Recent Publications


	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Corporate Secretaries' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description February 2018 \| Key Business Issues One of the most important attributes corporate secretaries seek in a director is the ability to analyze and properly respond to information received from management and other key resources.
	Are Directors Paid Too Much? An Analysis of Corporate Board Member Compensation from 1997-2012 February 2018 \| Director Notes Director excess compensation may be a sign of board entrenchment while an increase in overcompensation of directors reduces pay-for-performance sensitivity.
	What Is the 'New Paradigm' Framework? Highlights of The Conference Board Governance Center Fall 2017 Meeting January 25, 2018 \| Conference KeyNotes A central premise of Martin Lipton’s "New Paradigm" is that corporations and institutional investors can together forge a meaningful and successful private-sector solution.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Large Passive Investors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description November 2017 \| Key Business Issues Large passive investors—including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street Global Advisors—say the information management shares with the board is sometimes incomplete, and these investors want the corporate director to be knowledgeable enough to realize that.
	Sustainability in the Mainstream: Why Investors Care and What it Means for Corporate Boards November 2017 \| Director Notes Shareholder activism around ESG issues is less well-understood than the environmental and sustainability issues themselves.
	Environmental and Social Proposals in the 2017 Proxy Season September 2017 \| Director Notes The volume of environmental and social proposals at Russell 3000 companies has consistently gone up in the past five years. The uptick in successful E&S proposals can largely be attributed to a shift in the voting policies of traditionally passive investors.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description September 2017 \| Key Business Issues With the aim of fostering a common understanding among market participants, we ask different types of stakeholders to consider how the role of the director has evolved, what the current range of expectations is, and where gaps in understanding have resulted in conflict.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Active Investors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description September 2017 \| Key Business Issues Active short-term investors see the job of a corporate director as one that is defined and dictated by the struggle between director primacy and shareholder primacy.
	CEO and Executive Compensation Practices: 2017 Edition August 2017 \| Key Business Issues Total CEO compensation in the Russell 3000 increased for the seventh consecutive year. The 2016 median total of $3,843,380 was 5.9 percent higher than in 2015 and 54.8 percent higher than in 2010.
	Sharing the Lead: Examining the Causes and Consequences of Lead Independent Director Appointment August 2017 \| Director Notes The power balance between the CEO and the board largely determines how and whether a lead independent director is appointed as well as what effect the appointment has on firm performance and the likelihood of CEO/chair separation.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Directors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description August 2017 \| Key Business Issues When describing their own jobs, directors believe CEO succession planning, interactions with management, and shareholder engagement are among the most important issues.
	Board Oversight of Long-Term Value Creation and Preservation: What needs to change? July 2017 \| Director Notes This report provides a new approach for board risk oversight of company long-term value creation called objective centric ERM and internal audit.
	CEO Succession Report: 2017 Edition July 2017 \| Research Report Among the findings in this year's analysis of the S&P 500: CEO departures from underperforming companies reach a high not seen in 15 years, with spikes seen in retail and wholesale trade sector and the oil and gas extraction industry.
	Governance Outlook for Directors: Highlights of the 2017 The Conference Board /CED Spring Policy Conference July 2017 \| Conference Key Notes During the Committee for Economic Development/The Conference Board Spring Policy Conference in April 2017, two former SEC commissioners observed that parts of the Dodd-Frank Act might be vulnerable to some rollback through new congressional legislation and presidential actions.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job?: Proxy Advisors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description June 2017 \| Key Business Issues When describing the job of a public company board member, proxy advisors were not naturally inclined to draw up a list of qualifications and responsibilities. They focus on executive compensation and shareholder proposals. (First in a series)
	Short-Termism and Public Trust: Report from the Millstein Center General Counsel Summit September 2016 \| Conference Key Notes This summary of the General Counsel Corporate Governance Summit hosted by the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School in collaboration with The Conference Board Governance Center includes highlights of discussions on short-termism and the role of boards of directors and general counsel.
	Director Notes India: The Role of the Nomination Committee in Board Independence and Composition in Indian Companies March 2017 \| Director Notes By mandating a formal nomination and remuneration committee process, the Companies Act, 2013, has taken a significant step toward ushering in better and more transparent governance in Indian companies.
