Board meetings

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The board

A company's board of directors oversees it for its shareholders. Shard Garden's board: the two founders, Kai and Remy, one investor and one independent director.

Directors' duties

GOV.UK lists UK directors' duties, including: "You must act in the company's best interests to promote its success", "You must not allow other people to control your powers as a director" and "You must avoid situations where your loyalties might be divided."

Quick check

A director wants Shard Garden to buy a tool from a company they own. What must they do?

  1. Tell the other directors about their interest
  2. Say nothing
  3. Vote twice
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Tell the other directors about their interest

GOV.UK: "You must tell the other directors and members if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes."

A good board meeting

Papers go out a week before, so the meeting is for decisions, not reading. Shard Garden's pack: runway, the forecast, key numbers, risks and three questions for the board.

Plan the meeting

The board meets on Thursday. When should Theo send the papers?

  1. A week before
  2. At the start of the meeting
  3. Afterwards
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A week before

Directors who have read the papers spend the meeting deciding.

Minutes

Every decision goes in the minutes: what was decided, who agreed and why. Years later, the minutes explain choices nobody remembers.

Quick check

A board only needs to hear good news.

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False

A board helps most with problems. Bad news shared early gives time to act.

An independent voice

The independent director is neither a founder nor an investor. They ask the questions others are too close to ask.

Two founders, one vote each

Kai and Remy agree on most things. The day they don't, the rules need to be written down already.

Bolt says: Next: when founders disagree.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026