Kathy Gramp FAICDLife on the changing director journey

Expectations of directors have changed over the last few decades and any aspiring board members should be aware of the shifting pressures of the role, according to RAA and RAA Insurance chair Kathy Gramp FAICDLife. A professional non-executive director on ASX listed company boards, she was awarded a Life Fellowship this year after serving two terms on the AICD SA/NT council and various AICD committees and demonstrating commitment to the organisation, best practice governance and the local director community.

The role of the director has changed dramatically over the past few decades, with governance expectations taking a different direction, says RAA and RAA Insurance chair Kathy Gramp FAICDLife.

“What we've seen in more recent times is that the social licence to operate, the community expectations and stakeholder expectations - these have increased dramatically. And so our obligations and our expectations of directors have increased dramatically,” she told the AICD in a recent video interview.

Gramp, who started her board journey in 1997, is also a director of Codan Ltd, Adelaide Community Hospital Alliance Incorporated and QANTM Intellectual Property. She has director experience across a diverse range of organisations and industry sectors including health, media, property, technology, finance, government, education and primary industry.

The emphasis of stakeholders can change dramatically and directors will face uncertainty. “You've got to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she says. Board members must prepare for the unexpected.