KapGov® Governance Operating System
Structured governance,
built for the real world.
built for the real world.
KapGov is a live, deployed Governance Operating System that gives SMEs a structured, systematic approach to governance — producing board-ready reports, clear maturity scores, and prioritised action plans that leadership teams can act on immediately.
3
Live client engagements
14
Governance pillars
6
System stages
5
Point maturity scale
The KapGov® Operating System — Six Stages
Stage 01
Diagnose
Stage 02
Score
Stage 03
Report
Stage 04
Advise
Stage 05
Roadmap
Stage 06
Review
Evidence-based diagnostic
A structured 14-pillar assessment using interviews, document review, and observational assessment. Scoring anchored to evidence, not self-assessment.
Maturity scoring
Each pillar scored 1–5 on the KapGov® maturity scale. Clear, comparable scores that track improvement across review cycles.
Board-ready outputs
Governance reports produced directly from diagnostic evidence. Ready to table at board level without further editing or translation.
Meridian Group — governance snapshot
Q2 2025 Assessment
3
Critical
4
High
4
Moderate
2
Low
1
Minimal
Financial governance
4.5
Legal & compliance
4.0
Risk management
2.0
ESG & sustainability
1.5
Maturity over time
Overall score
3.2
Defined governance
Pillars assessed
14
All domains complete
Critical gaps
3
Immediate action required
Pillars at 4+
2
Best practice / structured
All 14 pillars — maturity scores
Leadership & board structure
3.0
Strategy & direction
2.5
Risk management
2.0
Financial governance
4.5
Operational governance
3.5
Legal & regulatory compliance
4.0
Performance & KPI management
2.3
ESG & sustainability
1.5
Stakeholder governance
3.0
Technology & data governance
2.7
Human capital governance
3.7
Business continuity
2.0
Ethical governance
3.5
Reporting & transparency
3.0
Best practice (4–5)
Structured (3.5–4)
Defined (2.5–3.5)
Ad hoc / informal (<2.5)
Score distribution
Maturity scale reference
5
Best practice
Embedded, optimised, benchmarked
4
Structured
Actively managed and reviewed
3
Defined
Documented, not fully embedded
2
Informal
Exists but inconsistently applied
1
Ad hoc
No formal governance in place
Executive summary
Board readyMeridian Group Ltd demonstrates a governance maturity score of 3.2 out of 5.0, placing the organisation in the Defined governance tier. This reflects meaningful governance infrastructure built over the company's growth phase, with several domains operating at structured or best-practice levels.
The assessment identifies three critical governance gaps: the absence of a formal risk register, underdeveloped ESG governance, and the lack of a tested Business Continuity Plan.
Financial governance and legal compliance are recognised as genuine strengths, providing a stable foundation for the governance improvement programme.
Domain summary
Financial governance
4.5
Legal & compliance
4.0
Human capital
3.7
Operations
3.5
Risk management
2.0
ESG & sustainability
1.5
Key findings
Financial controls are documented, monitored, and operating at best-practice level. Management accounts, budgets, and forecasts are current and board-reviewed.
Legal and compliance obligations are actively tracked. Statutory requirements are met and compliance reviews are conducted on a scheduled basis.
Human capital governance is well developed. Roles and responsibilities are defined and employee policies are in place, though succession planning is informal.
Board structure exists informally but lacks a documented charter, formal terms of reference, and a structured meeting and reporting cadence.
Strategic planning is conducted but objectives are not formally measured. No board-level KPI review process is in place.
Critical: No formal risk register exists. Risk management is reactive. No risk owners are assigned and risk is not reported to the board.
Critical: ESG governance is absent. No sustainability metrics are tracked and no ESG position has been articulated for investor or stakeholder use.
Critical: No Business Continuity Plan has been developed or tested. The organisation has material exposure to operational disruption without recovery protocols.
Board recommendation
Action requiredThe board is recommended to formally adopt the KapGov® Governance Improvement Roadmap and assign executive ownership to each of the 12 identified actions. The three critical gaps — risk management, ESG governance, and business continuity — should be treated as immediate priorities and addressed within 60 days.
A governance review cycle of 6 months is recommended, with a refreshed KapGov® Board Report produced at each cycle to track maturity improvement over time and provide an ongoing governance record for investors and lenders.
