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...

With the impacts of Covid-19 hitting just as the season took off, “fraught” was the watchword of 2020’s AGMs. Understanding that these were challenging times, proxy advisers and activist investors, whilst not mute, were more lenient than they might otherwise have been. Be aware: that will n...

Directors face liability over a range of new threats, with data breaches, executive misconduct and climate boosting D&O litigation claims. Board engagement with D&O risk and insurance has never been so important. Directors need to stay informed of the risks that lead to claims, and work w...

Financial services firms are facing an unprecedented raft of challenges. Future-Proofing Financial Services – Special Report, produced by Board Agenda in partnership with Mazars, focuses on the key corporate governance issues facing boards & senior leadership teams in financial servic...

Board Agenda, in association with Mazars and INSEAD, asked C-suite executives and non-executives about their attitudes to risk and their views of the current risk environment in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. The 'Leadership in Risk Management - Board Report' reveals how corpo...

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...

This report from Board Agenda and Mazars, in association with INSEAD, examines the adoption and perceived benefits of AI, as well as the constraints and AI's potential impact on corporate culture. It is clear that despite considerable interest in AI and an expectation that over two-third...

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...

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...

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...

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 strength of an organisation’s ethics culture is measured through multiple indicators of employee behaviours at various levels within an organisation, including leaders, supervisors and co-workers. These behaviours demonstrate and promote a commitment to ethics on a daily basis. A thriving ethi...

An analysis of the sustainability reports of 1000 companies pursuant to the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive. The project applied leading reporting frameworks and standards to this structure, and designed a research methodology allowing to assess quality of corporate disclosures against the prin...

Company reporting and other disclosures necessitate that many boards do engage with sustainability, but this is often at the margin and may be all they do. At minimum, fundamental questions need to be addressed of what sustainability means for the business and what the future holds as sustainability...

When the Financial Reporting Lab first decided to look at virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) as a possible tool for corporate communications, it seemed like the use of these technologies was relatively niche and likely to take a long time before moving into the mainstream. However, 2020 chang...

Companies have many tools and media with which to communicate with investors and other stakeholders. While the use of video has increased in recent years, it still is not being used to its full potential, with videos of annual general meetings (AGMs) being a particular area where more development is...

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...

Boardroom inertia? is the second annual research report from Company Matters, Link Group’s company secretarial team, and looks at the diversity of FTSE Small Cap and AIM listed company boards. Thanks to their size, and in many cases global reach, the top FTSE 350 listed companies in th...

Board composition is the subject of much debate, while the role of the non-executive or independent director is becoming more onerous. Boards are seeking greater diversity among directors and are considering a broader pool of candidates. This report looks at what board work entails and the steps ...

After a year of unprecedented disaster and turbulence—the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, the global outcry over systemic racism and political instability—the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals an epidemic of misinformation and widespread mistrust of societal institutions and leaders ar...

This report sets out a bold new vision for the purpose of the AGM of the future. It addresses how companies, shareholders, stakeholders and policymakers can play their part in making the AGM of the future the backbone of corporate governance and investor stewardship. The report sets out recommendati...