	Integrating Creating Shared Value and Corporate Governance: A Framework for Boards of Directors March 2017 \| Director Notes This Director Notes provides a framework for integrating CSV and corporate governance while examining five examples where a company has adopted the approach as a fundamental part of the company strategy by all parts of the corporation.
	Have We Reached a Tipping Point? Insights and Highlights from The Committee on Corporate Political Spending Meeting January 2017 \| Executive Action Report This publication depicts the highlights of a meeting of The Committee on Corporate Political Spending of The Conference Board Governance Center on the topic of corporate political spending disclosure.
	Effect of Gender Diversity on Board Decision-making: Interviews with Board Members and Stakeholders January 2017 \| Director Notes This Director Notes investigates the argument that adding women to boards is good business by looking at some supporting evidence from interviews conducted with French corporate board members and stakeholders in connection with a preliminary qualitative study about the quota system adopted in France in 2011.
	Is Universal Proxy in the Cards? Insights and Highlights from a Recent Roundtable January 2017 \| Executive Action Report The Conference Board Governance Center hosted more than 30 corporate governance practitioners to discuss the viability of mandatory versus optional universal proxy cards in contested director elections.
	A Strategic Cyber-Roadmap for the Board November 2016 \| Director Notes This Directors Notes reviews five director case studies of cyberrisk governance.
	Director Notes India: Regulation of Related Party Transactions in India November 2016 \| Director Notes India’s legal framework for regulating related party transactions has slowly converged toward international standards. The real import of the new standards will depend on the extent to which minority shareholders participate in the evaluation and voting rights they have been afforded.
	Every Other One: A Status Update on Women on Boards November 2016 \| Committee for Economic Development In this paper, CED outlines its plan for direct outreach to the nominating committees of prominent corporate boards and includes recommendations for expanding the criteria for qualified female board members.
	CEO Succession Practices: 2016 Edition October 2016 \| Key Business Issues CEO Succession Practices: 2016 Edition analyzes all CEO succession events at S&P 500 companies over the last 15 years with additional analysis based on 2016 survey findings.
	Key Dimensions of Effective CEO Succession October 2016 \| Key Business Issues This strategic overview for the C-suite provides a road map to help CEOs and directors organize succession planning, integrate it with board responsibilities, and ultimately define it as an ongoing element of business strategy.
	The Seven Pillars of Sustainability Leadership June 2016 \| Key Business Issues We identify a set of business practices most often associated with leadership in corporate sustainability, helping company leaders direct their sustainability efforts where they are most impactful.
	The Seven Pillars of Sustainability Leadership (CEO Business Implications) June 2016 \| Key Business Issues CEO engagement on sustainability issues is one of the most important drivers of leadership in corporate sustainability. We offer practical examples of how CEOs can strengthen their companies’ sustainability profiles.
	How Activist Investors Identify Their Targets June 2016 \| Director Notes The first phase of an activist’s campaign is perhaps the most important: identifying undervalued and attractive target companies.
	Handbook on Corporate Governance in India: Legal Standards and Board Practices January 2016 Recently introduced legal requirements are explained in light of the specific characteristics of India’s business ownership structures and put into the historical context of corporate governance reforms in the country.
	Activist Hedge Funds, Golden Leash Special Compensation Arrangements, and Advance Notice Bylaws 30 December 2015 This report discusses recent cases highlighting activist efforts to replace directors at target companies.
	Corporate Political Spending: Policies and Practices, Accountability and Disclosure (Second Edition) 30 November, 2015 This report provides companies with information to more easily assess the range of issues related to political activity and disclosure and to determine the best course of action for their businesses.
	Emerging Practices in Cyber Risk Governance October 2015 This report explores the lessons of the massive cyber hacks of Target, JP Morgan Chase, Anthem, and Sony and outlines best practices for proactive cyber risk governance.
	Is Short-Term Behavior Jeopardizing the Future Prosperity of Business? October 2015 A focus on short-term performance may come at the expense of sustainable value creation. Business leaders need to examine whether current governance structures are jeopardizing long-term performance and consider making adjustments.
