Crises, geopolitical shocks and boardroom trust, with Allard Castelein | Boardroom Confidential

"The new normal, means prepare for the disruptions. I don’t think boards have grasped that." 

This week's guest on the Boardroom Confidential podcast, powered by Sherpany, is Allard Castelein, a non-executive director at multiple organisations including SBM Offshore and Associated British Ports. Between 2014 and 2023, he was CEO of Europe’s biggest port, Port of Rotterdam. 

Allard shares the boardroom stories that have shaped his career, including the moment he had to convince a deeply uncomfortable supervisory board to keep investing through COVID rather than retreat, and how a foundation of trust, built over years, ultimately won them round.  

He also takes us inside the crisis team he stood up within 24 hours of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when the Port of Rotterdam had to comply with sanctions on Russian oil, and explains why he deliberately paired formal meetings with frequent, informal contact with his Chair during this time. 

Allard reflects candidly on the shift from CEO to non-executive director, and what it taught him about respecting the line between governing and running a company.  

He also makes the case that disruption, from Ukraine to the Strait of Hormuz, is now the permanent operating environment for boards, and argues that many boards haven’t yet fully grasped that concept. 

Allard spent more than a decade as CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, steering the organisation through COVID, the war in Ukraine, and the 2021 blockage of the Suez Canal.  

Between 1987 and 2013 he held various roles at Shell, and he now also serves as special representative on critical raw materials for the Dutch government. 

Boardroom Confidential is brought to you by Sherpany, a leading meeting management solution, designed to meet the unique needs of the board, board committee, and executive meetings.

Chapters: 

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:20) What Creates Board Pressure 

(05:18) Scenario Thinking Toolkit 

(09:02) Crisis Comms With Board 

(15:11) Preparing For Constant Disruption 

(21:16) When To Quit A Board