Director's Domain: Corporate Governance News & Board Insights

January 15, 2026 -

Say it loud, say it soft – either way 2026 is starting off with plenty of complexity. Paramount’s bold proxy move for board seats at Warner Bros. adds fuel to its hostile bid and reveals just how central governance has become in M&A strategy. Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s independent directors continue their courtroom campaign to defend board autonomy against corporate parent Magnum, in yet another reminder that governance power struggles aren’t limited to hostile takeovers. On a different front, Apple’s quiet retreat from diversity language in its board nomination policy reflects a broader policy shift already underway, one that signals how some companies are recalibrating their governance practices in response to changing political and regulatory tides. Against this backdrop, today’s boards are facing deep complexity that requires sharper strategy, more agile decision-making, and greater awareness of the human dynamics that shape the room. At the risk of repeating ourselves, Boardspan advocates that boards pay attention to the three ways for boards to stay forward-looking in 2026.

January 08, 2026 -

New year, new playbook. One week into 2026 and we’re already preparing for significant change this year. JPMorgan’s decision to sever all ties with proxy advisers, replacing them with AI-driven, in-house voting, marks a significant shift in how institutional investors will try to influence governance. Who’s next to follow? Warner Bros’ board is using a version of the “Just Say No" strategy to rebuff Paramount – will it work and will others try the same in a year that promises to be filled with M&A activity? The best antidote to unwanted overtures may be in the form of forward-looking boards that focus on strategy and top-notch oversight, getting increasingly proactive. To wit, strategy narratives are taking center stage, board evaluations are evolving, and most committees, especially compensation, are bracing for regulatory and political turbulence. If you lack the time to dig into the governance top 10 lists that undoubtedly landed in your in-box, read Boardspan’s 2026 Outlook for the three moves that will matter most to boards. This week’s TL;DR: Board governance is already showing its 2026 hand around more strategy, more rigor, and a stronger expectation that boards lead from the front.

December 18, 2025 -

Director’s Domain is taking a holiday break and will be back after the new year. The entire Boardspan team wishes you happy holidays!

Governance gets personal. This week, boardrooms wrestled with decisions that blur the line between structure and values, nowhere more starkly than at Tesla, where revelations of billion-dollar payouts to directors raised fresh alarms about governance standards. Meanwhile, the Warner Bros Discovery board rejected Paramount’s $108 billion hostile takeover bid, citing misleading financing claims, underscoring how director judgment on deal quality and credibility can make or break mega-mergers. In a different kind of governance reckoning, Ben & Jerry’s moved to adopt term limits under pressure from Unilever’s Magnum unit, forcing out its long-serving, mission-aligned chair and spotlighting how parent-subsidiary tensions can reshape board composition. And at Frontier Airlines, longtime CEO Barry Biffle’s abrupt exit under performance pressure highlighted the board’s role in delivering real-time accountability as market headwinds intensify.

Boards will always be reacting to one issue or another, hence there’s no time like the present to focus on being strategic. For its 2026 Outlook, Boardspan puts forth its advice: Look Forward! And others offer their views on strategy below, as well. As complexity deepens, expectations continue to rise for boards to not only oversee governance but actively contribute in a myriad of ways. We hope this is on your agenda for 2026, too.

December 11, 2025 -

Strategy in the crosshairs. At PepsiCo, a détente with Elliott Management produced sweeping operational commitments without a proxy fight or board overhaul, illustrating how activist influence can reshape strategy even without formal governance change. Siemens Energy finds itself in the early stages of an activist campaign seeking significant changes to its strategy, led by one of the founders of activist investor group Engine No. 1, which successfully targeted Exxon and won multiple board seats. Meanwhile, the Warner Bros. board is having a busy week: after agreeing to a $72 billion deal with Netflix, it finds itself with a rival bid from Paramount and the attention of President Trump, who promises to get personally involved in the government’s merger approval process rather than leaving it to the normal independent regulatory review. Elsewhere, Unilever’s ongoing conflict with Ben & Jerry’s independent board underscores the complexities of mission-based governance, two decades after their merger. And in parallel, AI continues to test boards both in terms of strategic relevance and the growing sustainability risks tied to its infrastructure. Boards operate in an increasingly high-stakes environment, where structure, strategy, and stakeholder alignment are constantly in motion.

December 04, 2025 -

Governance in motion defined the week, as boards navigated consequential transitions and policy entanglements. Disney’s long-delayed leadership transition lurches forward, offering a high-profile case study in the perils of succession planning that drags on too long. A well-timed discussion, a steady rise in CEO exits underscores the need for boards to think well beyond a leader’s first 100 days, especially as incentive structures and governance models evolve in response to prolonged volatility. Meanwhile, Costco and AT&T are testing how regulatory leverage can shape corporate board decision-making as they confront policy matters with courtrooms and regulators. In a different register, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is under scrutiny following an audit that claims board governance and financial control deficiencies, raising concerns as Unilever prepares to spin out Magnum, the unit set to inherit the politically outspoken Ben & Jerry’s brand. And a recent look at S&P 500 and Russell 3000 boards finds that composition and committee structures are also adapting for greater scale, specialization, and agility. Together, these stories reflect a governance landscape that demands movement where boards contend to keep pace as leadership, politics, and oversight pressures converge in real time.