	Market Performance and Pension Contributions Drive Rise in CEO Compensation, Prompting New Disclosure from Companies 27 August, 2015 A collaboration between The Conference Board and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., CEO and Executive Compensation Practices: 2015 Edition documents trends and developments in senior management compensation at companies that issue equity securities registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and were included in the Russell 3000 index as of May 2015.
	Business Case for Corporate Investment in ESG Practices July 2015 This report reviews empirical analyses of the return on investment in environmental, social, and governance initiatives and discusses why the positive correlations found by some academics remain disputed by others.
	Next Frontier for Boards: Oversight of Risk Culture July 2015 This report provides board members an overview of new risk oversight expectations, outlines potential handicaps they may encounter, and offers suggestions for overseeing their company’s risk culture.
	CEO Succession Practices: 2015 Edition April 2015 CEO Succession Practices: 2015 Edition documents CEO turnover among S&P 500 companies, provides an analysis of annual data dating back to 2001, and discusses the correlation between CEO succession and company performance.
	Rethinking Today’s Succession Strategies to Address Tomorrow’s Business Reality: Insights from the 2014 Succession Management Conference February 2015 To successfully address future business challenges, organizations need to be strategic about how they plan for future leadership. This includes identifying high performers early and preparing leaders through experiential learning.
	Diversity on Corporate Boards: How Much Difference Does “Difference” Make? January 2015 This report evaluates the case for diversity on corporate boards of directors in light of competing research findings and suggests strategies to promote more inclusive boards.
	Conference Board CEO Challenge® 2015: US Edition January 2015 With modest global economic growth expected, US CEOs view Human Capital in all its forms as the primary fuel that will drive the engines of growth in their organizations.
	Navigating the Sustainability Transformation January 2015 This report describes a four-stage model for companies to progress from engaging initially with sustainability to accelerating, leading, and, ultimately, transforming their businesses.

View past publications, please visit Archives.


	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Corporate Secretaries' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description February 2018 \| Key Business Issues One of the most important attributes corporate secretaries seek in a director is the ability to analyze and properly respond to information received from management and other key resources.
	Are Directors Paid Too Much? An Analysis of Corporate Board Member Compensation from 1997-2012 February 2018 \| Director Notes Director excess compensation may be a sign of board entrenchment while an increase in overcompensation of directors reduces pay-for-performance sensitivity.
	What Is the 'New Paradigm' Framework? Highlights of The Conference Board Governance Center Fall 2017 Meeting January 25, 2018 \| Conference KeyNotes A central premise of Martin Lipton’s "New Paradigm" is that corporations and institutional investors can together forge a meaningful and successful private-sector solution.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Large Passive Investors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description November 2017 \| Key Business Issues Large passive investors—including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street Global Advisors—say the information management shares with the board is sometimes incomplete, and these investors want the corporate director to be knowledgeable enough to realize that.
	Sustainability in the Mainstream: Why Investors Care and What it Means for Corporate Boards November 2017 \| Director Notes Shareholder activism around ESG issues is less well-understood than the environmental and sustainability issues themselves.
	Environmental and Social Proposals in the 2017 Proxy Season September 2017 \| Director Notes The volume of environmental and social proposals at Russell 3000 companies has consistently gone up in the past five years. The uptick in successful E&S proposals can largely be attributed to a shift in the voting policies of traditionally passive investors.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description September 2017 \| Key Business Issues With the aim of fostering a common understanding among market participants, we ask different types of stakeholders to consider how the role of the director has evolved, what the current range of expectations is, and where gaps in understanding have resulted in conflict.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Active Investors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description September 2017 \| Key Business Issues Active short-term investors see the job of a corporate director as one that is defined and dictated by the struggle between director primacy and shareholder primacy.
	CEO and Executive Compensation Practices: 2017 Edition August 2017 \| Key Business Issues Total CEO compensation in the Russell 3000 increased for the seventh consecutive year. The 2016 median total of $3,843,380 was 5.9 percent higher than in 2015 and 54.8 percent higher than in 2010.
