Corporate Governance and Chairmanship: A Personal View

In this personal view, Cadbury draws on a lifetime of corporate experience to back up his measured assertions and sober analysis: He was chairman of Cadbury Schweppes from 1975-89. He was also a longtime member on the boards of the Bank of England and IBM UK—topics include board leadership and composition, social responsibility, the chairman and chief executive, and forces beyond headquarters that weigh heavily on issues of governance. For example, Cadbury believes the roles of chairman and chief executive should be separate, rather than combined into one post, but he explains the pros and cons of each argument very well. Many examples are necessarily UK-centric, but the ideas can apply to corporations anywhere. Openness, balance, and a keen sense that rights and responsibilities go together should be driving principles for anyone in leadership, he writes.