Event Details
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Virtual - Online via Zoom
Groupthink – Risk to Decision Making
How Board Behavioural Dynamics creates unintended outcomes
Groupthink is a silent saboteur of board effectiveness.
A Genius Boards webinar with our special guest Loretto Leavy, Governance Expert & Co-Author of the Board Behavioural Dynamics Handbook, launched at the CGIUKI conference at the beginning of July 2025.
In this exclusive Genius Boards webinar, we explore how boards can overcome the hidden behavioural traps that hinder challenge, diversity of thought, and decision-making quality.
Loretto brings over two decades of experience advising boards across sectors and jurisdictions. Her work on board behavioural dynamics complements Genius Boards’ focus on cultivating high-performing boards through behavioural insight, structured evaluation, and targeted development.
Loretto’s thinking aligns closely with Genius’ expertise in boardroom dynamics and our commitment to helping boards unlock their full potential through challenge, trust, and purposeful governance.
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on groupthink, challenge and human bias and gain the practical strategies boards can adopt to strengthen behavioural awareness and psychological safety, led by the Chair, from the top.
Key themes included:
- What is groupthink in the modern boardroom—and why is it still so pervasive?
- Insights from the Board Behavioural Dynamics Handbook – an open-access resource shaped by market demand and academic rigour
- Why behavioural awareness is critical to good governance
- The link between inclusion, challenge, and board effectiveness
- How board composition, succession, and dynamics influence outcomes
- Address the links between groupthink and effective challenge and debate
- Understand the role the Chair, or another key Director, has in causing the groupthink outcome
- What governance professionals and chairs should act differently to counteract conformity and complacency.
Who This Session Is For
Board Chairs, Company Secretaries, NEDs, aspiring directors, and governance professionals who want to challenge the status quo, strengthen decision-making, and reduce the behavioural risks that quietly undermine board effectiveness.
This session is especially valuable for Committee Chairs (Nomination, Risk, Remuneration) and those in regulatory or advisory roles seeking to embed psychological safety, independence of thought, and behavioural maturity at the board level.
Host
Sharon Constançon is CEO of Genius Boards, where she leads on board performance reviews, board dynamics training, and governance advisory. With over 25 years of direct board-level experience across different industries, Sharon is recognised for her deep expertise in board behaviours, leadership, and risk awareness.
A seasoned board evaluator, Sharon combines analytical insight with emotional intelligence to uncover the behavioural patterns that drive, or derail, board effectiveness. She has delivered governance solutions to FTSE boards, financial services entities, and complex organisations across many sectors.
Sharon is also a respected educator. She lectures on Boardroom Dynamics at Qualifying Level for the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland, and delivers risk training as faculty for the Corporate Governance Institute. She mentors Chairs and Directors and is a champion of the Company Secretary as a key enabler of good governance.
Her strength lies in translating behavioural insight into practical strategies that elevate board performance and decision-making.
Panellists
Loretto Leavy is a seasoned governance expert and Group Company Secretary with over 20 years of board advisory experience across complex, regulated organisations. Her career spans financial services, pensions, insurance, banking, and asset management, with a strong track record of delivering intelligent governance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.
Loretto is currently completing a PhD focused on behavioural dynamics in boards, a field in which she is also a recognised thought leader. She is the co-author of the newly published Board Behavioural Dynamics Handbook, developed in collaboration with the University of Exeter Business School, Henley Business School, The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland and other governance professionals, including Constançon from Genius Boards. The Handbook offers an open-access resource for boards seeking to embed behavioural insight into governance practice.
Known for her practical, strategic, and inclusive approach, Loretto has advised on chair support, board composition, succession planning, board evaluations, and effective stakeholder engagement within highly complex regulatory environments. She has also served as a Director, Nomination Committee Chair, and Remuneration Committee Chair in the not-for-profit sector.
Loretto brings a rare blend of academic rigour, regulatory expertise, and real-world experience to the conversation on effective board behaviour.
Share this event
Is your board really thinking—or just agreeing?
Discover how to build behavioural resilience at the board level and escape the trap of groupthink.
Join us on 22 July at 14:00 for a live webinar with Loretto Leavy, governance leader and co-author of the new Board Behavioural Dynamics Handbook.
