser and board member both locally and internationally.
Karl is well respected in the business community, regularly featuring in power lists. He was one of the first winners of the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) award and was among the founders of the Young Directors Forum at the Institute of Directors (IOD). He is a founder member the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners (ACGP) and developed a unique governance framework (GAP) and kite mark that was endorsed by the late Sir Adrian Cadbury which has been delivered to over 100 organisations nationally. Karl was also one of the founders of the Young Directors Forum at the Institute of Directors.
The Effective Board Member Programmes have been delivered across the world including through partners such as The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), The Football Association (FA), Edinburgh Napier University, The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and RSM UK. The Programmes have been developed specifically for CEO’s, senior executives women, young professionals, footballers, cricketers and other sports people. They have now been delivered in 11 countries worldwide and have over 650 graduates.
Ever the inventor, Karl has converted his governance knowledge into an interactive game – ‘The Board Game’, which he uses to encourage and facilitate board interaction, training and development in governance knowledge. Given this and his other exploits in governance, Karl is a renowned consultant and speaker, sought after by companies and organisations across all sectors, including housing, in which he has extensive experience.
Karl has held several board positions across a number of sectors over the last two decades and is a current member of the Audit Committee at the Accord Housing. An experienced chair and committee member, Karl has led organisations through mergers, developing and redefining corporate strategy to completely redesigning governance structures and has acted as a consultant to chairs and CEOs of companies of all sizes.
His consultancy and support extends to his role in academia and as an Honorary Doctor and visiting professor, at Birmingham City University, Karl demonstrates his ability to adapt and share his passion, expertise and proficiency in governance. The delivery of governance in the academic world is combined with his skills as researcher and author, resulting in the development of the governance framework, a model for civil society organisations. The framework assists those working in governance in every sector to effectively manage their governance processes.
Karl is an accomplished author with a series of books and journal articles to his name. His latest book, The Effective Board Member – What Every Board Member Should Know, launched in Autumn 2017 and immediately went to number one in the Best Sellers list for Management and Leadership on Amazon Kindle. The bookinforms readers how to make an even more significant contribution to the governance of any organisation. It offers a practical, ‘no nonsense’ guide to becoming a high-performing board director or charity trustee. Previous books written by Karl include: Most People Only Try, I Make Sure, The Little Book of Governance and Boards Behaving Badly.
His expertise and professional background has also afforded him the opportunity to write several articles for bodies such as the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, the ICSA through their members magazine Governance and Compliance, among others. He was previously a regular feature writer for the Birmingham Post and in 2014 pioneered the national Diversity in the Boardroom Campaign with their support. The Campaign encourages organisations beyond the FTSE100 to pledge to improving diversity in boardrooms, including giving attention to developing the talent pipeline.
He started the first international chapter of 100 Black Men, a mentoring programme with over 10,000 members in the United States. As a Reach Role Model, Karl was one of only twenty individuals from across the UK selected to deliver this government led national activity aimed at raising the aspirations of men from BAME backgrounds.
The community awards and business accolades received by Karl include being made a MBE for services to the community in 2004.