Governance

Deloitte and the Society for Corporate Governance are pleased to announce the collaborative launch of the Board Practices Quarterly, a new series of periodic reports based upon brief surveys of Society members. The Quarterly replaces the long-standing Board Practices Report to offer insights and benchmarking data more frequently. The landmark events of 2020 surrounding systemic racism and racial equality have led many companies...

Bookended by a global health emergency and a contentious U.S. election, with a new era of social unrest erupting in between, 2020 has brought rapid change and historic disruption to all areas of the economy and life in general. Corporate boardrooms felt the impact as well. PwC's 2020 Annual Corporate Directors Survey highlights some ways directors are rising to the...

As the world starts to accept the possibility of the pandemic as a long-term reality, corporate boards have begun to consider the immediate and permanent changes that may be required in the workplace. BTG Legal’s Prashant Mara discusses the key choices companies may face and provides guidance on how they can best implement their decisions. COVID-19 continues to disrupt the...

2020 has become one the most disruptive years in history. A global pandemic, wildfires, drought and social upheaval brought on by police violence and the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Risk management has never been more important. Global Compliance Associates, LLC, an enterprise risk management consulting firm, has conducted a first-of-its-kind study examining advancements in risk performance of corporate...

As the pandemic continues to take its toll on the economy and on the wider world, corporations have been forced to change the day-to-day at all levels; the crisis has particularly altered the longstanding relationship between boards and management. Dottie Schindlinger and Kira Ciccarelli from The Diligent Institute detail this shift and how it might continue to change moving forward....

The makeup of private equity firm boards is still largely homogeneous, but PE firms ought to be taking the lead in advancing diversity. Diligent’s Brian Stafford discusses how PE firms and their boards are in a good position to spur change. The growing Black Lives Matter movement and protests over systemic racism have expanded globally, catalyzing public demand for corporations...

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...

The future of crisis management has already arrived, and disruptive risks won’t wait for boards and management teams to catch up. Management consultant Joydip Dey opines on the importance of preparedness and agility in responding to a crisis. The current pandemic, which has challenged businesses like never before, has also got them thinking about the quality of their board of...

In this crisis, some companies have flailed, but some have fared relatively fine. Why such a disparity in outcomes? Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director of Diligent Institute, shares what COVID-19 has taught us about continuity, crises and corporate boards. The Covid-19 pandemic is not the first crisis that corporate directors have faced, but in terms of its complexity, scale, economic impact...

The post-COVID-19 pandemic world is almost certain to see an increased focus on climate change and social issues, further underscoring why strong ESG performance is now an imperative. It conveys the potential for more sustainable financial performance, lower employee turnover and reduced regulatory risk. Protiviti’s Jim DeLoach discusses the importance of strong ESG reporting. In recent years, it has often...

Given the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus pandemic, shareholder meeting season this year is far from business as usual. BDO’s Amy Rojik and Tim Kviz explore the forms of relief companies should understand and take advantage of as we adjust to the “new normal.” The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to disrupt life as we know it across the globe, and...

As we move into proxy season, BDO’s Richard Smith and Judy Canavan discuss notable areas to watch for – including scoring, incentives and contractual payments and arrangements – and they reflect on how COVID-19 is affecting things. As proxy season enters full swing, proxy advisory firms and institutional investors are closely watching corporations’ responsiveness to their recommendations and concerns. As...