A deadly pandemic, an economic crisis, social unrest and a contentious U.S. presidential election – these are some of the unprecedented challenges facing corporate boardrooms in 2020. So, how well have boards done in responding? Paula Loop analyzes results from a recent PwC report. The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic turmoil it has caused have presented companies with unprecedented challenges. Public company...

Boards gave management — and themselves — high marks in the early months of their crisis response this spring. PwC’s Paula Loop highlights how to ensure those positives outlast the pandemic. For even the most seasoned of directors, the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought a pace of change — and a level of economic and societal uncertainty — unlike anything they’ve experienced in...

Last year was a headline-making year in the governance space, with the evolving purpose of a corporation and other prescient topics generating national attention. PwC’s Paula Loop highlights governance trends boards need to be aware of in 2020. It’s 2020 – the beginning of a new year and decade – and the dialogue and sentiment around business is changing. What are the...

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.

Technological advancements have caused an increase in the number of opportunities to commit fraud – and they’ve created innovative new ways to perpetrate and hide it. As a result, there has been an uptick in reported incidents over the past two years and audit committees are facing considerable challenges when dealing with the increase. Paula Loop outlines the role the audit committee...

Boards of Directors are looking farther out when developing their strategic plans, with a majority reporting that their strategy time horizon is at least five years. More and more Boards are factoring macro trends into their planning, and it’s becoming clear that building a strong talent pipeline, proactively reducing fraud risk and strengthening the tone at the top are key priorities as...

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...

Governance expert Paula Loop has worked with scores of CEOs over the years, and in her experience, many belong to one of two schools of thought when it comes to activist Board members. There are those that feel Board members experienced in the industry trump any activist and those that credit activists with keeping the organization competitive. Loop makes a compelling case...