Traditional industries are being disrupted by agile, innovative startups faster than ever before. In that context, new and diverse ways of thinking are required for larger and more established organisations to respond to new market dynamics, evolving customer needs and increasingly complex technolog...

So, in case you missed it, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into play in May 2018. This is the biggest shake-up of data-protection laws in decades and will affect every organisation in Europe. With it we see a multitude of obligations that require companies to securely and eff...

Artificial intelligence (AI) warrants the close attention of the board because it presents opportunities when applied well and risks when applied badly. Organisations that successfully exploit AI can disrupt the market, drive growth and manage their commercial risk. Yet, AI technologies also present...

Compliance is becoming more important as a variable that senior decision-makers must consider when choosing international expansion locations. At the same time, legal and tax teams need to know what jurisdictions are complex for handling compliance issues.

The Board Leadership in Corporate Culture: European Report 2017, produced by Mazars and Board Agenda in association with INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre, is the first survey of its kind to measure how effective boards and directors across Europe are at leading and managing corporate cultu...

The Board Leadership in Corporate Sustainability: European Report 2018, produced by Mazars and Board Agenda in association with INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre, measures how boards and directors across Europe are leading and managing corporate sustainability, which has become a p...

Few developments have been as influential on business as outsourcing. For boards around the world the benefit of outsourcing has moved from simply reducing costs to providing the opportunity for competitive advantage and strategic transformation. Boardroom Insights: The risks & rewards of...

Financial services firms are facing an unprecedented raft of challenges. The Future-Proofing Financial Services – Insight Report 2019, produced by Board Agenda in partnership with Mazars, looks at the principles of effective governance and board practices within the financial se...

At a time of rapid advances in technology and market transformation, business executives need to be fit for the future, not just for the present. And this is perhaps most important for members of the board, those that are charged with the oversight of the business. In a technology-enabled transfo...

Board-level risk management activities vary in organisations as a result of internal and external factors. This new report from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) highlights common challenges and good practices to overcome risk management difficulties. It includes the ‘risk ...

The Global Business Complexity Index, sponsored by TMF Group, looks at the complexity of operating businesses in countries around the world. Since the 2018 report, the landscape has become more challenging. Trade disputes, tariffs, rising nationalism and Brexit point to a shift from globalisation to...

Board Agenda, in association with Mazars and INSEAD, asked C-suite executives and non-executives about their preparedness for a pandemic in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, as well as gauging their changing attitude to risk and their views of the current risk environment.

This report introduces a new model for integrated thinking, called the ‘spring model’, having been developed by the participants of the IIRC’s Integrated Thinking & Strategy Group over the last two years as they embed integrated thinking within their own organisations, as well as sharing t...

The Global Business Complexity Index 2020 provides an authoritative overview of the complexity of establishing and operating businesses around the world. It explores factors that drive the success or failure of international business, with a focus on operating in foreign markets, and outlines key th...

We know from discussions with stakeholders that retendering and auditor rotation contributes to improved confidence in audit and we have also seen evidence of competition on grounds of audit quality. Thus, the FRC considers it a good time to update its notes on how best to support an effective tende...

The primary purpose of the Guidance on Board Effectiveness is to stimulate boards’ thinking on how they can carry out their role and encourage them to focus on continually improving their effectiveness. Ultimately, it is for individual boards to decide on the governance arrangements most appropria...

In the uncertain times at the height of any crisis, business leaders need to demonstrate their agility and ability to adapt to new, unrecognisable environments. Board directors will play a key role in enabling this spirit of leadership, not just through securing the business but empowering a platfor...

Directors and officers looking to buy liability insurance are caught in a perfect storm. They face new and evolving risks at a time when the D&O insurance market is adjusting to a more hostile environment for directors, with increased litigation and regulatory actions. As a result, the cost and ...

