Westlake Consulting

Founded:	1999, New Zealand
Founder(s):	Richard Westlake
Headquarters:	The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand
Country:	New Zealand
Website:	westlakenz.com
Key People
Richard Westlake, Director Vaughan Renner, Senior Consultant Peter Harris, Senior Consultant Colin Jackson, Senior Consultant

Westlake Consulting Limited (WCL) is an advisory firm located in New Zealand that specializes in organizational strategy, board management relationships, governance and structures. The firm mainly work with management staff and boards in the public and private sectors,including various NGOs and non-profit organizations.

They provide:

1. Structural and strategic reviews
2. Advisory services and reviews on Governance
3. Development workshops for boards and directors
4. Evaluations on boards, directors, and CEOs.

Their Findings

Some of their findings are enlisted below:

• 83% of the directors are of the view that they have taken the “right tone” for their organizations, but in reality there is a huge gap in the right tone perception between the directors over 64 years and under 45 years.

• As far as risk appetite of an organization is concerned, some management and boards have to put some more efforts to bridge the gap between their views.

• Some boards have to make sure that their organizations have proper Risk Management System, which must include compliance procedures, internal controls and appropriate risk culture.

• Younger directors i.e. those who are under 45 years have a major role to play as they are comparatively more critical than those over 64 years of age.

Their Recommendations

Their Recommendations can be summarized as FICKS (F - Future Focus, I - Issues Identification, C – Compliance, K - KPI (Key Performance Indicator) Monitoring, and S - Succession and Skills).

F - Future Focus

You have to make sure that your Chief Executive is the perfect one, who can take correct decisions for your organization. He must work with the management on how to develop a strategy for better performance and how to execute it. Spending 30% of the time here will help as you have to take decisions about future.

I - Issues Identification

Issues Identification is very much important. You have to understand the working environment, spot the trends, communicate with your stakeholders and make then understand your views and ideas. You have to spend another 30% time here.

C - Compliance

You have to follow the rules and regulations and monitor all your business risks, but never compromise with looking ahead. Spend 15% of your time here.

K - KPI (Key Performance Indicator) Monitoring

Don’t waste your board meeting by asking same budgets and numbers that you asked for in the last month. You have to spend another 15% of time here.

S - Succession and Skills

You also have to make sure that your board and top management have right people who can take wise decisions in future. You have to spend your remaining 10% time here.

This can be broken into three broad categories: F & I(cumulative 60%) are about how to create values, C & K(cumulative 30%) are about how to preserve values and S(remaining 10%) is about the ability to deal with in the future.

WCL and ICANN

The company has been selected by the board of directors at ICANN for conducting an independent review of the RSSAC (Root Server System Advisory Committee). In November 2008, Andy Linton and Colin Jackson, consultants at WCL, joined in the ICANN meeting held in Cairo to network with people interested in various facets related to RSSAC. In the following month, Andy Linton along, with consultant Vaughan Renner, attended the Minneapolis RSSAC meeting, collecting further feedback from the root server members as well as the members of the ICANN communities. Richard Westlake, Andy Linton and Colin Jackson presented the completed review in March 2009 Mexico City meeting of ICANN.

In February 2008, WCL was selected by ICANN to conduct an independent review of ALAC (At-Large Advisory Committee), which was submitted in July 2008.

In 2006-2007, WCL conducted the structural review of InternetNZ (Internet Society of New Zealand), which was responsible for hosted the Wellington ICANN meeting earlier that year.

Westlake Consulting Limited has also taken the task of governance review for ‘.au’ internet domain belonging to Australia.

Root Server System Advisory Committee. Advises the ICANN community and Board on matters relating to the operation, administration, security, and integrity of the Internet's Root Server System (ICANN Bylaws).