iPADS FOR QANTAS

In late 2011 one of our clients, Qantas Superannuation Limited, formally shifted to electronic delivery of its board papers via iPads.
I interviewed QSL chairman, Anne Ward, about why the directors wanted soft copies of the board papers, what was involved in purchasing the technology and the software and whether directors needed training.

“The main reason we introduced tablet technology was to do with efficiency,” says Anne Ward. “The board wanted to have the board papers delivered more quickly and to have past papers readily available in a central location and in soft copy.

"We also wanted to reduce the cost and time involved in preparing hard copies of board papers and then couriering the papers to our directors wherever they may be in the country.”

QSL believes the cost of purchasing iPads and software programs for all its 10 directors will be recouped within 12 months. The savings in the time taken to prepare Board packs and the speed of delivering the papers are already apparent.

“At least half the directors were familiar with iPads and were using them in other environments so the implementation was relatively easy,” says Ward. “The tablet and the software are very intuitive so it only takes a few taps on the screen to locate the board papers, convert them to PDF expert format and have them ready to read and to annotate.”

Board members received individual training sessions with QSL company secretary and head of operations. The sessions lasted between 15 minutes and an hour depending on how familiar the director was with the technology.

“For the first meeting in which the iPads were going to be used we delivered the papers electronically as well as in hard copy to help us make the transition,” says Ward. “This year we are only using the iPads but directors can request hard copies of individual papers or the whole board pack.

"So far no-one has taken up this option, however; everyone is trying very hard to familiarise themselves with working in soft copy which is what we all agreed to do.”

Many of the members of the QSL board travel frequently – one is a pilot and another is a flight attendant - so the directors are pleased to be able to have the papers delivered to their iPads.

“Tablets are light and easy to carry so the convenience of using an iPad to receive and read board papers is much appreciated by our directors,” says Ward.

iPADS IN THE BOARDROOM

The information that comes to the board, and the manner in which it is presented, is critical for board decision-making.

Traditionally the board receives a "board pack" - a thick pile of papers written by management which is packaged by the company secretary and sent via courier to the director's office or home.

This information is supplement by presentations to the board by the CEO and the management team.

Over the past year, the possibilities of the iPad are changing the way directors consume their board papers.

Chartered Secretaries Australia says the advantages of iPads include:
1. portability and ease of access to current board papers and an archive of past papers;
2. security - password protection may mean board papers are more secure on an iPad or tablet than in hard copy;
3. printing and delivery cost savings (after initial outlay for the technology);
4. improved record keeping.

Introducing iPads to directors isn't always a straight-forward exercise. Company secretaries I speak with talk about intensive training being required for some directors who are unused to the technology. Ensuring security of sensitive information is an imperative.

In subsequent posts on boardroom technology I'll convey the experiences and advice of company secretaries and chairmen who have accepted the challenge of using iPads in the boardroom. It's not simply a case of buying a set of eight or 10 iPads and letting directors start annotating their papers. Much more preparation is required. The good news is that the effort seems to be worth it.