
Chairs in Conversation: Joanna Dyson
Discover the importance of non-executive roles, trustee responsibilities, and the benefits of diverse, skilled boards with Joanna Dyson.
How do you maintain good CEO/Chair relationships?
Your relationship with the CEO as chair is absolutely crucial.
A key way to achieve a successful relationship is by investing time and spending one-to-one time together outside of board meetings. It’s natural for leadership teams to want to deliver good news to the board, but the board needs an honest view of what’s going on if they are to be effective.
Spending time together outside of board meetings gives the CEO a platform to share problems with you and seek more informal advice on how they might best bring this to the board.
It’s also hugely worthwhile to find time to get to know some of the other people in the organisation. Some chairs and trustees volunteer for the cause outside of their board work, or if your trustees link to a particular function, it can be worthwhile to connect them with their functional counterparts on the executive team.
It’s important for the board to feel that they’re part of the wider team and for the leadership team to feel the board is part of their team.
Category:Board Recruitment & Development

Written by
Marie McQuade
Director | Charities
She recruits specialist trustees from all backgrounds and specialises in recruiting boards that exceed. Every client she has ever worked with has recommended Marie to others, recruited more candidates than anticipated from her, and come back to work with her again.
She has three decades of experience as a leader working across health, housing and social justice in the UK and globally.
After volunteering as a graduate for an INGO in India, she embarked upon a career in the charity sector and grew her passion for creating positive change. Marie brings this passion to Peridot, where she prioritises recruiting exceptional leadership because she believes good governance transforms organisations and the lives of their beneficiaries.
Marie also runs board audits, inductions and training and works with organisations from across the UK and Europe. She has a post-graduate qualification in Organisational Development.
She has been a board and committee member, a mentor for a care-experienced young person, a street worker for homeless people and a counsellor for women and girls.
Outside of her professional life, Marie is completing a Creative PhD at Queens University, practising Zen, and parenting three teenage girls (and a cocker spaniel!). She enjoys spending time outdoors, walking, running, and swimming, as well as travelling, reading, watching films, visiting art galleries, and eating fine food.
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