Governance

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...

As the economic disruption from the COVID-19 response continues, we are likely to see significant impact not only to general business operations, but also to the directors and officers (D&O) liability market. Farella Braun + Martel’s Mary McCutcheon discusses. As companies scramble to mitigate losses arising from government shelter-in-place directives intended to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the...

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that corporate boards adequately respond to challenges. Due to the unprecedented impact, PwC has published guidance on how corporate boards should appropriately respond to shifting business operations, tax policy, financial reporting and governance. Instant Download: Read It Now Can’t see the download form? Disable your ad blocker.

BDO has just published its 2020 Shareholder Meeting Agenda, which digs in to the key shareholder issues that corporate management and boards should be prepared to discuss. Heading into their annual meetings, shareholders have made clear that a strong corporate culture and actions to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are as important as navigating regulatory changes and growth...

It's no secret that serving as a corporate director today is more challenging than ever before. Between the escalating pace of chance, the increasingly public profile of boards and the growing set of existential risks that companies face, one could argue that modern directors have more on their plates now than at any other time in history. The latest report...