AI Confidence for Boards
Board-level clarity on AI strategy and adoption
Secret Sauce gives directors an independent view of whether the organisation is governing AI well, and is prepared for the strategic change AI will bring.
The board dilemma
Every board is having a difficult AI conversation
Some directors want to move faster, worried competitors are pulling ahead. Others want to slow down, wary of the risks. Others simply don't feel they know enough about AI to call it either way.
We help boards build confidence their AI strategy is asking the right questions, and their AI plans balance opportunity, execution and risk as the environment continues to change.
Two ways we help boards get AI right
Build your board's own AI literacy, or bring in an independent view of your strategy and adoption. Many boards do both.
Build your board's AI literacy
Three ways to build your own confidence with AI, from a free briefing to ongoing 1:1 mentoring.
Free Directors' AI Briefing
A free, live briefing on the AI questions every director should be able to answer.
AI for Directors Workshop
Learn and apply techniques to identify opportunities and risks, and govern AI programs.
1:1 AI Mentoring
Private, ongoing mentoring to build your own AI literacy at your own pace.
Get an independent AI review
Evidence-based reviews of your AI strategy and adoption.
AI's autonomy is increasing, and so is what boards need to oversee
"An agent that acts, evaluates and adjusts on its own is a new governance scenario. Boards don't need to fear that shift, but they do need to make sure oversight is climbing the curve at the same pace as adoption."
Steve Telburn
Founder, Secret Sauce
Led by someone who's sat where you sit
Steve leads every review personally. He brings more than a decade on boards, including as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee. As Venture Partner at Antler VC fund, one of the world's most active AI investors, he has direct visibility into what is shifting at the frontier. He's also taken four companies to Series A and led AI implementation across 50+ businesses.
Let's connect on LinkedIn →"Steve helped us bring together a large and diverse body of evidence, using AI to identify the themes that mattered and test our strategic options more rigorously. His combination of commercial judgement, AI understanding and constructive challenge is improving the quality and efficiency of our strategic planning."
Katie Lyndon
CEO
Exercise & Sports Science Australia
Steve is speakingAICD Queensland
AI governance for directors
A practical session for Australian directors on the questions boards should be asking about AI, and how to oversee it well.
See the details and register →Questions boards ask us
What's the difference between the Briefing and the Workshop?
The Free Directors' AI Briefing is a 1-hour live introduction to the questions every director should be able to answer about AI. The AI for Directors Workshop is a longer, in-person, hands-on session where directors apply techniques to identify opportunities and risks and practise governing AI programs. Many boards start with the Briefing and follow up with the Workshop.
What are the different levels of assessment?
The Board AI Snapshot is a fast, lighter-touch sense-check of where your board stands today. The Strategic AI Review looks in depth at whether the board's strategic thinking on AI is sound. The AI Adoption Assessment examines whether AI adoption is working well in practice. Boards typically start with the Board AI Snapshot and move to a full review if it surfaces something worth investigating further.
Is this a governance audit?
No. Our services are designed to give directors confidence in their AI programs and help them work with management to close any gaps, not to produce a compliance pass or fail.
Can Steve work directly with our board?
Yes. Steve leads every briefing, workshop and assessment personally, drawing on more than a decade on boards and direct experience overseeing AI adoption across dozens of businesses. He can also custom-design a program spanning both learning and assessment, tailored to your board's specific priorities.
How do we get started?
The easiest first step is the free Directors' AI Briefing. If you'd rather talk through your specific situation first, start a conversation and we'll recommend the right starting point.
If AI went wrong tomorrow, would you have seen it coming?
Start with a free briefing for your board, or share a few details and we'll set up a conversation.