From boardroom decisions to public consequences
When boards misjudge culture and accountability, trust can unravel fast. In today’s environment, activism is constant, and it comes from every direction.
Domini Stuart
I help organisations to communicate clearly about governance, business, insurance and health. I have a particular interest in the role the corporate world plays in promoting social justice and human rights.
Please scroll down to see examples of my work.
My Articles
From family dentist to purpose-led paediatric practice
Through thoughtful growth, clinical leadership and community engagement, Dr James Lucas has built a specialist paediatric dental practice guided as much by compassion as expertise.
A community first approach to medicine
How Dr Manmit Madan grew two thriving practices, supported his community, and inspired the next generation of doctors.
Too old, too young: why ageism is bad for business
Judging people by their age drains invaluable skills from the workplace. Here’s what you can do to prevent it.
What directors need to know about governance challenges in Australian SaaS - AICD
Atlassian, Canva, Culture Amp, Employment Hero — some of Australia’s most successful software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies have achieved international success. Others focus on niche domestic markets such as government, education or healthcare. Along with the hurdles confronting every startup, they all faced unique Australian challenges.
Jared Hill, vice-president and head of cloud and custom applications at Capgemini Australia and New Zealand, identifies scarcity of talent, limited resources,...
Jared Hill, vice-president and head of cloud and custom applications at Capgemini Australia and New Zealand, identifies scarcity of talent, limited resources,...
Top director tactics for remuneration control
Investor perceptions of whether executive pay is justified can lead to uncomfortable flashpoints at annual general meetings.
In 2011, the Australian government amended the Corporations Act, adding the two-strikes rule, which was designed to rein in excessive executive remuneration and make boards more accountable to shareholders. The rule awards a first strike to a company where 25 per cent or more of shareholders vote against its remuneration report at the annual general meeting (AGM). If there is a similarly high “no” vote the following year, a second strike triggers a spill resolution. Shareholders vote on whether...
In 2011, the Australian government amended the Corporations Act, adding the two-strikes rule, which was designed to rein in excessive executive remuneration and make boards more accountable to shareholders. The rule awards a first strike to a company where 25 per cent or more of shareholders vote against its remuneration report at the annual general meeting (AGM). If there is a similarly high “no” vote the following year, a second strike triggers a spill resolution. Shareholders vote on whether...
A guide to joining your first NFP board - AICD
Some see a seat on an NFP board as the first step to a boardroom career. Experienced directors may be keen to “give back”, while others are drawn to a particular cause as a result of personal experience with, for example, disability or chronic illness.
Whatever your motivation, the day you join your first NFP board, you become legally part of the leadership team, exposed to the directors’ liabilities and responsibilities. These risks are not to be taken lightly, as Steven Bowman FAICD, managing...
Whatever your motivation, the day you join your first NFP board, you become legally part of the leadership team, exposed to the directors’ liabilities and responsibilities. These risks are not to be taken lightly, as Steven Bowman FAICD, managing...
How to navigate the productivity crisis in Australia through strategic governance - AICD
Productivity means output divided by input — the measure of how efficiently inputs such as time, labour, capital or materials are converted into outputs such as goods or services. It has been the single most important contributor to the growth in our living standards.
“One hundred years ago, Australians worked longer hours,” says Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood. “They obviously had less income, so less capacity to buy goods and services. They were far less healthy with a much shorter...
“One hundred years ago, Australians worked longer hours,” says Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood. “They obviously had less income, so less capacity to buy goods and services. They were far less healthy with a much shorter...
How the AFL balances varied stakeholders for sustainable business success
The Australian Football League (AFL) is big business. Eighteen clubs attract revenues of between $60m and $100m a year, and the 2024 annual report discloses an annual total revenue of $1.039 billion. Each match of the 2024 season attracted an average crowd of 38,344 and nearly one in 20 Australians are members of an AFL club.
The AFL also presents a unique set of challenges for its club directors.
“The board is effectively governing a medical, entertainment, consumer and community organisation,...
