All Briefs

When Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset management firm announced that he expects companies to consider their business in the context of climate change and that sustainable investments are the way forward, he added to mounting pressures on corporations to address environmental, social, and governance issues, experts and investor advocates said.

Join communication expert Nick Morgan as he discusses his new book, Can You Hear Me?: How to Connect with People in a Virtual World, which outlines five big problems with virtual communication and offers entrepreneurs, business professionals, and managers a clear path forward for helping us connect better with others in a more virtual world.

Nearly a quarter of companies expect to increase their funding for the arts in the next 12 months, and only seven percent expect to decrease arts funding. Companies can use the arts to improve the economy and quality of life in communities and to foster creativity in their workforce. Partnerships with arts organizations provide interesting opportunities for companies to engage employees, promote diversity, and drive innovation.

Deloitte’s Center for Board Effectiveness, a member of The Conference Board Governance Center, has released its 2018 Audit Committee Resource Guide. It offers practical considerations and resources to help audit committee members execute their responsibilities by outlining regulatory requirements, questions to consider, and tools and resources available from governance organizations.

During the second quarter of 2018, the Governance Center released three pieces of research that cover the activist hedge funds’ perspective on the corporate director job, ESG ratings and ranking initiatives, and the EU Circular Economy legislative package.

Governance Center member PwC Governance Insights Center, in conjunction with Diligent and Boardroom Resources, is hosting a webinar at 2:30 p.m. EST May 23 about the value of adding younger directors to a corporate board.

As part of a research project on board-shareholder engagement practices, The Conference Board and Rutgers Law School are conducting a confidential survey of corporate secretaries, general counsel, and chief legal officers.

Over the first two months of 2018, The Governance Center has released three pieces of research that cover the corporate secretaries’ perspective on the corporate director job, the “New Paradigm” corporate governance framework for directors and investors, and the impact of excessive director compensation.

Shareholder activists are generally well-intentioned, but they're not always right. They don't always understand board-CEO dynamics or the firm-specific costs and benefits of splitting the CEO-chairman roles.