What happens when a board’s reputation comes under attack before anyone knows what actually happened?

In this episode of The Boardroom Path, host Ralph Grayson speaks with Tim Robinson, partner at Schillings and a former British Army Major General, about why reputational resilience is a governance discipline rather than a communications exercise. They examine how data breaches, leaked documents, extortion and coordinated smear campaigns move across social and traditional media in minutes, and why boards that place reputation near the top of the risk register often do little practical preparation. Tim argues that the most important commodity in any crisis is facts, and that boards should rehearse scenarios, appoint a small empowered task team and prepare rebuttals for the stories they can anticipate.

The argument is timely: the BBC reported in September 2026 on a deepfake victim calling for reputational abuse to be recognised as a distinct form of harm BBC News, while research published this year found deepfake fraud operating at industrial scale The Guardian. From privacy exposure audits for new NEDs to the first hour of a crisis, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for directors who want to be ready before the pressure arrives.

• (00:00) – Welcome to The Boardroom Path
• (02:33) – How People Behave Under Pressure
• (04:41) – Leadership Lessons Across Army and Boardroom
• (07:22) – Inside Schillings and High-Stakes Advice
• (08:57) – Reputation as Governance, Not Communications
• (10:21) – Who Owns Reputational Risk in the Boardroom
• (12:30) – Privacy Exposure Audits for New Directors
• (15:25) – Managing Your Digital Footprint Early
• (18:40) – When Reputational Threats Reach Board Level
• (20:17) – Out-Facting the Other Side with Facts
• (22:31) – Building Preparedness and the Task Team
• (26:52) – Simulating the First Hour of a Crisis

Tim Robinson: Tim Robinson CBE is a partner at Schillings, the multidisciplinary consultancy that advises boards, companies and individuals on high-stakes situations affecting their reputation, privacy and security. A former Major General in the British Army, he joined Schillings in 2016 as its first non-lawyer partner since the firm converted to an LLP. He is an experienced negotiator who leads internal inquiries, settles disputes, runs counter-extortion operations and handles smear campaigns, and he features in the Spear’s Best Reputation Managers Index and the Citywealth Leaders List.

Ralph Grayson: Ralph Grayson is a Partner in the Board Practice at Sainty Hird & Partners, bringing extensive experience in board-level recruitment, assessment, and advisory services. With a deep understanding of the corporate governance landscape, Ralph specialises in guiding senior executives as they transition into impactful boardroom careers. His thoughtful approach, combined with a passion for developing effective leaders, enables him to facilitate insightful conversations that equip aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors with the tools they need to succeed. Through The Boardroom Path, Ralph leverages his extensive professional network and expertise to empower listeners on their journey into the boardroom.

Episode Insights:

• Reputational resilience is a governance discipline, not a communications issue, and no single discipline can prepare for or solve a reputation problem alone.
• Boards list reputational risk near the top of the register but often invest more in cyber or fire safety, because no inspector will close them down over it.
• A privacy exposure audit for a high-profile new director is a duty of care, because if controversy comes, an aerial shot of the house follows.
• Routine pressures such as media inquiries and unhappy employees are more likely to cause a crisis than rare coordinated smear campaigns.
• Facts win the day: writing down the worst story a respected paper could print, and preparing the rebuttal evidence, is the core of preparedness.

Action Points:

1. Write the worst-case story now: Ask your task team to draft the story a respected publication such as the Financial Times could write about your business. Include every negative allegation that could appear. Then prepare a rebuttal fact and the supporting evidence for each claim, so you are never responding from a standing start.
2. Appoint and empower a small crisis task team: Delegate crisis handling to a small group, such as the CEO, the senior in-house lawyer and the communications lead, reporting directly to the board. Keep the model simple and repeatable rather than building complex flow diagrams. Give the team the authority to employ external advisers when needed.
3. Rehearse the crisis, not just the register: Put reputational scenarios on the board agenda as live simulations rather than coloured rows on a risk register. Rehearse with the task team so everyone knows their role and decision thresholds. Treat the exercise as preparation, not compliance.
4. Commission a privacy exposure audit for new appointments: For any high-profile arrival, simulate what an investigative journalist could find from public sources. Present the findings privately to the individual and pay for it as a board. Let them decide how to reduce their own exposure.
5. Brief employees early as well as outsiders: Treat internal and external communications as equally important in a crisis. Ask employees not to amplify speculation in the early days, because sharing screenshots raises the profile of the story. Use internal messages to reassure, even before the full picture is known.

The Boardroom Path is the essential podcast for aspiring and newly appointed Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) navigating the journey from executive leadership to the boardroom. Hosted by Ralph Grayson, partner at Sainty Hird & Partners, each episode offers insightful conversations with industry leaders, seasoned board directors, and governance experts. Our guests share practical strategies, valuable perspectives, and actionable advice on how to effectively transition into board roles, maximise your impact, and build a rewarding NED career. 

Subscribe now, and take your first confident step along The Boardroom Path. Learn more about Sainty Hird & Partners at saintyhird.com.

The Boardroom Path is produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford, UK.