Skip to content

31 January, 2023

Subscribe Advertise About Us
  • My Account
  • Register
  • Log In
  • Log Out

Board Agenda

  • Governance
  • Strategy
  • Risk
  • Ethics
  • News
    • Categories

      • View All
      • Board Moves
    • stakeholder governance

      Threat to stakeholder governance from Twitter sale ‘overstated’

      Academics and experts argue stakeholder governance will always come second while the law puts the...

    • Davos resilience News round-up: this week in governance

      Lessons from Davos; companies risk sliding back on ethical practices; economics affects everyone; Sir John...

    • audit reform UK Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’

      The Financial Reporting Council still awaits the proposed new statutory powers that would allow it...

  • Insight
    • Categories

      • View all
      • Governance
      • Strategy
      • Risk
      • Ethics
      • Board Expertise
      • finance
      • Technology
    • climate litigation

      Climate litigation: how 2022 will shape 2023

      This past year saw a rise in climate litigation, with a focus on the commercial...

    • value whistleblowing

      Why we need to value whistleblowing

      Encouraging staff to speak up and stop harm can reduce legal and reputational risk—both for...

    • HR corporate trust

      HR: How to build employee trust in corporate culture

      The right HR director is essential to lead on a culture that gets the best...

  • Comment
      • View all
    • A week of business moving to the centre of human rights

      A week of events signals the initiatives underway to have companies play a central role...

    • audit reform IIA Why we need audit reform right now

      There is an "urgent need" for reform to the audit landscape as well as internal...

    • climate change energy crisis Sustainability and climate change: the other energy crisis

      The world is addicted to cheap energy. We need to admit this and have the...

  • Interviews
      • View All Interviews
      • Podcasts
      • Webinars
    • Board priorities 2023 Board priorities 2023: tact, trust and transparency

      We asked key figures what would help boards this year. The answers ranged from 'smarter...

    • Group of investors/shareholders in glass building Climate issues likely to figure prominently at next year’s AGMs

      A recent webinar heard that say-on-climate voting is expected to rise, while ESG remains a...

    • NEDs role NEDs ‘needed more than ever’ in times of uncertainty

      The non-executive director’s role is to both challenge and listen to management, agreed the panel...

  • Careers
      • View all
      • Selection
      • Board Moves
    • NED recruitment News round-up: this week in governance

      Your country needs NEDs; governance does not compute; financial firms get more women on board;...

    • HR corporate trust HR: How to build employee trust in corporate culture

      The right HR director is essential to lead on a culture that gets the best...

    • powerful CEOs Boards want powerful CEOs in tough times

      Single-minded chief executives have greater staying ability when business conditions are uncertain, research finds

  • Resource Centre
      • White Paper Downloads
      • Book Reviews
      • Corporate & Advisory Services
    • Edelman Trust Barometer 2023

      2023 Edelman Trust Barometer

      The report is the result of the Edelman Trust Institute's research, which sampled more than...

    • Sophos 2023 Threat Report

      Barriers to entry for would-be cybercriminals are lower, with tools and tactics becoming available to...

    • The C-Suite Outlook 2023: On the Edge

      The Conference Board 2023 C-Suite Outlook survey reveals the events that C-suite executives see as...

  • Events
  • Search by topic
    • Governance
    • Strategy
    • Risk
    • Ethics
    • Regulation
    • ESG
    • Investor Relations
    • Selection
    • Board Expertise
    • finance
    • Technology

Top stories of 2020: climate, coronavirus and stakeholder capitalism

by Gavin Hinks on December 23, 2020

While the Covid-19 pandemic dominated the 2020 news agenda, it also put a host of other corporate governance issues in the spotlight.

2020 in review stamp

Image: Marekuliasz/Shutterstock

This year has been one of the most disruptive, enraging, fear-inducing and thought-provoking years on record. The UK entered 2020 with a new government focused on implementing Brexit, yet by the spring the country was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus coloured the rest of the year and continues to hold the world to ransom. Business and governance has had to adapt. And it has underlined the need for boards to think much about their stakeholders: employees, suppliers and customers. A selection of our top stories from 2020 reflect this.

1. UK government set to implement mandatory TCFD reporting

A core element to pushing business to integrate climate change risks into their strategic thinking has been to persuade them to disclose their thinking. TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) reporting launched in 2017 as a voluntary measure, though with the backing of international leaders. In February this year the UK government indicated it would become mandatory: change was not coming fast enough and investors were calling for more information. British business received a timetable for implementing TCFD in the autumn but the countdown really began at the beginning of the year

2. Stream team: how to make your virtual board meetings a success

One immediate effect of the pandemic was to force board meetings to go virtual as governments enforced lockdowns around the world. Directors and chairs had to adapt and acquire new skills fast.

3. Covid-19 is a new systemic risk. What are the implications for governance?

As the pandemic crisis deepened it became clear that Covid would have a more profound effect than merely pushing board meetings onto Zoom. George Dallas of ICGN looked at the governance priorities.

4. Australian parliamentary report slams Rio Tinto board and culture

Rio Tinto’s destruction of the archeology treasure at Juukan Gorge was a story as soon as it happened. This month a report from parliamentarians took aim at the company’s governance.

