CARMEL RICKARD: You need thick skin in the corporate world
You need to have a thick skin in the corporate world; being called ‘disruptive’ on a public platform, or your behaviour ‘regrettable’ is not beyond the pale
If you have a difficult personality — the kind that means members of your company distance themselves from you — be sure to have a thick skin while negotiating boardroom politics. Perhaps it was the lack of a tough hide that led controversial UK entrepreneur and businessman Andrew Tinkler to sue five former colleagues. His claim against them, rejected by the UK court of appeal last week, followed a May 2018 announcement by Stobart Group on the London Stock Exchange’s regulatory news service. At the time, Tinkler was an executive director and substantial shareholder in Stobart. He had also been its CEO for 10 years, from 2007. The announcement, headed "Update on AGM and possible board changes", noted that Tinkler had advised the board he would vote against the re-election of then company director and chair Iain Ferguson. The "ongoing board", however, noted that it had "full confidence" in Ferguson and recommended that shareholders vote for his re-election at the AGM. Giving some "con...
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