Corporate Governance

Over the past three decades there has been a continuous and almost irresistible pressure on organisations towards greater and more transparent corporate governance. Many factors, including major frauds, financial collapses, industrial disasters, and increasing delivery of taxpayer-funded and public services through private companies, have led to increased expectations of both external scrutiny and visible best practice in corporate governance. 

Many boards have found that the discipline of improving corporate governance, often in response to external pressure, has in itself improved organisational performance on a range of KPIs - good governance can and should pay for itself many times over.

At Carraghyn we are experts in Corporate Governance. As Chartered Directors our principals were all trained, and examined on their practical application of good governance, as a necessary part of becoming qualified. We approach corporate governance from the standpoint that it is a mechanism for corporate improvement, not a set of rules to constrain, and we are able to assist almost any organisation in reviewing and improving their corporate governance to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Corporate Structure

There comes a time in the life of any significant organisation when it is desirable, or necessary, to restructure. It may be to ensure separation of liabilities and risks, to delegate control of business units, to improve clarity of asset ownership for tax purposes, to support proper succession planning or  to tidy up following an acquisition... There are many reasons for changing the structure of an organisation, and many factors to be considered in doing so. We regularly assist directors and shareholders in reviewing and changing their corporate structures, we are expert in both the mechanics of doing so, and the many technical considerations including ownership, tax, control, liability, intellectual property and multi-jurisdictional company law.

Organisational Structure

The way in which we structure our organisations has substantial impact on performance. Structures which lead to silo-isation may inhibit communication between different parts of the organisation creating inefficiency. Structures which isolate some parts of the business from customers may cause lack of employee accountability and consequent customer dissatisfaction. Unclear or overly complex management hierarchy may prevent the essential upward flow of information to senior executives and directors. When looking at organisational structure it is often difficult to see the wood for the trees - we know we have the current structure for a reason. At Carraghyn we are experienced in reviewing organisational structures, standing back and taking an objective view, and providing leadership to carry the enterprise through reorganisation to a brighter future with minimum disruption.

Business Development

Our team has substantial and very broad experience of sales across many different types of product and service through a wide range of channels and sales models. This breadth of experience gives us the ability to see missed opportunities and to construct sales models and systems which exploit them. In standing back and taking a strategic overview of the organisation's customer engagement tools and methods we assist in ensuring that sales are maximised within the resources available. 

Business Operations

Whatever we do in business, we have to do it somehow. That "how" is often one the most neglected aspects of business. There are few senior executives who at some time or another have not wanted to delve deep into their organisations processes, to improve effectiveness and efficiency, root out waste and eliminate errors; but the reality is that few have the time to dedicate to systemic improvement - good is good enough.

We regularly review business operations on behalf of executive management, identifying failings and reconstructing processes to eliminate them. We teach staff to implement continuous improvement methods that enable inefficiency, error and waste to be driven out from the bottom up, relieving executives from the need to approach problems top down and helping to crate self-managing organisations in which the leaders can focus more on leadership and strategy without being dragged into the mire of operations.  

Simply, we make organisations more efficient, effective and self-reliant by putting operations on a sound and sustainable footing reducing the burden on management, improving staff morale and satisfaction, and driving more profit into the business system.