Behind Closed Doors: The Boardroom

How to get in, get on and make a difference

Introducing a book and newly endorsed course

Simon Laffin is a board veteran of over 30 years, with real life knowledge of all the situations covered. In this event, Simon joins Geoff Rothschild, an equally experienced director and past Chair of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

In this recording, you will see Geoff and Simon discussing both Simon’s book, Behind closed doors: The Boardroom, and his course which has recently been endorsed by the Good Governance Academy.

They discuss the difficult decisions faced in boardrooms, as well as the real dilemmas both executive and non-executive directors are facing today. These are matters which are not about corporate governance nor directors’ responsibilities, but rather about the ‘intangible’ aspects of governance.

Geoff Rothschild

South African businessman and former Chairman of JSE Limited

Born in Johannesburg in 1947, Geoff was educated at King Edward VII School and matriculated at Queen’s College, Queenstown. He gained a C.T.A. at the University of the Witwatersrand and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1970. Geoff qualified as a Chartered Marketer (South Africa) in 2004.

Between 1964 and 1973, Geoff held various positions and ultimately senior audit manager at Kessel Feinstein, responsible for private and listed companies. From 1974 to 2003, Geoff held various roles at Sidney Isaacs Inc. (and its successors) including: administration director, finance director, joint MD and marketing director. The stockbroker was one of the largest in the country (known at the time as Frankel Pollak). Besides administrative responsibilities (which encompassed preparation of financial accounts and human resources), Geoff also ran investment conferences from 1977 to 1998 which attracted many overseas visitors and clients.

From 1991 to 2008, Geoff was a member of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Committee and Board and was vice chairman and then chairman of the Stock Exchange (JSE, 1998 – 2001). From 2003 to 2015 Geoff worked for the JSE as head of marketing, education and events, and ultimately head of Government and International Affairs.

Geoff served on the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) for 14 years and is a member of the finance committee for Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). Currently he is involved with the South African CEO initiative and is director and chair of the operations committee of the NEPAD Business Foundation.

Geoff is an Honorary Industrial Fellow at the Da Vinci Institute of Technology and consults to several organizations including Boston Consulting Group and Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He is a director of the Grootbos Foundation and Chairman of the Imvula Trust and Finance Academy of the Maharishi Institute. He is a trustee of Brand South Africa as well as a patron of Education Africa and the Nelson Mandela Childrens’ Hospital. Geoff is also involved with various other charities and organisations (eg. Partners for Possibility and MEDA – science & technology for students).