The AFL also presents a unique set of challenges for its club directors.
“The board is effectively governing a medical, entertainment, consumer and community organisation,...
How to embed modern slavery human rights due diligence into strategy
Australian boards must place basic civil rights in every aspect of a company’s culture or the country will lose its status as the global leader in the fight against modern slavery. That’s the view of Professor John McMillan AO, who in 2023 handed down the results of a three-year independent review that had been built into the Modern Slavery Act 2018 legislation.
That report included multiple recommendations. While most of them are still under review, the government has appointed a dedicated Anti...
That report included multiple recommendations. While most of them are still under review, the government has appointed a dedicated Anti...
Why accounting lacks First Nations representation
With the right support, more First Nations Australians can thrive in the accounting profession.
How design thinking aids problem solving - AICD
Australian businesses have a critical lack of perception regarding design thinking, which limits their strategic potential, according to Catherine Livingstone FAICDLife. “I fear Australia has a blind spot when it comes to the value of design and design thinking,” she warned delegates at the Australian Governance Summit in 2024.
Emphasising the importance of collaborative debate involving boards, senior management and their direct reports, Livingstone advocated for conversations that encourage qu...
Emphasising the importance of collaborative debate involving boards, senior management and their direct reports, Livingstone advocated for conversations that encourage qu...
What directors need to know about aged care regulation shifts - AICD
Australia’s aged care sector faces imminent and profound change as the new Aged Care Act approaches, amid urgent community demands for major reform. Critical funding shortfalls, chronic workforce issues and significant gaps in home-care availability have dominated headlines in the aged care environment.
Stakeholders have lamented delays in acting on findings from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety some four years ago. According to the ABS, more than a third of older Australia...
Stakeholders have lamented delays in acting on findings from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety some four years ago. According to the ABS, more than a third of older Australia...
Succession planning is simply good governance - AICD
On 8 November 2023, an Optus outage affected more than 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses across Australia. Less than two weeks later, CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin had resigned, CFO Michael Venter had stepped in as interim leader, and the company was searching for a permanent replacement.
Since then, four of the top 10 ASX companies have changed their CEOs — Woolworths, Westpac, NAB and, most recently, ANZ. Other significant CEO departures in 2024 included Star Entertainment, Myer, Nine Ent...
Since then, four of the top 10 ASX companies have changed their CEOs — Woolworths, Westpac, NAB and, most recently, ANZ. Other significant CEO departures in 2024 included Star Entertainment, Myer, Nine Ent...
What boards must know to stay afloat
High interest rates, inflation and lingering pandemic effects are driving persistent financial strain and mounting cost pressures on Australian businesses.
The road ahead could be bumpier than many Australian boards are used to, according to John Park, senior managing director and head of Australian corporate finance and restructuring at FTI Consulting. “They’re facing higher inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions, global unrest and fundamental changes to the demands and...
The road ahead could be bumpier than many Australian boards are used to, according to John Park, senior managing director and head of Australian corporate finance and restructuring at FTI Consulting. “They’re facing higher inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions, global unrest and fundamental changes to the demands and...
Meet the doctors advancing fertility with science plus love
When Dr Haider Najjar left Baghdad, the city was still reeling from the 1990-91 Gulf War and the rumblings of the Iraq War had already begun.
“I came to Melbourne to complete my [medical] training and gained a completely different perspective on life,” he says. “When you arrive in Australia from a war-torn country, the opportunities seem limitless.”
With an interest in female health, his ambition was to be part of a state-of-the-art women’s health clinic that would provide excellent care to wome...
“I came to Melbourne to complete my [medical] training and gained a completely different perspective on life,” he says. “When you arrive in Australia from a war-torn country, the opportunities seem limitless.”
With an interest in female health, his ambition was to be part of a state-of-the-art women’s health clinic that would provide excellent care to wome...
