Director's Domain: Corporate Governance News & Board Insights

March 16, 2023 -

After Silicon Valley Bank’s seemingly sudden collapse and the tumultuous week that followed, board members and corporate leaders are asking: What happened? And, what’s next? Unimaginable events and black swan crises seem to be less unusual all the time, prompting many boards to focus more attention on risk. 

In other news: Meta announces more layoffs and project cuts; Even on diverse boards, Latino directors are not proportionally represented; And Carl Icahn is in the news again as he sets his sights on Illumina.

March 09, 2023 -

Risk management is a job that never ends for boards and company leadership. Just staying aware of the myriad risks to your organization takes ongoing work. But faced with those risks, boards face another challenge: Where do you start? Given multiple risks, how do you prioritize where to focus your efforts? As the types of risk increase, it gets harder to make those decisions without analysis and advisory. This week, what the risk agenda looks like in 2023; and one company’s way of reporting risk to the board and the C-suite. 

In other news: The “engagement priorities” of big investors this proxy season; A lawsuit continues for Shell and another one begins for JetBlue and Spirit; The shared oversight responsibility of the board and corporate officers; And a look at why you want to join Abby Adlerman and Tarang Amin for our March 29 webinar.

March 02, 2023 -

One legacy ends, another stays alive with positive news despite a rough year. Doug Parker, the long-serving CEO and current Chairman of American Airlines, is retiring. Taking the helm 10 days before the September 11 attacks in 2001, Parker successfully steered American through that crisis and others and helped grow  the airline into the largest in the world. And Marc Benioff, the driving force behind Salesforce, has faced heavy criticism lately about the direction of  the company. Nonetheless, this week’s earnings call announced strong projections and some bold reorganizations.

Join us for our first webinar of the year: Abby Adlerman in conversation with Tarang P. Amin, the Chairman and CEO behind e.l.f. Beauty’s extraordinary success. 

February 23, 2023 -

As we approach the three-year anniversary of the COVID lockdown, there’s no doubt things have changed…permanently. Many companies think about getting “back to normal” in an office, but there’s a new normal. Calls for a four-day workweek are everywhere, and Amazon employees are pushing back hard against going back to the office. Even executives want to work differently, on a fractional basis. And the data doesn’t lie. In England, revenue stayed the same or grew while workers switched to four days a week. 

We’re not saying everyone should work four days a week, or CEOs should be part time. But don’t be the last to notice when “normal” isn’t normal any more. Observe. Listen. And work closely with the CEO to ensure that the company’s culture aligns with what’s best for the organization, not what fits someone’s idea of the status quo.

February 16, 2023 -

As one proxy fight ends, another might be beginning. This week, Nelson Peltz declared an end to his pressure on Disney, stating that plans unveiled by the company this week have addressed his concerns. But a different fight may be brewing at Tesla as Ross Gerber, an outspoken critic of the automaker in recent months, announces his plans to run for the board.

In other news, is the top spot at a retail organization becoming the hardest job to fill? Also, how to identify, listen to, and communicate with quality shareholders. And the Wall Street Journal looks at the factors behind the recent increase of black women on corporate boards and the work that is being done to grow that number even more.