Simon Pordage, ANZ Company Secretary, on National Conference 2021

This year’s two-day virtual event on September 1-2 will be no different for the past Governance Institute president and now Governance Institute brand ambassador. Even with years of leadership behind him, Mr Pordage appreciates the opportunity to hear from great speakers and learn how leaders and executives implement and execute good governance practices. He sees governance and risk management as “absolutely critical” in a modern corporate environment.

“We need to be careful and clear about what good governance and risk management is,” Mr Pordage said.

“Good governance does not mean adding layers of bureaucracy and good risk management does not mean being risk-averse.”

“For me, good governance is about helping your organisation, and the people in it, make good decisions. It is up to us as governance professionals to seek to ensure we consider ‘good’ in all its contexts, including clarity and efficiency.”

Mr Pordage will chair a session on ‘What is your purpose?’ with McKinsey Senior Partner John Lydon where they will discuss evolving corporate change and the importance of effective communication.

“It’s a good reminder to consider the impact you can have on others and how even small things can help in these troublesome times,” he said.

Guaranteed to capture the key issues of the day, Mr Pordage said the conference was an event that caused him to “think differently” about things.

This year’s theme ‘culture powers purpose’ reflected the shared experience an organisation’s people had in working towards a common goal.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing some practical ways to put this into action, particularly in these times where we can be physically distanced from our colleagues for long periods of time,” he said.

This year’s conference will be held virtually on September 1-2 and include 45 speakers across 18 sessions.