Splitting his time between the Association for Language Learning and consultancy work at Eastside People, Suneet Sharma’s week spans policy development, board preparation, risk management and mentoring—showcasing governance as both a discipline and a craft.
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Monday

I take some time at the start of each week to update where I am at and form a to do list, making sure the effective utilization of my time and key stakeholders are formed appropriately.

Now six months into my role at the Association and I am moving my governance work from the audit and initial gap analysis phase to implementation. There is a high volume of policy and technical work to be prioritised and managed.

I keep an ongoing governance calendar of areas of focus for the year ahead, enabling me to plan and deliver my capacity, noting key pinch points such as Board and monthly meetings with the Chair.

Keeping a strict order of priority factoring in risk, compliance requirements and operational factors managed in open communication with the Operational Manager and Chair is key to effective planning and delivery in these areas.


Tuesday

The Association is moving quickly towards a Strategy Day where the Board and Operational Team are coming together to plan and catalyse the delivery of the Association’s work for the next academic year, focusing on thematic areas. A Board Meeting is also held as part of the Day.

I had agreed deadlines for formation of papers and agenda, which I keep the operational team informed of. I liaise with them to ensure the presentation of high-quality papers to the Board. As is common, there are a broad range of papers for the Board to consider and in high volumes. Topics range from membership management and development, curricular matters, operational matters which have been escalated and governance. I ensure the Chair and Operations Manager are copied into my collation of agenda and papers for the Day for sign off and feedback.

I also keep communications open with the venue for the Day.


Wednesday

The risk register of the Association is a key document which requires regular updating and quarterly presentation at Board. Such a document is a cornerstone governance document; it sets priorities and actions for management of risk presented by the organisation’s operations.

I spend the day liaising with trustees and the operational teams to ensure the most recent iteration of the register is updated, reflecting discussions to date, the changing environment and circumstances for the Association and is ready to be presented at Board.

This requires not only an eye for compliance and governance risk but a working knowledge of the context of the Association and an alignment with the Board’s vision and approach to risk. The Charity Commission sets out in its guidance a helpful approach to risk management that I check to ensure compliance. I then cross reference this with the Charity Governance Code to align with best practice, noting the Code is due to be updated this year.

I make a further note to discuss a multifaceted and contextual approach to risk with my professional mentor, who I have as part of my Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts mentoring scheme. It is an area of challenge which I see as an opportunity to grow.


Thursday

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and learning more about my fields of interest, to that end I write at least monthly on governance, risk and charity leadership topics.

I have been preparing articles for the Charity Times and Association of Chairs. The respectively cover a case study on managing conflicts of interest for charities and embedding lived experience in charities via governance. I take the first half of the day to read around the topics, post to LinkedIn to gather views and discuss them with my network.

The second half of the day is focused on preparing the articles and ensuring they draw on practical examples, such as my experience of being a trustee twice previously.

I was also interviewed for the Reach Volunteering’s highly esteemed guide the Trustee Recruitment Cycle, the copy of which is ready for review. With some minor edits I am happy with the quotes that draw upon my experience of both building a trustee recruitment processes and conducting them.


Friday

I take the day on Friday to change gears. Given my recent placement on the books of Eastside People as a governance consultant I take some time to read through the member materials on their Sharepoint.

I also signed up to Board Racial Diversity UK’s Action Not Words Mentoring Scheme, run in association with Eastside People, as a mentor to aspiring trustees from diverse ethnic backgrounds. I am delighted to have received details of a prospective mentee alongside a guide prepared for mentors and mentees. It is my first time being on the mentor side of the
table so I refresh my knowledge of key elements such as the SMART model for goals and read an excellent blog from the previous cohort.

I post regularly to LinkedIn to network and explore governance related topics- they serve as a forum for discussion, insight and connection. I prepare a post searching for views on the usage of AI to transcribe board meetings and any good tools for these purposes.

I am mindful that there are accuracy, data protection and confidentiality issues with the usage of ai in this context and would like to draw on the insights of my network in responding to these challenges. To my mind using any tool has to be carefully thought through and reviewed carefully, supplementing my own manual minute taking.

Suneet Sharma is Governance and Membership Manager, Association for Language and the Learning & Governance Consultant, Eastside People

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