	Sharing the Lead: Examining the Causes and Consequences of Lead Independent Director Appointment August 2017 \| Director Notes The power balance between the CEO and the board largely determines how and whether a lead independent director is appointed as well as what effect the appointment has on firm performance and the likelihood of CEO/chair separation.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job? Directors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description August 2017 \| Key Business Issues When describing their own jobs, directors believe CEO succession planning, interactions with management, and shareholder engagement are among the most important issues.
	Board Oversight of Long-Term Value Creation and Preservation: What needs to change? July 2017 \| Director Notes This report provides a new approach for board risk oversight of company long-term value creation called objective centric ERM and internal audit.
	CEO Succession Report: 2017 Edition July 2017 \| Research Report Among the findings in this year's analysis of the S&P 500: CEO departures from underperforming companies reach a high not seen in 15 years, with spikes seen in retail and wholesale trade sector and the oil and gas extraction industry.
	Governance Outlook for Directors: Highlights of the 2017 The Conference Board /CED Spring Policy Conference July 2017 \| Conference Key Notes During the Committee for Economic Development/The Conference Board Spring Policy Conference in April 2017, two former SEC commissioners observed that parts of the Dodd-Frank Act might be vulnerable to some rollback through new congressional legislation and presidential actions.
	Just What Is the Corporate Director's Job?: Proxy Advisors' Perspectives on the Board Member's Job Description June 2017 \| Key Business Issues When describing the job of a public company board member, proxy advisors were not naturally inclined to draw up a list of qualifications and responsibilities. They focus on executive compensation and shareholder proposals. (First in a series)
	Short-Termism and Public Trust: Report from the Millstein Center General Counsel Summit September 2016 \| Conference Key Notes This summary of the General Counsel Corporate Governance Summit hosted by the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School in collaboration with The Conference Board Governance Center includes highlights of discussions on short-termism and the role of boards of directors and general counsel.
	Director Notes India: The Role of the Nomination Committee in Board Independence and Composition in Indian Companies March 2017 \| Director Notes By mandating a formal nomination and remuneration committee process, the Companies Act, 2013, has taken a significant step toward ushering in better and more transparent governance in Indian companies.
	Integrating Creating Shared Value and Corporate Governance: A Framework for Boards of Directors March 2017 \| Director Notes This Director Notes provides a framework for integrating CSV and corporate governance while examining five examples where a company has adopted the approach as a fundamental part of the company strategy by all parts of the corporation.
	Have We Reached a Tipping Point? Insights and Highlights from The Committee on Corporate Political Spending Meeting January 2017 \| Executive Action Report This publication depicts the highlights of a meeting of The Committee on Corporate Political Spending of The Conference Board Governance Center on the topic of corporate political spending disclosure.
	Effect of Gender Diversity on Board Decision-making: Interviews with Board Members and Stakeholders January 2017 \| Director Notes This Director Notes investigates the argument that adding women to boards is good business by looking at some supporting evidence from interviews conducted with French corporate board members and stakeholders in connection with a preliminary qualitative study about the quota system adopted in France in 2011.
	Is Universal Proxy in the Cards? Insights and Highlights from a Recent Roundtable January 2017 \| Executive Action Report The Conference Board Governance Center hosted more than 30 corporate governance practitioners to discuss the viability of mandatory versus optional universal proxy cards in contested director elections.
	A Strategic Cyber-Roadmap for the Board November 2016 \| Director Notes This Directors Notes reviews five director case studies of cyberrisk governance.
	Director Notes India: Regulation of Related Party Transactions in India November 2016 \| Director Notes India’s legal framework for regulating related party transactions has slowly converged toward international standards. The real import of the new standards will depend on the extent to which minority shareholders participate in the evaluation and voting rights they have been afforded.
	Every Other One: A Status Update on Women on Boards November 2016 \| Committee for Economic Development In this paper, CED outlines its plan for direct outreach to the nominating committees of prominent corporate boards and includes recommendations for expanding the criteria for qualified female board members.
