It’s always after the event that people are wise. Long after the event people pontificate about what’s happened, weep about the tragedy and the pointless suffering and loss of life, and then they analyse and say, lessons must be learnt. So, we get analytical reports, that are summarised into professional articles, that are abridged to bullet-pointed learning points, that are abbreviated into pithy sayings. And the merry-go-round starts again until there’s another tragedy or failure and we ask – where was the board, have the lessons not been learnt? The housing sector, like any other, is constantly changing. New legislation, evolving customer expectations and shifting reputational pressures all combine to create a complex and rapidly evolving environment. Gone are the days when simply reviewing board papers and making cursory comments at meetings sufficed. Too many non-executive directors (NEDs) read the board papers, turn up to the meeting, make a few comments then leave feeling ...