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Board Leadership

Guardians of resilience

Risk is not just a technical issue, it's a test of strategic leadership. As a board member, you safeguard trust, reputation and long-term value – ensuring resilience across cyber security, supply chains, liquidity, and regulation. We help you cut through complexity, linking governance to performance through clear accountability, informed challenge, and forward-looking decisions that turn resilience into a hallmark of effective leadership.

Explore the priorities shaping boardroom resilience below:

Cyber

Supply chain

Regulatory

Working Capital

Working Capital Cash as a measure of control

For boards, cash is more than a metric, it’s a mirror of control. It reflects how effectively your business runs, how resilient it is and how quickly it can turn performance into liquidity.

As funding costs rise and volatility grows, shareholders and analysts are watching working capital trends more closely than ever.

We help boards turn working capital from an operational afterthought into a strategic differentiator, strengthening governance, freeing up investment capacity and enhancing confidence in your ability to steer through uncertainty.

Why it matters

Investors increasingly view working capital performance as a direct indicator of management quality. A disciplined approach signals operational strength, resilience and foresight. In an environment where cash can diminish overnight through supply chain shocks or delayed receipts, boards need assurance that liquidity is visible, protected and purposeful.

Pressures and priorities

  • How resilient are our cash positions in a sustained high-interest environment?
  • Are we generating enough free cash flow to finance strategic priorities internally?
  • Do we understand where cash is trapped across our operations and markets?
  • Are our liquidity, debt and covenant positions being stress-tested regularly?
  • How does our working capital performance compare with peers and investor expectations?
  • Do we have clear governance for cash oversight and accountability?

When working capital is actively managed, it’s a lever of resilience and value creation. Boards that prioritise liquidity discipline enable management to invest confidently, reduce external debt dependency and maintain agility in a volatile marketplace. The next evolution of governance is not just knowing where cash sits, it’s knowing how it works for you.

Leadership with clarity

Working capital visibility is embedded into board reporting, with concise dashboards that link liquidity to business outcomes.

Cash as a growth engine

Released liquidity funds innovation, sustainability and acquisition opportunities without added borrowing.

Forward-looking governance

Boards use predictive analytics to anticipate cash stress points and manage risk proactively.

Informed oversight

Audit and risk committees routinely review cash discipline alongside operational and ESG metrics.

Balanced investment decisions

Funding strategies consider working capital efficiency as a key performance factor.

Scenario readiness

Crisis simulations test liquidity, funding resilience and leadership response to shocks.

Continuous benchmarking

Performance is measured against leading practice to identify future opportunities.

Assured control

Independent reviews validate cash policies, credit terms and treasury compliance.

From cash strain to cash confidence “In a post-acquisition environment, mis-managed working capital can erode value, especially when acquisition debt and covenant constraints are involved. We helped the client unlock cash quickly by bringing clarity to their working-capital cycle and tightening the processes that mattered most, giving them the control and confidence they needed at a critical moment.” Ben Collett – Consulting Partner

Explore our success story

We help you to lead with confidence:

We partner with boards to clarify how cash flows through the business, benchmark performance against peers and embed governance frameworks that safeguard liquidity and drive investor confidence.

Working capital is a barometer of confidence and control. We help you see where cash is tied up, how to release it and how to redeploy it for long-term value.

Take the next step. Talk to our experienced advisers who have developed experience over hundreds of engagements and who have done this at scale. Explore how improved visibility and oversight can turn liquidity into strategic advantage.

Ben Collett Consulting Partner – Performance Improvement and Turnaround

Contact Ben

Risk and Governance