NorthSeat builds governance frameworks for Australian boards, CEOs and founders
NorthSeat focuses on the points where authority is unclear, escalation breaks down, and decisions move through informal channels before anyone has clearly named the call being made.
Our frameworks, diagnostics and advisory work help organisations make decision rights, risk boundaries, board involvement and accountability visible before an audit, transaction, leadership change or external review forces the issue.
Why NorthSeat exists
Many governance breakdowns form before the formal failure is visible.
They begin through unclear authority, informal influence, weak escalation, board-executive ambiguity and decision records that struggle to explain how judgement was formed.
NorthSeat exists to make decision authority clear, and to define when a matter must reach the board.
The work is built for boardrooms where decisions are shaped by structure, behaviour, timing and influence.
Founder
NorthSeat was founded by Liam Brown, a governance consultant, CEO and GAICD-qualified executive with experience across board governance, organisational leadership, strategy, behavioural science and executive decision-making.
Liam has led organisations through growth, transformation and governance maturity work, and has developed proprietary frameworks designed for use across sectors.
His background combines:
- executive leadership and board-facing governance experience
- Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Master of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Science (Psychology)
- practical experience designing governance frameworks for Australian boards and executives
That combination shapes NorthSeat’s approach: governance frameworks need clear structure, and they also need to account for how people behave when authority, risk and informal influence affect decisions.
Who NorthSeat works with
NorthSeat works with Australian organisations where governance clarity matters because decisions carry consequence.
This includes:
- private and founder-led companies
- professional services firms and partnerships
- listed and ASX-adjacent entities
- not-for-profits and charities
- government-adjacent and funded organisations
- PE-backed, transaction-facing and succession-stage businesses
The strongest fit is when a transaction, leadership change, external review or board-executive tension exposes uncertainty about who can decide and when the board needs to be involved.
Primary users include Chairs, CEOs, Managing Directors, Managing Partners, Non-Executive Directors, Company Secretaries, CFOs, COOs and governance leads.
How the work is structured
NorthSeat frameworks are designed to work together as a governance system.
Authority and approval
Delegation of Authority, Board Approval and decision-record frameworks that clarify who decides, who approves, what must escalate and how decisions are recorded.
Risk and resilience
Risk Appetite, Risk Management, Business Continuity and Cyber Incident Response frameworks that connect risk boundaries, escalation, board visibility and response discipline.
People and performance
Remuneration governance and executive authority tools that clarify pay decisions, performance alignment, fairness, executive discretion and board oversight.
Strategy, capability and succession
Strategic planning, Board Skills Matrix and Succession / Exit frameworks that support board capability, renewal, transition, ownership decisions and future direction.
Behavioural governance
Diagnostics and tools that surface role ambiguity, informal influence, decision bottlenecks and board-executive tension.
Consulting and interim leadership
NorthSeat also works directly with boards and executives on governance design, framework implementation and defined interim or fractional CEO-level engagements.
Each framework is structured for practical use in board papers, governance libraries, committee work, executive reporting and decision records.
Governance basis and boundaries
NorthSeat’s work is informed by Australian governance practice, ASX governance principles, recognised standards and boardroom experience.
NorthSeat provides governance capability frameworks, behavioural insight tools and decision structures. Legal, financial, regulatory, cybersecurity and tax advice remain the role of qualified advisers.
Make authority visible before your next board cycle
Explore NorthSeat's governance frameworks and diagnostics, or start a conversation about a governance or leadership decision already in front of you.