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...

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...

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 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...

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...

There is a long way to go for UK organisations to achieve diverse leadership teams and boards. This study from leadership intelligence firm, BoardEx, in partnership with executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, sets out clear insights into how they might rise to the challenge, and pinpoints specific ...

The OECD Corporate Governance Factbook supports the implementation of good corporate governance practices by providing easily accessible and up-to-date information about countries’ institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks. Governments may use the Factbook to compare their own frameworks with...

The G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance help policy makers evaluate and improve the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for corporate governance. They also provide guidance for stock exchanges, investors, corporations, and others that have a role in the process of developing good ...

The role of the corporation in society is an abstract, politically polarising question that is not high on the priority list of most boards. Yet embedded in this question are strategic and operational issues critical to long-term value creation. And these issues are attracting heightened attention f...

Accelerating digitalisation puts new pressures on companies to overhaul their business models and, indeed, fundamentally reimagine how they conduct business. This paper is designed for corporate directors to reference and follow as they set cybersecurity strategy and engage with stakeholders from a...

Boards are pivotal in improving the cyber security of their organisations. The Cyber Security Toolkit for Boards has been created to encourage essential discussions about cyber security to take place between the board and their technical experts. Board members don't need to be technical experts, ...

Few leaders are in any doubt that digitization is reshaping business in the most fundamental ways. And yet there are major gaps between knowing and doing. Especially in non-tech organizations, digital representation at board level has remained low over the past few years. The digital picture is ou...

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...

As IT transformation initiatives expand the digital footprint, they outpace the security protections companies have in place. This dilemma presents a sobering reality: security and privacy internal control structures that are effective in reducing risk to an acceptable level today will inevitably be...

Digital transformation is not just about adopting new technologies. Its significance, especially in the business world, extends to how technology can be used to create—and sustain—a competitive advantage. Though boards are paying more attention to digital transformation, their discussions ten...