國際脈動

Directors should understand the terminology of governance. To increase board effectiveness, explain these concepts which are sometimes confusing to volunteer leaders.

In the past two decades, executives responsible for corporate sustainability (CSEs) have been showing up in a growing number of C-suites across the globe.

You have a dream. Call it“The American Dream.” It’s a business. It’s driven by your keen insight. You launch it. The market responds. You find yourself with a sustaining business.

Following an uncertain and volatile 2019, directors can’t be blamed for hoping things will pick up as 2020 and the new decade unfolds. However, life in the boardroom may be just as challenging or even more so.

More than one third of investor targets globally are directly identified by the investor relations team, according to recent research from IR Magazine. There’s no question that this number has increased due to the effects of Mifid II and the changes to corporate access it has initiated.

EXPECTATIONS of environmental sustainability are now extending beyond multinationals to include their suppliers. The result is smaller players, like many Singaporean family-owned businesses, need to adapt or face removal from the supply chain. But change is easier said than done.

Whether preemptively embraced by enlightened business leaders — or pushed by customers, employees, regulators and investors — companies today have no choice but to balance maximizing near-term profits with broader, longer-term social and community goals.

Among the largest 500 publicly traded U.S. companies by revenue, the share of female directors rose to 25.9% last year from 18.9% in 2015, research firm Equilar found in the study, released on Jan. 30. The rise, which quickened last year, came as more companies disclose details on directors’ gender and race.

As a venture capital investor who was previously a Chief Information Security Officer, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon: although cybersecurity makes the news often and is top of mind for consumers and business customers, it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves by the board of directors.