Cocktail evening at the In & Out Club

Topic: ” Judgment at Work”: Enhancing decision in M&A, deal making and investment.

Verdier & Co. co-hosted a Cocktail Evening with  Fried Frank at The In & Out (Naval and Military Club) , nestled in a historic Palladian townhouse in St James’s Square.

For this event, focused on offering practical wisdom for amongst the most complex challenges leaders face, we were honoured to host Sir Andrew Likierman, member of our Advisory Board.

Drawing from his latest book, “Judgment at Work: Making Better Choices”, Sir Andrew captivated us with insights drawn from boardroom dilemmas, Charles Darwin decision to getting married and even the lessons of the tragedy of the Titanic.

Some takeaways included:

🧭 Judgment is applied wisdom – it matters most when the path isn’t obvious.

🛳 The Titanic lesson : a reminder that decisions made well before a crisis are paramount to ensure that, when challenges arise, the foundation is solid.

📋 Check Lists/ pro-con lists clarify and can help, but do not replace judgment.

📈 Judgment improves with use – Through experience, feedback, and diverse perspectives.

🤖 AI supports but doesn’t judge – Humans must frame the questions and interpret the answers.

👤 Self-awareness as a cornerstone of sound judgment – In your own decisions, and in evaluating others.

To know more, please see here.

Sir Andrew Likierman 
Designation: Author, former dean of London Business School, Non-Executive Director

Sir Andrew Likierman is a distinguished tenured faculty member in Accounting and Management Practice at the London Business School and served as its Dean (2009- 2017). Sir Andrew has worked in the UK Cabinet Office and HM Treasury and has extensive board experience, including as a non-executive director of the Bank of England, Barclays, and The Times Newspaper.  He has also been Chair of the National Audit Office and of market research firm MORI.

He is currently Senior Independent Director of Monument Bank. He became a member of the Advisory Board of Verdier & Co. in 2023.

His current research on human judgment was first published in the Harvard Business Review in 2020.  His book launched in January 2025.