	CEO Succession Practices: 2016 Edition October 2016 \| Key Business Issues CEO Succession Practices: 2016 Edition analyzes all CEO succession events at S&P 500 companies over the last 15 years with additional analysis based on 2016 survey findings.
	Key Dimensions of Effective CEO Succession October 2016 \| Key Business Issues This strategic overview for the C-suite provides a road map to help CEOs and directors organize succession planning, integrate it with board responsibilities, and ultimately define it as an ongoing element of business strategy.
	The Seven Pillars of Sustainability Leadership June 2016 \| Key Business Issues We identify a set of business practices most often associated with leadership in corporate sustainability, helping company leaders direct their sustainability efforts where they are most impactful.
	The Seven Pillars of Sustainability Leadership (CEO Business Implications) June 2016 \| Key Business Issues CEO engagement on sustainability issues is one of the most important drivers of leadership in corporate sustainability. We offer practical examples of how CEOs can strengthen their companies’ sustainability profiles.
	How Activist Investors Identify Their Targets June 2016 \| Director Notes The first phase of an activist’s campaign is perhaps the most important: identifying undervalued and attractive target companies.
	Handbook on Corporate Governance in India: Legal Standards and Board Practices January 2016 Recently introduced legal requirements are explained in light of the specific characteristics of India’s business ownership structures and put into the historical context of corporate governance reforms in the country.
	Activist Hedge Funds, Golden Leash Special Compensation Arrangements, and Advance Notice Bylaws 30 December 2015 This report discusses recent cases highlighting activist efforts to replace directors at target companies.
	Corporate Political Spending: Policies and Practices, Accountability and Disclosure (Second Edition) 30 November, 2015 This report provides companies with information to more easily assess the range of issues related to political activity and disclosure and to determine the best course of action for their businesses.
	Emerging Practices in Cyber Risk Governance October 2015 This report explores the lessons of the massive cyber hacks of Target, JP Morgan Chase, Anthem, and Sony and outlines best practices for proactive cyber risk governance.
	Is Short-Term Behavior Jeopardizing the Future Prosperity of Business? October 2015 A focus on short-term performance may come at the expense of sustainable value creation. Business leaders need to examine whether current governance structures are jeopardizing long-term performance and consider making adjustments.
	Market Performance and Pension Contributions Drive Rise in CEO Compensation, Prompting New Disclosure from Companies 27 August, 2015 A collaboration between The Conference Board and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., CEO and Executive Compensation Practices: 2015 Edition documents trends and developments in senior management compensation at companies that issue equity securities registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and were included in the Russell 3000 index as of May 2015.
	Business Case for Corporate Investment in ESG Practices July 2015 This report reviews empirical analyses of the return on investment in environmental, social, and governance initiatives and discusses why the positive correlations found by some academics remain disputed by others.
	Next Frontier for Boards: Oversight of Risk Culture July 2015 This report provides board members an overview of new risk oversight expectations, outlines potential handicaps they may encounter, and offers suggestions for overseeing their company’s risk culture.
	CEO Succession Practices: 2015 Edition April 2015 CEO Succession Practices: 2015 Edition documents CEO turnover among S&P 500 companies, provides an analysis of annual data dating back to 2001, and discusses the correlation between CEO succession and company performance.
	Rethinking Today’s Succession Strategies to Address Tomorrow’s Business Reality: Insights from the 2014 Succession Management Conference February 2015 To successfully address future business challenges, organizations need to be strategic about how they plan for future leadership. This includes identifying high performers early and preparing leaders through experiential learning.
	Diversity on Corporate Boards: How Much Difference Does “Difference” Make? January 2015 This report evaluates the case for diversity on corporate boards of directors in light of competing research findings and suggests strategies to promote more inclusive boards.
	Conference Board CEO Challenge® 2015: US Edition January 2015 With modest global economic growth expected, US CEOs view Human Capital in all its forms as the primary fuel that will drive the engines of growth in their organizations.
	Navigating the Sustainability Transformation January 2015 This report describes a four-stage model for companies to progress from engaging initially with sustainability to accelerating, leading, and, ultimately, transforming their businesses.

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