October 2022 meeting

The NCA Board met on 6th October 2022. It discussed the following:

NCA Board Terms of Reference

Following an external review of the Agency’s governance, the Board approved new terms of reference that will enable it to spend more time on long-term strategic thinking and will sign off the Agency’s Strategy and the Annual Report and Accounts. The new Executive Committee will now be the Agency’s main decision-making forum.

Gender Equality

The Board continued its deep dives on cultural issues – one of the DG NCA’s key priorities. In a powerful and challenging exercise, Board members read aloud anonymised quotes from female officers who have suffered from misogyny in the Agency, and heard from an Officer about her personal experience working in the NCA. The Board agreed the need for an organisational plan that drove action at all levels of the Agency including: an immediate response to any potentially criminal behaviour found in the Agency, to identify any pockets of poor team behaviour and culture, develop clear expectations in communications and policies and wider actions to resolve gender inequality. Board members were asked for their individual commitments to tackling misogyny in the NCA.

People Strategy

The Board welcomed an update on the People Strategy and progress made since it last discussed the topic in April 2022. The Board saw the culture and leadership pillar as a critical cross-Agency priority, but the biggest areas of focus should be on the strategic workforce plan and future pay reform, closely followed by career pathways and Learning and Development.

Future Strategy

The Board received an update on work done since its September Away Day, which had focused on refreshing the overarching NCA Strategy.

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