From competing and volatile priorities to changing stakeholder demands, board oversight responsibilities have reached new heights of complexity—and this is particularly true in today’s era of cultural shifts, geopolitical tensions, changing regulations, and unrelenting technology disruption.

Each year for over a decade, assurance, tax, and financial advisory firm BDO has surveyed directors of public companies across market caps to get a feel for the landscape. What issues are keeping boards up at night? What changes are looming on the horizon?

In this episode, Amy Rojik from BDO shares findings—and surprises—from the firm’s 2019 survey: “The Board’s Direction: Steadying the Shop in Times of Turbulence.”

As the pace of change accelerates, shareholder expectations intensify, and diversity, community, and ESG issues rise as priorities, board composition must include individuals with unique but complementary skills and experience. Achieving this fine balance is the job of the nom/gov committee. 

How is this role evolving in a changing landscape? What can a nom/gov committee member or chair do to ensure success? 

In this episode, Leslie Campbell shares insights from her experience as nom/gov committee chair for 1800PetMeds and Coupa Software.

Episode resources:

• Conference Board On Governance: Time to Replace Nominating with Governance Committee
• NACD & Diligent Partner to Offer Board Recruitment tool

As the pace of change accelerates, shareholder expectations intensify, and diversity, community, and ESG issues rise as priorities, board composition must include individuals with unique but complementary skills and experience. Achieving this fine balance is the job of the nom/gov committee.

How is this role evolving in a changing landscape? What can a nom/gov committee member or chair do to ensure success?

In this episode, Leslie Campbell shares insights from her experience as nom/gov committee chair for 1800PetMeds and Coupa Software.

The “Larry Fink letter” on corporate purpose. A Listeria-initiated court decision that’s raising the bar for risk management across industries. “Cousin Greg” from the HBO show Succession and a possible WeWork movie bringing corporate boards into pop culture. In the words of Schindlinger, “2019 was a governance year for the record books.”

It’s time to look back—and look ahead. In this special 2019 holiday episode, Schindlinger and Day are joined by TK Kerstetter, host of Inside America’s Boardrooms, for this year’s highlights and 2020 predictions. 

The “Larry Fink letter” on corporate purpose. A Listeria-initiated court decision that’s raising the bar for risk management across industries. “Cousin Greg” from the HBO show Succession and a possible WeWork movie bringing corporate boards into pop culture. In the words of Schindlinger, “2019 was a governance year for the record books.”

It’s time to look back—and look ahead. In this special 2019 holiday episode, Schindlinger and Day are joined by TK Kerstetter, host of Inside America’s Boardrooms, for this year’s highlights and 2020 predictions.

Digital transformation fuels efficiency and innovation—but presents a range of risks in everything from ESG to cybersecurity. In response, boards have found themselves pressed to look forward as well as review the past, shaping long-term strategies for global differentiation, capital allocation, while navigating uncertainty and complexity.

How can boards stay up to speed and ahead of risk and opportunity, particularly given today’s accelerating pace of change?  

In this podcast episode, two technology professionals who are now professional independent directors share their unique perspectives on these issues. Nelson Chan provides insight from his role as board chair, and Merline Saintil shares her thoughts from her work as an operating executive and director with several technology companies. Their findings: Staying sharp and upping your game in a digitally transforming work all begins with expertise, preparation, and culture. 

In this podcast episode, two technology professionals who are now professional independent directors share their unique perspectives on these issues. Nelson Chan provides insight from his role as board chair, and Merline Saintil shares her thoughts from her work as an operating executive and director with several technology companies. Their findings: Staying sharp and upping your game in a digitally transforming work all begins with expertise, preparation, and culture.

Boards are constantly rethinking how they’re engaging employees and influencing company culture. Now, as more CEOs are being dismissed for ethical reasons, boards are under pressure to fundamentally change their approach to ethics. Trends in value creation are further fueling discussions around structure, leaving boards to consider adopting a new model altogether.

In this podcast episode, Cindy Moehring discusses how boards can create a transparent, accountable company culture. Later on, special guest Adam Berger elaborates on what public company boards can learn from the private equity approach to value creation and working with entrepreneurial CEOs.

Cindy Moehring is Founder and Executive Chair of the Business Integrity Leadership Initiative, Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, and she is the Former SVP, US Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for Walmart.

Adam Berger is Managing Director for Insight Partners.

 

On this episode, we discuss

• What Can Boards Do About CEOs’ Ethical Lapses? As more CEOs are being dismissed for ethical reasons, boards should take an active role in setting the culture of a company.
• How Can Boards Establish the Right Ethics Policies—and Ensure They’re Followed Accordingly? To ensure accountability, directors should ask probing questions that expose inconsistencies in repercussions for senior leaders vs. junior employees. 
• Can Public Boards Approach Value Creation Like Private Equity Boards Do? The key to long-term value creation is aligning goals among shareholders, management and boards.

Checkout these resources we mention during the podcast:

• Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation paper
• Strategy& PwC 2019 Report on CEO Success

 

You can find more interviews like this on The Corporate Director Podcast, hosted by Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan Day.

To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to the podcast on our website, or on Apple Podcasts, or on Spotify.

In this podcast episode, Cindy Moehring discusses how boards can create a transparent, accountable company culture. Later on, special guest Adam Berger elaborates on what public company boards can learn from the private equity approach to value creation and working with entrepreneurial CEOs.

On this episode, Dr. Anita Sands shares her thoughts on digital transformation—what’s going on and how directors can stay up to speed. With a masters in public policy and management and a Ph.D. in atomic and molecular physics, and as a non-U.S. member on several U.S. boards, Dr. Sands brings a unique perspective from the worlds of science, technology, and directorship.

Dr. Sands is a member of the boards of Service Now, Symantec, Pure Storage and she is an advisory board member for Thrive Global and Docusign.

We also hear from researchers Brian Tayan from Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance and Annie Kors from the Diligent Institute on a newly released report on how directors are engaging with stakeholders.

On this episode we discuss:

• Tectonic shifts in demographics, business models, and operating models
• “Ambidextrous leadership,” in which directors balance the predictability expected of today’s directors with exploration into the future
• Moving past diversity and inclusion to belonging
• Gaining awareness of unconscious bias
• The power of AI and machine learning to perform board responsibilities more efficiently and effectively
• Research on how directors are responding to stakeholders’ interests 

Checkout these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Governance in the Digital Age: A Guide for the Modern Corporate Director
• A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence
• Dr. Anita Sands’ “Wisdom Cards” on LinkedIn
• Stakeholders Take Center Stage: Director Views on Priorities & Society from the Diligent Institute

You can find more interviews like this on our Corporate Director Podcast, hosted by Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan Day.

To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to the podcast on our website, or on Apple Podcasts, or on Spotify.