5. Risk report reveals pandemic forced companies to review strategy

Board Agenda teamed up with Mazars to research boardroom approaches to risk. Our survey revealed the pandemic was rapidly changing business models and uncovered a worrying lack of attention to other key risks such as climate change.

6. What’s a company for? An answer from ancient Greece

If governance in 2020 was shaped by the pandemic so too had it prompted some big philosophy questions for corporates. Sandy Pepper offered our readers a philosopher’s answer.

7. BDO now biggest auditor in the UK by listed clients

Audit, audit firms and the audit market have been topics of debate and speculation all year as the corporate world waited for signs of reform long promised by the government. But our most popular item proved to be BDO’s rise to be the country’s largest auditor by number of clients. The times seemed to be changing regardless of government intervention.

8. Biden presidency set to bring corporate governance shift

The November election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was perhaps the biggest global event after the pandemic and climate change. After four years of Donald Trump it was inevitable that their rise to the White House would mean big changes for governance. We looked at the possibilities.

9. Will Covid-19 accelerate the shift to stakeholder governance?

Since Davos at the beginning of the year there has been simmering debate about the emergence of stakeholder governance and what it might it look like. Luca Giacalone’s article explored the topic, catching our readers’ attention with its analysis of shareholder expectations.

10. Questions non-execs should ask before joining the board

While turmoil seemed to grip the world there were more practical issues on the minds of some of our readers. Nada Kakabadse examined the due diligence non-executives should undertake before taking the plunge to join a new board.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail

Related Posts

  • Shawn Purvis named as president and CEO of QinetiQ US
    January 31, 2022
    QinetiQ logo and website

    Purvis is currently corporate vice president at Northrop Grumman Corporation, where she leads the firm's enterprise services sector.

  • Climate leadership: meeting the challenges of ESG
    April 5, 2022
    Businessman with ESG and climate items

    A new certification programme aims to equip boardrooms with knowledge to confront the challenges and opportunities presented by climate risk.

  • FRC warns over climate disclosures ahead of COP26 summit
    October 27, 2021
    COP26 flag

    Regulator's annual review of corporate reporting says it will be “closely revising how companies report against the new TCFD requirements”.

  • Audit committee chairs 'are confusing quality of audit and quality of service'
    February 2, 2022
    Calculator on top of business report

    FRC report also warns that audit committee chairs have a "negative perception of joint audits", despite this being a key reform proposal.

For thoughtful journalism, expert insights on corporate governance and an extensive library of reports, guides and tools to help boards and directors navigate the complexities of their roles, subscribe to Board Agenda

audit, climate risk, coronavirus, corporate purpose, ethics, non-executive directors, remote working, stakeholder capitalism, stakeholders, US election

Search


Sign up to our Newsletter

Receive independent news, thoughtful journalism & expert insights about leadership, corporate governance & key boardroom issues straight to your inbox every week.

SIGN UP

Follow Us

 

 

 

 

Most Popular

  • Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’
  • Elon Musk weighs in against ISS and Glass Lewis
  • News round-up: this week in governance
  • Activist investor campaigns rise back up to pre-Covid levels
  • How to ensure stakeholders trust your sustainability reporting
 

Featured Partner Profile

Diligent

Diligent

Diligent Corporation, which was founded in 2001, is headquartered in New York, NY with a European HQ in London. Diligent’s modern governance platform empowers leaders and teams at every level of the organisation to digitally transform and create ...

Featured Partner Resources

2022 AGM Season Forecast: An Eye on The Horizon

To help prepare for AGMs in 2022, Equiniti (EQ) hi...

Stakeholder Engagement: A Roadmap for UK Plc Boards

This guide aims to provide directors and their col...

Digital Boards: How Technology Adoption is Driving Culture Change and Resiliency

Digital tools proved their worth to boards during ...
Leadership in AI report

Leadership in AI

This report from Board Agenda and Mazars, in assoc...
Creativity in a Crisis: a Boardroom Map for Innovation

Creativity in a Crisis: a Boardroom Map for Innovation

In the uncertain times at the height of any crisis...
Board Directors Guide to D&O Liability Insurance - November 2020 - AIG & Board Agenda

Board Directors' Guide to D&O Liability Insurance

Directors face liability over a range of new threa...
Leadership-in-Risk-Management-Board-Report

Leadership in Risk Management: Board Report

Board Agenda, in association with Mazars and INSEA...
Director's Guide to Internal Investigations

A Director's Guide to Conducting Internal Investigations

An internal investigation must be handled meticulo...

 


 

ADVERTISE – FREE CORPORATE LISTING

FREE - Add your company profile to our Corporate & Advisory Directory.
ADD

ADVERTISE – PROMOTE YOUR REPORTS & WHITEPAPERS

FREE - Add your company profile to our Corporate & Advisory Directory.
Add Resource

Register Free

Register to receive free article views, selected resource downloads, and all the latest news alerts straight to your inbox. Register


  • Editors & Contributors
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Corporate & Advisory Services
  • Media Marketing Solutions
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Board Director Network
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Sitemap
|