CEO Q&A with Mike Brennan at Norman Broadbent (LON:NBB)

Norman Broadbent (LON:NBB) Chief Executive Officer Mike Brennan caught up with DirectorsTalk for an exclusive interview to discuss their partnership with UN Women UK, what this means for the company & their clients and what investors should be looking out for in terms of news flow.

Q1: Last week, we saw that you entered into a partnership with UN Women UK. Mike, can you just explain for us what it is that they actually do?

A1: UN for Women globally is obviously a part of the United Nations and what they do is they look to promote diversity on a gender basis and opportunities for women, it’s within education and it’s within business as well.

As one of the UK’s leading professional services firms within the business space, we were delighted to be able to get involved because promoting more diverse workforces for our clients is important to them and it’s important that we can help them do that.

Q2: How did the partnership come about?

A2: So, we’ve been working in this space for a long time so we’ve been helping clients achieve their, particularly gender, diversity objectives for a long time. So, we’ve been helping them redress any imbalances they might have within the organisation, helping them attract more diverse talent so that could more inclusive or more female talent because more diverse businesses are better in lots of different ways. It’s been proven they’re more profitable.

It came abut because the UN had noticed what we’ve been doing in this space for some time, they regarded us as very innovative, we’ve also just been recognised by Hampton Alexander for our work in helping Board’s and companies in the same space.

They asked me to join a judging panel and we were looking at companies across the UK and individuals who have promoted women in business and the gender diversity agenda in business. It was off the back of that work I did on the judging panel where I actually sat down with the people from UN Women UK and said we can do this much more significantly now and we can really help you get into the corporate consciousness, as it were. So, that’s where the partnership came about.

The great thing about this is this is the first partnership of its kind in the world that’s ever been entered into by UN Women UK and a company such as ours so it’s a real first for Norman Broadbent.

Q3: I think you hinted at this earlier but what does this mean for the company and of course, your clients?

A3: I think, first of all, it validates everything we’ve been doing so to be invited into this kind of partnership by somebody by UN Women UK is very significant because it says what we’re doing it right and they want to see more of it. So, that’s the first thing, it’s a big validation for our company.

In addition to that, what it means is I think we can get our message out a lot more widely in conjunction with UN Women UK, it means we can spread the message more and we can talk about a lot more with a much wider range of clients.

So, it’s a win-win, there’s opportunities for UN Women UK, there are opportunities for companies to build more diverse and inclusive workforces and obviously, the benefit for us because it means that we can promote our services more actively with a wider range of clients.

Q4: Finally, what should investors be looking out for in terms of news flow over the coming months from Norman Broadbent?

A4: Our year-end is end of December this year so I’d like to think we’d be in a position to get a trading statement out in the early part of Q1 of next year, I’m quite keen to keep the market posted on a fairly regular basis on how we’re performing as a business.

In addition to that, we’re rather hopeful that we’re going to be able to get our full-year figures out for the end of Q1/the beginning of Q2 next year so they’re the two big milestones for us.

Click to view all articles for the EPIC:
Or click to view the full company profile:
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    Norman Broadbent Plc

    More articles like this

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    2022: A year to re-think, recover and re-build

    2022 has a lot to live up to. Despite the eleventh-hour curveball of the Omicron variant rearing its head in December 2021, business confidence is high, and many leaders are eagerly anticipating 2022, and capitalising on

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Norman Broadbent appoint Devyani Vaishampayan to the team

    Norman Broadbent plc (LON:NBB), a leading London quoted Professional Services firm offering a diversified portfolio of integrated Leadership Acquisition & Advisory Services (Board & Leadership Search, Senior Interim Management, Research & Insight, Leadership Consulting & Assessment, and

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Leveraging data analytics

    The retail industry is experiencing previously unimaginable digital disruptions from online and instant shopping to immediate/rapid home deliveries. In addition – and thanks in part to the rise of social media and mobile – we can

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Inspirational leadership: A force for good?

    Over the last 35 years, many aspects of the working world have been transformed. As the world of work has evolved and become more sophisticated, so have the skills and attributes we look for in our

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    The Virtual Bench

    The term ‘bench’ is synonymous with consulting organisations and change programmes, striking fear into some and perhaps a sigh of relief for others.  During the pandemic many organisations made deep cuts to headcount in order to

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Assessing Team Capability

    Throughout Norman Broadbent’s 42-year history, we have worked with clients through periods of change. The drivers of change, and the technologies involved change, but the recurring theme is always ‘how to maximise the opportunities and best

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Personal Connections and Boards

    10 years ago, over 95% of the NED, SID and Chair roles we handled were straight forward replacements for those completing their term (and even some who had passed their term!). These days, our Board practice

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    The Rise and Rise of the CDO

    If there is still any doubt in your mind about the importance of data in our lives, just try booking a ticket to a festival this summer or getting on a plane to anywhere. A few

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Diversity: Making a difference in oil & gas

    In 2019, McKinsey identified that companies with a significant proportion of female leaders consistently outperform their peers.  So why is it that industries such as Oil & Gas still struggle to attract, retain, and promote diverse

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Is your Board really effective?

    There is a question that is always on the lips of Chairs:  Just how effective is our Board? Against a backdrop of unprecedented change, many organisations find themselves on the back foot and vulnerable. The impact

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Norman Broadbent raises £75,347 by way of a subscription

    Norman Broadbent plc (LON:NBB), a leading London quoted Professional Services firm offering a diversified portfolio of integrated Leadership Acquisition & Advisory Services, has announced that it has raised £75,347 before expenses by way of a subscription of

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Case Study – Board – Audit Chair – Consumer

    Norman Broadbent plc (LON:NBB) is a leading Professional Services firm offering five interrelated Talent Acquisition & Advisory Services: Board & Leadership/Executive Search, Senior Interim Management, Research & Insight, Leadership Consulting & Assessment, and executive level Recruitment

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Assessing team capability

    Throughout Norman Broadbent’s 42-year history, we have worked with clients through periods of change. The drivers of change, and the technologies involved change, but the recurring theme is always ‘how to maximise the opportunities and best

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Diversity: Making a Difference in Oil & Gas

    In 2019, McKinsey identified that companies with a significant proportion of female leaders consistently outperform their peers.  So why is it that industries such as Oil & Gas still struggle to attract, retain, and promote diverse

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Retail: Leveraging data analytics

    The retail industry is experiencing previously unimaginable digital disruptions from online and instant shopping to immediate/rapid home deliveries. In addition – and thanks in part to the rise of social media and mobile – we can

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    The Rise and Rise of the CDO

    If there is still any doubt in your mind about the importance of data in our lives, just try booking a ticket to a festival this summer or getting on a plane to anywhere. A few

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    Norman Broadbent appoints Sean Buchan as Group Managing Director

    Norman Broadbent plc (LON:NBB) – a leading London quoted Professional Services firm offering a diversified portfolio of integrated Leadership Acquisition & Advisory Services – has announced the appointment of Sean Buchan as Group Managing Director, reporting

    Norman Broadbent Plc

    The Virtual Bench

    The term ‘bench’ is synonymous with consulting organisations and change programmes, striking fear into some and perhaps a sigh of relief for others.  During the pandemic many organisations made deep cuts to headcount in order to