quorum · noun
/ˈkwɔːrəm/
The minimum number of the right people required before any decision of consequence can properly be made.
A closed, curated council of founders, CEOs, and executive directors who meet to do the thinking that happens nowhere else. Not a programme. Not a networking group. A room where the right people work on the decisions that matter most.
At this level, the problem
is rarely information.
It is thinking.
Most advisory is either too strategic to be practical, or too operational to be useful at CEO level. Coaches address the individual. Consultants address the organisation. Peer networks offer connection without rigour.
None of them address the specific problem: when you are carrying a decision that is too consequential to get wrong, and too complex to make alone, where do you go?
Ten founders and CEOs. Different sectors. No competing interests. David McQueen holds the quality of the conversation.
That combination produces a quality of counsel that is not available from any other source. David does not run a course or deliver a curriculum. His role is to ask the question that makes the thinking sharper, identify the assumption that has not been tested, and create the conditions in which a group of experienced leaders become genuinely useful to one another.
Who is
in the room
QUORUM is not for everyone who leads an organisation. It is for those who are ready to use a room like this properly. Selection is not purely about seniority or revenue — it is about the quality of what someone brings when they walk in.
-
01
You are a CEO, Founder, or Executive Director — currently in role
Not aspiring. Not recently departed. The work of QUORUM happens in the live context of your current accountability. You need to have real decisions on the table to make it useful for yourself and for everyone else in the room.
-
02
You lead a growing organisation — £2M+ turnover or post-Series A equivalent
The threshold reflects the level of decision complexity that makes the room valuable for everyone in it. £2M+ annual turnover, post-Series A funding, or equivalent budget responsibility. Equally important: the organisation must be on a growth trajectory. QUORUM is for the decisions that growth, transition, or capital creates — not for steady-state management.
-
03
You are across sectors — you are not competing with anyone in the room
QUORUM is deliberately cross-sector. The peer dynamic only works when people speak without defending a competitive position. You are selected partly on this basis. It is not a judgment about your sector — it is a structural requirement of the room's quality.
-
04
You bring the real problem, not the presentable version
Every gathering works because members bring live decisions — not retrospective summaries. If you are not prepared to put the actual challenge in the room, this is not the right environment for you. The value of the room depends entirely on the honesty of what enters it.
-
05
Confidentiality is the operating contract — not a guideline
What is said in QUORUM stays in QUORUM. This applies in both directions. It is the foundation on which the quality of the conversation depends. It is non-negotiable and absolute. Members understand this before they enter the room.
Four gatherings.
Eight virtual sessions.
Two years minimum.
The format is structured around the natural rhythm of executive life. The minimum commitment is two years, billed annually — because the council dynamic takes time to develop. The first year builds the room. The second year is where it earns its keep. After two years, renewal is annual and deliberate.
Quarterly In-Person
Gatherings
Four times a year, QUORUM convenes in person. A half-day session at a private venue — London or rotated by member preference. One or two members bring a live decision to the room. The group works on it with rigour, honesty, and no agenda other than getting to a clearer answer.
The evening before is optional. For those who want it, dinner the night before consistently improves the quality of the session the next morning. Not an obligation — a standing observation.
Monthly Virtual
Sessions
Between each quarterly gathering, QUORUM meets virtually twice — 75 to 90 minutes, structured around one member's hot seat. One decision, one set of circumstances, one group committed to thinking it through properly.
No slides. No pre-read. A real problem, brought live. David holds the frame. The group provides the challenge, the perspective, and the honesty that comes from having no stake in the outcome.
Individual Touchpoints
with David
Twice a year — mid-year and at year-end — David meets individually with each member. These are not coaching sessions. They are a check-in on what you are carrying, what has shifted, and how to make the most of the time remaining in the year.
The space where your own arc through QUORUM becomes visible, separate from the group conversation and specific to you.
Between sessions — private channel, paid publication access, maximum ten members.
A closed member channel for questions and resources between sessions. Full access to The Quiet Work paid essays and applied sessions throughout the year. Maximum ten members — enough diversity of perspective, small enough for everyone to be known, the number at which QUORUM functions as a council rather than a group.
A year in
QUORUM
The rhythm repeats across the minimum two-year commitment — each year building on the last as the council develops depth and the quality of conversation compounds.
Opening Convening
The year begins. Members bring the decision or pressure point they are carrying into the year. The room sets the tone for what follows.
Mid-Year Gathering
What has changed? What decisions have been made or deferred? The mid-year session is where momentum is assessed honestly.
Autumn Convening
The pressure point of most organisational cycles. The room works on what the final quarter actually demands of each member.
Year-End Gathering
Reflection and forward-setting. What did this year ask of you? What does the next require? Individual year-end touchpoints with David in this quarter.
One seat.
Two years minimum.
£15,000 + VAT per year, billed annually. The minimum commitment is two years — not because of contract mechanics, but because the room takes time to become genuinely valuable. The first year builds the council. The second year is where it compounds.
+ VAT · Billed annually · Minimum two-year commitment
- 4 × quarterly in-person gatherings — half day at a private venue, plus optional dinner the evening before.
- 8 × monthly virtual sessions — 75–90 minutes. One member's live decision worked through by the group.
- 2 × individual touchpoints with David — mid-year and year-end. 60 minutes each.
- Private member channel — for between-session exchange when something cannot wait.
- The Quiet Work (paid access) — full access to essays, frameworks, and applied sessions throughout the year.
- Minimum two-year membership — billed annually. After two years, annual renewal by deliberate conversation.
Not a programme.
Not a network.
There are good leadership programmes, peer networks, and coaching relationships available to CEOs and founders. QUORUM is none of those things. The distinction matters — not as positioning, but because the wrong expectation produces the wrong experience.
What QUORUM is not
- A programme with a curriculum, a start, and a fixed end
- A network where connection is the primary value
- Group coaching with frameworks delivered from the front
- A mastermind where accountability is the mechanic
- A community that grows to maintain revenue
- A place to observe rather than contribute
What QUORUM is
- A standing council operating on a consistent annual rhythm
- A room where peer quality is the primary asset
- A structured conversation with David holding the quality of thinking
- A forum where live decisions are the work — every session
- A confidential operating environment — nothing leaves the room
- A small, curated body that does not compromise on selection
A seat at the right table
is not applied for.
It is earned.
There is no application form. The first step is a structured expression of interest — enough context for David to know whether QUORUM is the right room for you and whether you are the right person for this room. David reads every one personally. If there is a potential fit, you will hear directly within five working days.
Complete the Expression of InterestSeptember 2026 cohort. Minimum two-year commitment at £15,000 + VAT per year. If timing is not right, say so — there will be another cohort.