Constructive dissent 'can make board more effective'

CONFLICT in the form of constructive dissent among members of a board can improve its overall effectiveness, panellists at a forum agreed yesterday.

Speaking at a conference of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) or SIAS, they said that a diversity of views that can give rise to such constructive dissent can be engendered when conscious efforts are made to look beyond old school ties and business connections when recruiting board members.

Lee Suet-Fern, senior partner at Stamford Law, called on directors who find themselves in a rut to scour for new members of other backgrounds, such as people with more of an entrepreneurial streak.