Immediate (0–60 days)
3
Critical gaps
Short term (60–180 days)
5
Priority improvements
Medium term (6–18 months)
4
Maturity development
Actions complete
0
of 12 total
Immediate — 0 to 60 days
Critical priority1
Develop and implement a formal risk register
Create a structured risk register across all operational domains. Assign risk owners at director level. Establish a quarterly risk review cadence with board reporting.
2
Develop and test a Business Continuity Plan
Draft a BCP covering key operational scenarios. Assign a BCP owner. Conduct a tabletop simulation exercise within 60 days of plan completion.
3
Establish a baseline ESG governance framework
Identify minimum ESG metrics relevant to the business. Assign ESG accountability at board level. Produce an initial ESG position statement for stakeholder use.
Short term — 60 to 180 days
Priority4
Formalise board structure with a written charter
Document board composition, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. Establish a formal meeting schedule and minute-taking process.
5
Define and implement a KPI framework
Identify 8–12 measurable KPIs across financial, operational, and people domains. Build a reporting dashboard and establish a monthly leadership review process.
6
Formalise the strategic planning process
Document a 3-year strategic plan with measurable objectives. Link strategic goals to operational KPIs. Board to formally review and approve the plan.
7
Strengthen technology and data governance
Conduct a cybersecurity review. Document data handling policies aligned to GDPR. Assign technology governance accountability at director level.
8
Produce a stakeholder governance register
Map key stakeholders including investors, lenders, customers, and regulators. Define communication and engagement protocols for each group.
Medium term — 6 to 18 months
Development9
Leadership succession planning
Document succession plans for all director-level roles. Identify and develop internal succession candidates over a structured 12-month programme.
10
ESG reporting framework — full implementation
Build on baseline ESG governance to produce a structured annual ESG report suitable for investor and lender review.
11
Quarterly board governance pack
Establish a formal quarterly board governance pack integrating financial, risk, KPI, and compliance reporting into a single board-ready document.
12
KapGov® 6-month governance reassessment
Full KapGov® diagnostic reassessment at the 6-month mark. Updated maturity scores, refreshed board report, and revised action plan to reflect progress.
KapGov® Partner Licensing
Scaling governance through trusted advisors.
KapGov® enables professional advisory firms to deliver structured governance diagnostics to their SME clients — turning governance into a measurable, recurring revenue stream and deepening client relationships beyond compliance.
Licensing tiers
Tier 1
Certified Partner
Annual licence + per-report fee
Access to KapGov® platform
Deliver CGMR diagnostics
Training & accreditation
KapGov® Certified Advisor credential
Delivery & sales toolkits
Most popular
Tier 2
Strategic Partner
Volume-based pricing
Everything in Tier 1
White-labelled reporting
Priority support
Co-marketing opportunities
Named Strategic Partner status
Tier 3
Enterprise Partner
Custom enterprise pricing
Full white-label platform
API / integration options
Dedicated account support
Custom governance frameworks
Product roadmap input
Revenue model for partners
Fixed fee per CGMR delivered — structured diagnostic report per SME client engagement
Subscription model — ongoing monitoring and review cycle creates recurring revenue
Bundled retainers — KapGov® integrated into existing advisory retainer structures
Premium advisory upsell — implementation support, board advisory, and strategic governance
Advisory service pricing
| Governance Diagnostic | £8k – £15k |
| Governance Implementation | £15k – £40k |
| Governance Advisory Retainer | £2k – £5k / month |
KapGov®
Governance Operating System
KapGov® is not a framework. It is not a methodology. It is a live Governance Operating System — already deployed, already delivering, and built to scale.
Already live
KapGov® is currently deployed across three active SME clients. Real engagements. Real outputs. Real advisory conditions.
Protected IP
KapGov® is a Registered Trademark. The entire methodology, toolkit, and scoring framework is proprietary intellectual property.
SME-native
Designed from the ground up for businesses that have outgrown founder governance but are not yet ready for a corporate framework.
The KapGov® team
GC
Gerard Conway
Founder & Director · Cahoots KapGov
JC
Julie Conway
Partner · KapGov
SM
Sarah Malter
Partner · KapGov
EI
Eneko Igartua
Partner · KapGov
Intellectual property notice
KapGov® is a Registered Trademark. All intellectual property contained within this platform — including the Governance Operating System, the Governance Diagnostic Toolkit, the 14-pillar framework, the maturity scoring methodology, all templates, and all associated materials — is the exclusive proprietary IP of KapGov. Unauthorised reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of any part of the KapGov® system without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
© KapGov. All rights reserved. Cahoots KapGov. Confidential — for partner demonstration only.