A double materiality assessment looks at the impact of ESG issues
Double materiality considers the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues from two different perspectives. Financial materiality, or the “outside in” view, focuses on how moves towards greater sustainability could introduce risks or opportunities capable of affecting a company’s financial performance. Impact materiality — the “inside out” view — looks at the impact an organisation has on people or the environment. In the European Union, double materiality is central to corpora...
Boards must monitor AGM expectations and developing trends
The single biggest change to Australian annual general meetings (AGMs) has been the introduction of virtual and hybrid formats. Share registry Link Group has been credited with holding the first true hybrid AGM in 2016, although it was COVID-19 restrictions that changed the landscape by leaving companies with little choice but to adopt a technology-driven approach. The benefits quickly became obvious and, as a result, a significant number of AGMs are now conducted either entirely online or in a...
Technology is redefining business models
Board members are highly experienced and, in the past, this was all it took to do a good job. Ongoing education was shrugged off as unnecessary. Times are changing.
“We have to recognise that what we knew yesterday will not serve us well tomorrow,” says Associate Professor Lynn Gribble of the UNSW School of Management and Governance, known for her work with AI and higher education. “Even if we desire just to stay where we are, that requires constant learning and constant adaptation.”
The develop...
“We have to recognise that what we knew yesterday will not serve us well tomorrow,” says Associate Professor Lynn Gribble of the UNSW School of Management and Governance, known for her work with AI and higher education. “Even if we desire just to stay where we are, that requires constant learning and constant adaptation.”
The develop...
Guidance on section 180 compliance
Are directors facing a growing burden of oversight? Section 180 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) outlines the duty of care and diligence required of directors and officers of a corporation. Regulators have pulled sharper focus on whether directors are adequately discharging their duty in relation to the growing number of non-financial risks, from work, health and safety, employee entitlements, cybersecurity, data protection and AI to anti- money laundering, and anti-bribery and corruption laws...
Tim Beresford aims for more visible AFSA - AICD
When Tim Beresford FAICD was appointed CEO of the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) in 2022, his vision was for a robust organisation serving the Australian community. “AFSA plays a vital role in the economy by regulating the personal insolvency system and the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR),” he says. “We also manage the proceeds of crime. For example, when the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Taxation Office uncovered a $105m tax fraud scheme during Operat...
Succession planning is simply good governance - AICD
On 8 November 2023, an Optus outage affected more than 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses across Australia. Less than two weeks later, CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin had resigned, CFO Michael Venter had stepped in as interim leader, and the company was searching for a permanent replacement.
Since then, four of the top 10 ASX companies have changed their CEOs — Woolworths, Westpac, NAB and, most recently, ANZ. Other significant CEO departures in 2024 included Star Entertainment, Myer, Nine Ent...
Since then, four of the top 10 ASX companies have changed their CEOs — Woolworths, Westpac, NAB and, most recently, ANZ. Other significant CEO departures in 2024 included Star Entertainment, Myer, Nine Ent...
It’s time to talk about menopause
A new menopause movement in New Zealand aims to transform the workplace through understanding and support. On 5 May 2021, Irish radio show host Joe Duffy invited women to share their stories about menopause. The response was so overwhelming that the anticipated five-minute phone-in turned into a five-day marathon.
“Suddenly, menopause was all over the media in Ireland and the UK,” says Dee France, manager of the Thrive wellbeing hub and CA Support at Chartered Accountants Ireland. “No-one could...
“Suddenly, menopause was all over the media in Ireland and the UK,” says Dee France, manager of the Thrive wellbeing hub and CA Support at Chartered Accountants Ireland. “No-one could...
The Australian Business Growth Fund is helping SMEs access funding
“The two biggest limiting factors to SME growth in Australia are access to funding and to the right sorts of skills,” says Anthony Healy MAICD, CEO and managing director of the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF). “We set up ABGF as an innovative way to overcome these challenges.”
ABGF is a public-private partnership between the federal government and six leading banks — National Australia Bank (NAB), Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, Australia and New Zealand B...
ABGF is a public-private partnership between the federal government and six leading banks — National Australia Bank (NAB), Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, Australia and New Zealand B...
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