The concept of a "professional" director— one whose exclusive profession is serving on boards—has gone in and out of favor over the years. However, with growing board time and skill demands. the idea of a retired executive who makes a profession has gained renewed respect. Who are these professio...

In light of evolving—and sometimes actively debated—perspectives on the role of public companies with respect to sustainability, corporate social responsibility and other ESG matters (e.g., Barron’s recent report on Sustainable Investing), we are providing a high-level overview of how boards of d...

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 ...

The genius of well-structured boards is they bring together experienced, tested business leaders from different walks, who are dedicated to advising on the business at hand as a collective group. Optimizing a board’s potential requires a framework and governance priorities that support each direc...

A Q&A with Abby Adlerman, CEO of Boardspan. Notably, 15 of Boardspan’s 20 most recent board placements are women. Q: What do you think of California’s SB826, the bill that would require the boards of directors of public companies domiciled in California to include at least one woman director b...

Anyone who has ever gone to the “investors” section of a company’s website knows that corporate governance is not the sexiest of topics. While it seems that almost every category of people and/or type of profession has become fair game for reality television, one of the last safe places may actua...

The regulatory landscape around these issues is changing, and company leaders need to know. Board members are at risk of being seen as negligent — and therefore potentially accountable — if they fail to pay adequate attention to environmental and human rights issues. In 2015, regulators exp...

Serving as a corporate board member, particularly for a public company, seems like an intimidating job. Good — it should seem intimidating, in a way that drives us to be better fiduciaries. But the role of corporate director is also a fairly simple one, if we remember what our essential job is — ...

Maintaining a workplace environment free of discrimination, sexual harassment and other misconduct is critical to both the short-term productivity and long-term health of a business.  Reports of sexual harassment allegations at public corporations can have material negative effects on stock price...

Every board wants its CEO to thrive--and there’s one simple thing all boards can do to improve the odds: Offer FEEDBACK. It’s surprising how many boards expect top performance from their executives, but only give feedback when they have a specific disagreement or concern about performance metrics...

“To take notes or not to take notes—that is the question” often asked in corporate board rooms today. As a matter of good governance, it is important that the minutes serve as the single, clear, official record of each in-person or telephonic board and committee meeting. Board materials that are ...

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 f...