Specialist board AI advisory

We prepare boards to oversee AI

Chairwell Partners works with chairs, non-executive directors and company secretaries as peers, bringing the governance, risk and assurance judgement the AI era demands.

Arrange a confidential conversation Start with the four questions

Organisations we work with

Listed companies
FTSE 100 boards, committees and company secretariats
Public bodies
Transport for London, NHS trusts and the Greater London Authority
Governments & institutions
The G20 and B20, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the UN Development Programme

The board's challenge

A new domain of oversight, still taking shape

AI is now a board-level topic, but the shape of effective oversight is still emerging.

Unlike more established governance domains, there is no settled view of what boards should focus on, what information matters, or how to weigh new risks and opportunities.

The technical detail is abundant. Clarity on what warrants challenge, and where board judgement adds the most value, is not.

Four questions are a practical starting point.

Four questions

Where board judgement adds the most value

  1. If regulators, investors or stakeholders asked how AI is being used across the organisation today, could the board explain it confidently?

  2. Who is accountable for AI-related risk, and does the board have sufficient visibility of the organisation's exposure?

  3. Where will AI create sustainable competitive advantage, and is the organisation moving at the right pace?

  4. Are the board's own governance structures, capabilities and culture evolving quickly enough to remain effective?

There are no universally accepted answers to these questions. What matters is that boards can engage with them in a structured and informed way.

Download the briefing (PDF) Put these questions to your board →

What we do

Three ways we work with boards

Build board capability

We work directly with boards to strengthen directors' confidence, understanding and judgement on AI, building the capabilities they need for effective oversight.

Assess governance readiness

We provide structured reviews of AI use, governance arrangements, accountability frameworks and oversight processes, identifying areas for improvement and helping boards prioritise action.

Provide ongoing counsel

AI governance is not a one-off exercise. We provide independent advice and challenge as regulation, technology and organisational priorities continue to evolve.

Discuss what this would look like for your board →

What you gain

Outcomes boards can rely on

  • Directors who can explain the organisation's use of AI to regulators and investors, without rehearsal
  • Clear accountability: a board-level view of who owns AI risk and where exposure sits
  • Board and executive conversations on AI that move beyond show-and-tell
  • Earlier sight of the strategic opportunities and emerging risks that deserve board time
  • Oversight arrangements that keep pace as regulation and technology shift
  • A shared language for AI across the board table and the organisation

Who we are

Experienced peers

Our team has served as chairs, non-executive directors, company secretaries and senior executives across listed, regulated and public-sector organisations, and has advised boards, governments and international institutions on governance, risk, ESG and emerging technology.

We are not technology evangelists. Our role is to help boards ask better questions, challenge assumptions, surface blind spots and exercise sound judgement in an environment of rapid change.

Our team

Brook Horowitz GE · IBLF Global · EBRD · UNDP · G20 / B20
Brook Horowitz — Chairwell Partners

Brook has over thirty years of executive and advisory experience across more than 20 countries, including as European Commercial Director at GE and CEO of IBLF Global. He has advised boards, governments and multilateral institutions on governance, ESG and regulatory reform, and has held chair and trustee roles across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

LinkedIn

Paul Johnston FTSE 100 · Chartered Governance Institute · COP · Climate Week NYC
PJ

Paul has spent his career as a Company Secretary and governance adviser working directly with chairs, boards and committees of FTSE 100, large private and public-sector organisations. He co-founded the AI Working Group for Company Secretaries and was formerly Chair of the Southeast of England Branch of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.

LinkedIn

Omid Shiraji Transport for London · NHS · Local Government · Greater London Authority
Omid Shiraji — Chairwell Partners

Omid is a serving board director who brings something most boards lack: first-hand experience of governing technology, AI and data from the inside. He sits on the board of Transport for London and is a Non-Executive Director at East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. As a Chief Information Officer he has led technology for major public bodies and steered a £140m commercial business through a complex three-company merger inside a £20bn government programme.

LinkedIn

Dr Olga Solovyeva PhD, The Open University · Executive education · Published researcher
Dr Olga Solovyeva — Chairwell Partners

Olga is a digital risk and communications specialist with a PhD in Responsible Business Management and over ten years' experience in technology governance. She designs executive education for senior leaders, advises organisations on AI-related risk, and has published peer-reviewed research on the societal impact of technology.

LinkedIn

Contact

Arrange a confidential conversation

Most engagements begin with a private, no-obligation conversation with your chair, senior independent director or company secretary. We work with a small number of boards at any one time.

Email us to arrange a conversation

Or write directly: [email protected]