6 minute read
Women on Boards
Women on Boards -
Multi award-winning diversity, inclusion and sustainability champion Professor Miranda K. Brawn is working to change the global boardroom. Charity Mafuba chats with her about her life moving from banking to law to the boardroom.
You achieved your childhood dream when you called to the Bar of England and Wales in your 30s, having spent the earlier part of your career as an investment banker, financial services executive and hedge fund sales trader. What areas of law have you practiced?
In-House banking law at a few global investment banks notably within derivatives, capital markets and financial regulations.
How long have you been a lawyer?
Over 10 years which formed the second chapter of my career. The first chapter was that of an investment banker and hedge fund sales trader. I am now on my third chapter utilising my skills as a lawyer to this very day with over one decade of being a boardroom advisor across multi-sectors.
What made you transition from law to the board room?
I wanted a new challenge and I already had over 10 years of NED (Non-Executive Director) boardroom experience (which commenced about 13 years ago, working for a Charity) while working as a lawyer so the transition was quite organic.
What are the skills that you gained in law that you have used in the boardroom?
There are many skills which include my knowledge of regulations and policies, ability to weigh up points and counter points, skill in creating a logical argument and reasoned conclusion from a set of facts, being a good communicator with people at all levels not just within the boardroom, ability to work under pressure and of course being able to review documents and lots of board papers at speed while exercising my negotiation skills to name but a few.
What has your boardroom experience been like as a woman, especially one of colour?
I have really enjoyed it and to be honest my gender and race have not been an issue to date. As one of the first women of colour on the trading floor in the 1990s, I am used to being the only one. My focus has been on the delivery of excellent board advice and making sure that I am not the only diverse person in the boardroom by speaking up and using my voice to help close the diversity, equity and inclusion gaps.
You sit on varied boards from law tech start-ups to an NHS Foundation as well as The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. You have served as both executive and nonexecutive director. What are the distinctions between these roles?
Executive directors manage the company and develop relevant strategies for growth, whereas a non-executive director provides relevant and valuable insights based on their expertise to assist in policy development and decision-making. I am often an independent non-executive director and/or external board advisor which means that I am not a full-time employee of the company and totally independent to provide ad hoc advice and guidance on the profitable and innovative growth of the organisation while attending board meetings to provide approval, make decisions, support and recommendations for the strategy etc.
What steps should a lawyer wanting to transition to NED roles take?
Lean into your network and let others know about your career aspirations to become a NED. You have to be proactive and seek out NED roles while also looking at your CV. Your executive CV will be different from your board CV. For example, a board CV needs to start with any board related experience.
What advice and tips would you give to others who aspire to be NEDs.
Keep going and do not quit. Once you get one board role the others will follow. Networks like, Women on Boards UK and TMBDLF's Black Women on Boards initiatives are good starting points.
You have an award-winning UK registered Charity, The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation (www.tmbdlf. com) which launched the UK’s first “Black Women on Boards” initiative. What is its purpose ?
Our Charity’s mission is to eliminate the diversity, equity and inclusion gaps in and out of the workplace. We offer innovative leading scholarships, annual diversity leadership lecture events which made UK history as the first of its kind on the 16th of October 2016. We cater for all diverse backgrounds however we originally launched 7 years ago to raise the awareness and act to closing the race diversity gap. However, today we cover all diverse backgrounds and races. The Black Women on Boards initiative was launched to help get more black women into the boardroom. There is less than 1% globally and this needs to change rapidly.
As a philanthropist, I support and partner with other amazing charities because I truly that collaboration is part of the key to solving many of the business, legal and world issues including racism, inequality, injustice and climate change.
You accepted the prestigious offer as a Senior Visiting Fellow at The University of Oxford, where you are researching and lecturing on “The Brawn Review”. Can you tell me more about this?
The Brawn Review is an independent report on boardroom sustainability, inclusion and corporate governance which will be published next year in 2023. We are working with global organisations such as Hogan Lovells, KPMG, Reed Smith and Goldman Sachs alongside global leaders to produce a guide on how the boardroom and organisations can be become more inclusive and sustainable. This is mostly on how to make the boardroom and workplace more diverse, inclusive and sustainable through innovative growth with the appropriate risk management and corporate governance techniques at Oxford University.
What’s one of the main success tips for you?
“If you do not ask, you do not get!” I like to spread kindness around like confetti and wish to leave a legacy to help others wherever I go especially through The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. We have created our own family of amazing leaders who radiate kindness and are just good people. Life is too short to associate yourself with anyone less than that! I love the quote that states: ‘You are a true success when you help others. Be successful!’ In fact, my upcoming book will share this and much more about my career journey.
What is next for you?
Hopefully more magic and joy while living my best life to the fullest! I am also planning my 2023/24 book and public speaking world tour, where there is also Hollywood interest from film producers to produce a film on my life which is all rather exciting and humbling. I have the capacity for another corporate board role within a FTSE100 or S&P 500 company so watch this space.
