A guide to steering companies effectively through the crisis and beyond.

Corporate boards across Europe are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic in three ways. For some, it’s business as usual. “Crisis is the business of the CEO; the board does not need to adjust its workings,” the chair of one such board told me. Other boards are going in the opposite direction: becoming very engaged, involving ...read more...

The Covid-19 crisis is accelerating a shift toward a more integrated approach to corporate governance that has been gathering force for some time. The pandemic has put people’s lives, livelihoods and learning at the center of the public policy and business response in almost every country and industry sector. It has dramatically underscored the need for firms to engage proactively ...read more...

Friends,
Yes, we’re living in times of uncertainty with the weight of the unknown bearing down on all of us. Together we’re facing unprecedented challenges, and together we will work our way through them. As a board member, your leadership has never been more needed.
In this spirit, we share our collective wisdom to help our community of board members be the beacons of leadership and support their ...read more...

With complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change dominating the business landscape, the expectations placed on boards are shifting, and fast. Put simply, board members are expected to do more, do it better, and take greater accountability than ever before. Boardspan’s Top 10 list calls out the issues that most boards will be tackling in 2020. Don’t be surprised if your colleagues raise these topics — and if they ...read more...

Audit committee chairs may find resonance in the phrase “tragedy of the horizon”, an expression coined in 2015 by Bank of England governor Mark Carney, which refers to the paradox that arises when market actors must take urgent action to address a long-term risk—but have no observable short-term incentive to do so. Carney was talking about climate change. But his warning can be read as a routine job description for board ...read more...

Arguably, the single best way to ruin a CEO’s day is to report that an activist is on the phone and has just taken a position in the CEO’s company.

More and more CEOs are getting this call, as activist investing has exploded in recent years. We examined more than 400 activist engagements and found that the targets are getting larger and the industries more diverse. We also found that the ...read more...

Bringing a new C-level executive on board is always fraught with risk: Any misstep can be expensive and embarrassing. As a result, companies may play it safe by looking for someone with just the right CV or perhaps a recent stint at a high-flying competitor. Who does the board like? What will the analysts think?

The challenge has become even more daunting as an increasing number of companies use their culture as a point of differentiation ...read more...

Once you have recruited or re-structured your board of directors as part of the financing, make sure to establish a good working relationship with them.

Board meetings with your directors
You must hold regular board meetings to discuss the business of your company. The following tips from Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start and Reality Check can guide you as you cultivate your board, especially with respect to board meetings:

Save ...read more...

The past few years have provided numerous examples of the costs, both financial and reputational, that can accompany corporate mismanagement of an emergency or crisis situation. From product recalls to environmental disasters to conduct by senior executives that call their integrity into question, it is almost a given that every public company board has confronted or will have to confront an emergency or ...read more...