An internal investigation must be handled meticulously to avoid legal exposure, regulatory or criminal prosecution and reputational damage, and enable the board to comply with its obligations. This guide seeks to empower company directors in dealings with the authorities should an internal invest...

Boards are coming under more scrutiny and pressure than ever before from regulators, investors and the public to be effective and to continually raise their performance. More accountability is called for, which brings further complexity ...

Diligent has hosted over 100 director interviews, virtual roundtables, webinars and podcasts since COVID-19 began. We’ve summed up our findings in a report, which offers a snapshot of corporate boardrooms right now.

Whether it’s a lack of engagement or security, poorly executed virtual meetings can lessen productivity, weaken camaraderie, and (most importantly) compromise sensitive information at all levels of an organisation. As video conferences become an increasingly important collaboration tool for board...

The ever-changing corporate landscape is making the AGM season a more uncertain time. In 2020, we are expecting more developments. Challenges will come from increasingly confident investors and proxy advisers whose expectations are likely to be higher than the new codes and standards. To help you...

Diversity in the boardroom is now seen as good business practice—supporting enhanced decision-making, market understanding and employee engagement. Regulators and investors see the value in board diversity, and are willing to engage on the issue where weaknesses are identified. There is also a pen...

The impact of digital transformation changes virtually every aspect of an organisation, and corporate boards are no exception. As an organisation becomes more agile, reduces cycle times and adopts analytics-driven processes, becoming a real-time entity, so, too, must the board that governs it. This ...

Digital transformation and new technology is rapidly changing each aspect of an organisation, which is greatly impacting how boards operate. Understanding how to use technology to drive more benefit to an organisation is of the utmost importance. Enterprise Governance Management (EGM) is an emerging...

The United Nations Foundation, together with the UN Global Compact, UNFPA, and a number of women’s empowerment experts, aims to pull together the best practices in investing in workplace women’s health and empowerment from companies over the last ten years, providing a clear set of steps and con...

While some companies are driving forward and making deep transformational changes to our industries and/or implementing policies that support the delivery of a net-zero carbon economy, collectively these transformations are not ambitious enough to decarbonise entire economies. They also, quite often...

The United Nations Global Compact and Russell Reynolds Associates set out on a collaboration to answer an important question: how can organizations make sustainability core to the DNA of their leadership teams? To answer this, we conducted in-depth interviews and did background analysis on a group o...

Sustainability reporting has come a long way. During this time, companies have started to take a more balanced approach to reporting and the evolution of reporting formats to better connect with audiences beyond traditional reporting stakeholders. The main report continues to focus on the WBCSD's ev...

Boards are being bombarded by new regulatory requirements. The list of people to whom they are expected to be accountable continues to grow, as does the list of issues on their agenda, including many that simply didn’t exist until relatively recently. Over the same period there have been enormous...

EY's first annual risk barometer is based on a survey of non-executive directors (NEDs) from leading FTSE companies, conducted to understand the key issues facing boards. It reveals that, as businesses face greater complexity, the NED role is becoming more demanding. This is only likely to intensify...

The Sustainability Board Report aims to showcase different dimensions of good corporate governance and the importance of sustainable corporate leadership. By drawing out best practice and changes over time, it also aims to help organisations learn from their peers and competitors and understand the ...

The Annual Corporate Governance Review is divided into two parts for the first time in its history. As a result, you receive important 2020 proxy season voting results and 2021 season predictions in a timelier manner than before. Part I, released in September 2020, provides a comprehensive review...

This review provides a thorough analysis of the seven major markets where Georgeson has a widespread client base. As the world’s leading shareholder engagement firm and corporate governance adviser, Georgeson works hard to ensure that clients understand the critical issues, trends and personaliti...

Less than two years is the amount of time remaining for FTSE 100 companies to respond to the recommendations made by the Parker Review Steering Committee. “One by ’21” seemed achievable in 2017, but as we enter 2020, while there are early signs of progress, the overall ambition looks very cha...