About Tom
Tom Harland Cadman is a solicitor, governance professional and company secretary with extensive experience working with boards, executives and organisations operating in complex and regulated environments.
His career has spanned legal practice and corporate governance across charities, professional and membership bodies, sport and listed companies, with experience of organisations operating both in the UK and internationally.
Tom has a particular interest in how governance works in practice: how authority is distributed, how boards and executives make decisions, and how organisations create governance arrangements that support rather than obstruct their purpose.
He combines legal training with senior governance and boardroom experience, bringing a practical perspective to questions of governance, regulation, organisational structure and decision-making.
Approach to Governance
Good governance should make organisations more capable of making good decisions, not simply more compliant.
Tom's approach is therefore practical and proportionate. Governance arrangements should make authority clear, enable appropriate challenge, support effective leadership and provide assurance without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
They should also reflect the reality of the organisation rather than simply reproduce generic models of best practice.
This means concentrating on practical questions:
- Who has authority to make the decision?
- What information do they need?
- Where should challenge come from?
- How is the decision recorded?
- And who is ultimately accountable?
The objective is governance that is clear, proportionate and workable.
Experience
Tom has advised and supported boards, chairs, chief executives and senior leadership teams across a wide range of organisational settings.
His experience encompasses governance and company secretarial leadership, board and committee effectiveness, constitutional and regulatory matters, organisational restructuring, governance disputes and transitions, and supporting organisations through periods of heightened regulatory or reputational sensitivity.
He has worked across charities, membership and professional bodies, commercial organisations and sport, including organisations with international operations and complex stakeholder structures.
This breadth of experience informs his approach: the right governance framework depends on the organisation, its purpose, its people and the environment in which it operates.
Professional Background
- Solicitor of England and Wales
- MBA, Henley Business School
- Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI)
- Senior company secretarial and governance leadership experience
- Board and committee experience
- International governance experience
Tom's career has combined senior legal and governance roles with board, committee and advisory appointments, providing a perspective on governance from both sides of the board table.
Beyond Advisory Work
Tom writes about governance, boards and leadership, with a particular interest in the non-profit sector and organisations where authority is distributed across boards, executives, members and other stakeholders.
His writing explores the practical questions that sit behind formal governance structures: who really holds authority, how boards should exercise it, and how governance can help organisations fulfil their purpose.