Bob and Sally Garratt are known for their personal and discreet action-based review and development processes, especially at the highest levels of business and government. Over 25 years they have worked with hundreds of chairmen, boards of directors and top teams in private, public and not-for-profit organisations. Unusually they have also worked with Regulators and Owners.

They ensure that their approach to corporate governance is carefully benchmarked for cost-effective development and then Integrated for the benefit the total organisation and its stakeholders. Their board focus is on the prime role of directors – to ensure the continuing success of the business – which is then linked to oversight of the prudent control of the total business using the universal organisational values of Accountability, Probity and Accountability linked to the personal values of Care, Skill and Diligence. These have been used effectively on five continents in such areas as financial services, engineering, defence, transport, mining, electronics, education, media, TED, housing, government and not-for-profits.

Bob Garratt

Bob is a ‘pracademic’ – a businessman and director who has always kept one foot in academia to ensure that he keeps his clients’, and himself, honest. He has consulted at the highest levels in some 40 countries and been chairman of consultancies in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. He has worked with the International Monetary Fund, Washington DC, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, and given evidence to the UK Treasury Select Committee on the Restructuring of the corporate governance of the Bank of England. His background spans architectural and community education at the Architectural Association School, London, Ulster College, Belfast, and then into top management and board review and development through The General Electric Company’s action learning-based Developing Senior Managers Programme. He was on the faculties of The Judge Institute of Management, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College, London.

He is a Professor Extraordinaire at the University of Stellenbosch and chairs its centre for Corporate Governance in Africa; and he is a Visiting Professor at Cass Business School, London University. He was an External Examiner for the Chartered Director examinations at the Institute of Directors, London; and is Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants. His public awards include the 2015 Outstanding Achievement prize from the Global Forum For Leadership, Organisational Development and Business-driven Action Learning. In 2006 he won the Indian Business Excellence Writing Award and in 2002 he won the European Business Forum and PwC/IBM Shareholder Value Corporate Governance prize.

Together with Sally Garratt and Professor Max Boisot, he created the China-EEC Management Programme – the first Chinese MBA programme – in Beijing in 1983; and in 1992 they created the ASEAN-EU Management Centre in Brunei Darussalam.

Sally Garratt

Sally has great experience of board and top team review and development internationally. She has a particular interest in restoring the sovereignty of boards through the creation of a ‘Chairman’s Office’ as a key aspect of board development. She is an experienced business mentor and coach of directors and top team members across all sectors.

In addition to her work with Bob, she has worked on assignment in Kosovo with senior civil servants in the newly-established Ministry of Trade and Industry; researching training and development needs for leaders and managers in the FE, Work-based Learning and Adult & Community Learning sectors; and working with senior women to set up a consultancy offering support to NHS GPs.

She was Third Warden of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants, a Modern City Livery Company (2015-2017) and was awarded the ‘Warden’s Quaich’ for her outstanding voluntary work for them. Past voluntary work included being a Selector for VSO; working with the staff of the Simon Community; and acting as Secretary of the Management Committee of an adventure playground in Holloway, North London.

Sally held a part-time Lectureship at City University’s Centre for Continuing Education in 1987/1988; was the External Examiner for the university’s Centre in Business Skills for Consultants; and ran the Consultancy module of the University’s MSc in Continuing Education and Training.

Her interest in education led to fifteen years as a governor at her old school, Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School, where her particular contribution was the introduction of an induction programme for new governors. She worked with sixthformers in preparing them for university interviews, and also on ‘Insight into Industry’ and ‘Challenge of Management’ courses.

Early employment included working as a Training Officer in the pharmaceutical industry; as project manager in architectural practices; and as tutor with women returners.

She has a degree in Malay and Anthropology from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies and recently joined the SOAS Alumni and Friends Fund Panel. She became a Member of the Institute of Personnel Management in 1974.

Sally is also an enthusiastic member of Middlesex County Cricket Club.