Results from PwC’s Annual Corporate Directors Survey are in, and it appears activist investors are now exerting more influence than ever on boards and management teams. The result is an “investor-centric” model, a departure from the “board-centric” model of the past. Paula Loop explains how this is a positive for companies, though there are negatives to be aware of, too.

Your customer and employee base is more likely than not fairly diverse. Does your board of directors reflect this diversity? If your company’s board is like many others, it’s comprised by and large by middle-aged white men. Naturally, this doesn’t allow for very different perspectives – something investors highly value.

It’s commonplace for organizations flush with cash to buy back their own shares, thereby returning money to shareholders. Is it the most effective way to leverage liquidity, though? The Board of Directors needs to be aware of the short- and long-term benefits (and costs) of a share buyback program.

PwC recently launched its Annual Corporate Directors Survey, and the findings reveal that many Directors are dissatisfied with Board makeup, citing diminished performance due to aging, unpreparedness for meetings and lack of expertise as the top reasons for their dissatisfaction with peer performance. Paula Loop explores this and additional findings...