Tagged: diversity

A Recent Report Card on Board Diversity

A Recent Report Card on Board Diversity

For all the hype about ESG, board accountability, stakeholder demands for diversity and inclusion, a recent report on board diversity shows little change.  That is not surprising.  The forces of resistance to change are particularly strong, especially when directed at corporate boards.  What is surprising is how resistance clings to practices that directly undermine efficiency and financial profitability.  Board diversity improves governance performance and that...

ESG and Business Risks – Leveraging Compliance Resources

ESG and Business Risks – Leveraging Compliance Resources

Chief compliance officers are creative professionals.  This is one of many areas of expertise.  But when it comes to corporate politics, many CCOs know how to package and promote their mission. CCOs faced real constraints and challenges during the pandemic. CCOs were challenged as to why compliance was an important function to preserve in the time of a pandemic which threatened many companies’ very existence. ...

The Rise of ESG In Response to Investor Demand

The Rise of ESG In Response to Investor Demand

Corporate governance sometimes is the subject of “fads,” or initiatives that gain traction with dubious evidence-based justifications.  Sometimes companies engage new theories or strategies because they “sound good,” or give corporate leaders a way to avoid or mollify tackling hard issues or difficult tasks. Corporations are quickly embracing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues.  Whether this is “right” or the most effective use of corporate...

Shining a Light on Corporate Boardrooms and the Absence of Diversity

Some things are really clear in life – everyone knows something has to change but no one acts. Maybe it goes back to a common theme in corporate cultures – an unwillingness to stand out and instead rely on silence or what some like to call – “The GM Nod,” meaning everyone acts like they are in agreement but no one is “bold” enough to...