Shefaly Yogendra: Building boards in a turbulent world

What does it take to lead at the board level when the ground beneath you keeps shifting?

My guest, Shefaly Yogendra, is a board director, advisor and author who has served on boards across sectors and geographies. She brings a forensic ability to ask the right questions, a deep understanding of governance under pressure, and the kind of clarity that only comes from years of experience in the room.

We get into what separates boards that add genuine value from those that go through the motions, why cognitive flexibility and moral inflexibility must coexist, and how boards should approach AI as a source of risk, not just a useful tool.

If you sit on a board, work with one, or are aiming to, this conversation will change how you think about what great governance looks like in practice.

You’ll hear about:

• The real dual role of boards
• Leading when the ground keeps shifting
• Mindsets to add and subtract now
• Cognitive flexibility vs moral inflexibility
• The board’s creation and mentoring role
• How boards shape and sharpen strategy
• Most damaging boardroom behaviour to address
• Agenda design and board preparation
• How effective board decisions get made
• AI in the boardroom and its risks
• Superpower: reading widely, connecting dots faster

More about Shefaly

Shefaly Yogendra is an internationally experienced strategist. She has worked closely with owner-led as well as professional manager-led organisations in their journey towards enhanced resilience with a focus on technology innovation, risk and foresight, and governance.

Shefaly is an independent non-executive board director and experienced committee chair in regulated sectors including financial services, energy, higher education and legal services. She is a trusted boardroom adviser and a popular speaker and podcast guest on themes such as AI, GRC, investment, and future skills.

• Shefaly’s LinkedIn profile
• Her book Uncharted spaces
• Spoken thought leadership