Wolf&Grayson EditorialCorporate governance is often dismissed as bureaucratic box-ticking—but smart leaders know better. When embedded from day one, governance becomes the foundation for sustainable growth and strategic clarity. Douglas Robare has spent nearly three decades proving this, combining hands-on experience in international insurance with strategic leadership across global markets.
Building a Career Around Corporate Responsibility
Douglas has dedicated nearly 30 years to international insurance, beginning his career in the United States before expanding across global markets. While his early work focused on what was traditionally known as finite risk insurance—reflecting his academic grounding in finance and international business—his broader expertise spans strategic engagements with corporate leaders, including CFOs and directors, to address complex financial and litigation-driven challenges such as M&A, restructuring, and governance disputes.
After relocating to Europe more than two decades ago, he broadened his remit to include markets worldwide. While his career has been firmly anchored in corporate governance—especially directors and officers (D&O) insurance and executive liability—his work has grown to encompass a wider spectrum of complex risk, capital, and leadership issues across the global insurance and financial landscape. This specialization stems from a deep interest in corporate strategy, financial markets, and helping organizations achieve better outcomes through the implementation of best practices.
A pivotal moment shaped his approach to this work. Over 20 years ago, Douglas received a call from a senior executive, deeply concerned about his future—and whether his legal bills would be covered in a lawsuit from which his employer had effectively walked away. “Prior to that event, I was a person selling a product. But at that point I realized I was a professional with a responsibility. And that responsibility did not end at the time in which we signed the contracts and exchanged money.”
That experience transformed how he viewed his role—and he has carried that message forward to the hundreds of professionals he has trained and led since.
Why Governance Matters More Than Ever
Strong corporate governance becomes especially critical during periods of rapid growth or transformation—but Douglas warns against treating it as an afterthought. Companies that attempt to build governance frameworks during or after a crisis may succeed in “putting out fires,” he notes, “but cannot necessarily foresee the fire of the future—and often end up creating internal cultural conflict.”
This occurs when organizations swing abruptly from fast-paced expansion to compliance measures that employees perceive as restrictive or reactionary.
Instead, Douglas advocates for embedding governance into a company’s cultural DNA from the outset. “Good corporate governance, from a cultural perspective, goes beyond financial restraint and proper controls,” he explains. “It also means being a good corporate citizen—toward your customers, your community, and as an employer.”
When these principles are present from the beginning, companies are better equipped to handle inevitable crises and strategic pivots. As Douglas puts it, “They’ve come up in an environment where they’ve already learned how to deal with these types of challenges.”
Three Essential Strategies for Organizational Success
When asked about actionable approaches for improving strategy execution, Douglas emphasizes three core areas that organizations must address.
Start with Culture:
Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” a lesson many executives learn the hard way. Companies that attempt to bolt on governance during periods of rapid growth or during crisis often create more problems than they solve.
“You get this pendulum swing,” Douglas explains, “from high-growth, rapid progression—to suddenly what’s perceived as a stifling, stay-in-your-lane, tick-box exercise.”
The solution? Build governance into your cultural DNA from day one.
When foundational principles are embedded early, they create sustainable frameworks that are transparent, easy to articulate, and capable of supporting both growth and accountability.
Create Real Feedback Loops
Many organizational feedback mechanisms are performative—and ultimately meaningless. Douglas recalls sitting in meetings where employees were asked to write anonymous questions to leadership. “They always end up being vague, macroeconomic questions that don’t challenge anything or anyone,” he says.
Why? Because people often don’t feel safe questioning their bosses—or they assume nothing will change. And nowhere was this more obvious than in the post-COVID era of virtual town halls. “When CEOs ask for feedback on a Zoom call and most people have their cameras off—that’s the feedback. That silence, that absence of presence, is a form of protest. It says more than any scripted question ever could.”
Real feedback requires courage—on both sides. It demands leaders take two steps back, honestly examine what’s working and what isn’t, and create a culture where criticism isn’t just tolerated, but invited and acted upon.
Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot
Warren Buffett once said, “If you’re in a hole, stop digging,” a principle he believes applies perfectly to business strategy. Sometimes, the smartest move is to walk away. “Don’t be afraid to scrap a project,” he advises. “Don’t be afraid to pivot.”
This mindset requires treating business more like a science: “If the thesis is proven wrong, it’s dead—and you move on.”
Douglas sees both opportunity and risk in the evolving landscape of corporate governance. With the rise of AI and advanced analytics, “there are no more places to hide.” Emerging technologies can rapidly assess an organization’s strategy, mission, and financial position—and even predict future outcomes.
While he’s optimistic about AI’s potential to free people from mundane work, he also worries about society’s ability to navigate the disruption.
In his experience, “the companies that weathered major storms were the ones that knew who they were. They knew their ‘why.’ They built environments that encouraged openness—even during hard times.”
That’s why he remains hopeful. As technology reshapes the business landscape, Douglas believes that organizations grounded in strong governance and authentic purpose will be the ones that continue to thrive.
Connect with Douglas Robare on LinkedIn to explore how governance can drive your business forward.
