Board Member’s Questions to CEO

Which Questions should Board Members ask to CEO on Efficient IT Governance Assurance?

The Administration Board of an entity is responsible for taking necessary decisions to help CEO to drive the organization parallel with strategic plans & norms which have been decided before. The Boards’ tone at the top should be inspired by corporate governance principles and stakeholders expectations.

Another important responsibility of the Board is the oversight function.

The Boards have also independent specialist members on different areas.

The Board members usually meet monthly basis to discuss and make decisions on more or less same number of topics of the company. Because of having every time over-loaded agenda of Board meetings, it is not very possible to expect from them to assess IT Governance of the entity effectively in addition to their primary responsibility of running the entity.

We may say that except IT expert Member of the Board, the other members have naturally difficulties at the perception of IT matters (including risks) among the other routine responsibilities.

I want to advise some questions for the board members to ask to the CEO:

• Do you have enough trust with the ability of the organization on IT Governance? (to identify, assess, decide and implement the new technologies for supporting the application of the business plan to be more efficient and secure). How?
• Are you sure that our business processes still contain high level of effectiveness, efficiency, economy characteristics? How?
• Are you sure that the entity has caught the success level at combination of technology and HR?
• Are you very sure about information and cyber security assurance level? Why?
• Do you think that the organizational and technological structures are enough for having fast & flexible decisions?
• Are you having confidence also to feel the hidden motions inside your ecosystem?
• Are you satisfied with the internal audit feed-backs on IT Governance (including assurance, advises, insight)? What about your management chain follow-ups after the reports?

If the Board Members want to feel high assurance on IT issues (on the context of the technological strategy of the entity, effective risk mitigation practices and impact to the business plan to the whole governance habitat etc.) they should receive the clear answers of these questions from the CEO of the company.

There is no digital based business having immune to the disruptive technologies!

My Best Wishes

Bulent Hasanefendioglu