Corporate Governance Briefs

Research on corporate sustainability reporting finds that large U.S. companies, even in the absence of domestic nonfinancial reporting requirements, are more transparent than their peers in much of the world. Sustainability disclosure by U.S. companies is largely driven by pressure from stakeholders.

In advising non-director officers about conduct that could give rise to fiduciary claims, it is prudent to routinely advise that they take steps to meet the conditions of the business judgment rule. However, practitioners should also keep in mind that there may be a question whether officers will be entitled to that protection.

Sophie L’Helias, a senior fellow with The Conference Board Governance Center and founder of the LeaderXXchange, was named to Global Proxy Watch’s “2018 GPW 10” list.

This Q&A with Norm Prestage discusses the job of the corporate director from his perspective as a partner with EY. He feels like the best directors have a deep understanding of company strategy and risk profile, act as a sounding board for management, and are keenly aware of stakeholder concerns.

This Q&A with Sharad Jain discusses the job of the corporate director from his perspective as a partner with PwC’s Governance Insights Center. He touches upon topics like the external auditor’s direct reporting line to the audit committee and the challenge of a board’s oversight of a company’s tone at the top.