Dauniika Puklowski, Director, Board Administration Services Ltd , is being recognized by Diligent’s Modern Governance 100 program. The Modern Governance 100 is a community of governance professionals who have been nominated for their innovation, resilience, dedication and empathy in the face of a complex and ever-changing world.
Within her role as Director of Board Administration Services Ltd, Dauniika is a driving force behind enhancing compliance and governance for a range of organisations. For her client, Homecare Medical – a social enterprise responsible for digital telehealth services – Dauniika watched how modern governance transformed Board meetings and collaboration during COVID-19 for a key health client:
“Here in New Zealand the structure of governance can be a challenge for boards. Health and safety laws mean directors are personally liable for liabilities and this means more responsibility for directors to get it right. Diligent helps with the preparation and communication of information for directors,” she said. “By focusing on the quality of the information being provided to the Board, it ensures they are not getting tangled in the weeds and becoming too operational. There is a greater focus on strategic oversight. Modern governance platforms really make my life as a Board administrator much easier.”
As the global pandemic hit, Dauniika worked with her client to move them from a monthly face-to-face meeting structure to a virtual Board meeting routine. Monthly meetings moved to a weekly and even bi-weekly routine to ensure they could keep up with the information coming in from the New Zealand government. Dauniika found adding the conference details to Diligent and ensuring Board members knew how to connect virtually very easy.
“You really want a smooth transition for the Board and we switched to electronic collaboration overnight. This meant the Board papers were always at people’s fingertips and they could check the status of government communications which were constantly being updated – without having to search for key papers. This was extremely helpful as the volume of communications literally exploded overnight. The Board was very confident around the move to digital collaboration for meetings because of the Diligent experience,” she explained.
Operating the New Zealand Government’s free 24×7 National Telehealth services across several channels, including voice, webchat and text, brought significant operational challenges during the pandemic. Being able to collaborate virtually within the Diligent platform was ideal from a security and confidentiality perspective through COVID-19.
“We had to communicate highly sensitive government directives to the Board prior to this becoming public knowledge and collaborating via Diligent was reassuring. We didn’t have sensitive data moving around our email network, and this meant we kept valuable patient data and system information secure and confidential,” Dauniika outlined.
How Dauniika uses Diligent
- Communication of sensitive Ministry of Health contracts and investments to the Board at short notice during crises
- Schedule and host additional virtual board meetings quickly to monitor patient response times and KPIs for clinical excellence
- Give the Board direct access to New Zealand Government updates, compliance and governance documentation to meet directors’ duties and liabilities
Crucial for the 2020 Board meeting schedule has been the operational efficiencies. With a streamlined digital board pack available in advance, it has delivered two key benefits for the Board. Primarily, Board directors now have the option of being better prepared in advance of Board meetings, knowing the Board pack in front of them is up to date and correct. This helps them review materials ahead of any meeting.
“Diligent has also delivered a time efficiency for our Board meetings. Our monthly meetings used to take 5 hours. But now because our Directors are better prepared for each meeting and have access to tabulated agendas and digital notes, we have shaved 1 hour – or 20% – off each session,” Duaniika noted. “When you consider the number of Board meetings held in 2020, there is a positive productivity and performance impact for the Board and most importantly for everyday New Zealanders relying on the Board to maintain their commitment to keeping them safe.”
About the Nominee
Dauniika Puklowski is the Director for Board Administration Services Ltd. She has experience in a range of senior administrative positions, giving her unique insights into the challenges CEOs, Trusts and Boards face for governance and compliance in New Zealand. She currently provides support to various clients requiring Board services and is committed to the delivery of digital Board administration to support her role.
About Board Administration Services Ltd
Board Administration Services Ltd works closely with CEOs, Trusts and Boards to streamline the governance and compliance journey. It encourages Boards, Directors and Executives to rethink the traditional collaboration capabilities by incorporating digital platforms, such as Diligent, into its communication and meeting process.
