The Corporate Director Podcast

How do board oversight structures impact cybersecurity performance? How does cyber performance impact financial performance? In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Jeff Barnett, Senior Director of Strategic Alliances at Bitsight, shares insights from a recent report published by Diligent Institute and Bitsight. Also in this episode, hear from Diligent CEO and President Brian Stafford on how the role of the board is changing and what technology can do to help.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently issued a significant update to their landmark cybersecurity framework. What are the most important takeaways and changes? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Anthony Johnson, Founder and Managing Partner of Delve Risk, explores the revised framework and its objectives.

The SEC has finally unveiled its highly anticipated rules on climate disclosure. Now that the initial dust has settled, what’s next? In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Abbey Raish, Partner in the ESG & Impact practice at Kirkland & Ellis, explores the implications of the new rules and offers insights into how they are poised to impact company governance, strategy and risk oversight.

Generative AI has sparked both enthusiasm and apprehension in today's business landscape. In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Jenn Kosar, Trust and Transparency Solutions Leader at PwC, provides valuable insights and pragmatic advice for board leaders on how to best navigate the risks associated with generative AI.

In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Doug Schnell and Sebastian Alsheimer, leaders in the shareholder engagement and activism practice at Wilson Sonsini, explore the latest developments in shareholder activism and offer tips and insights. Also in this episode, Rebecca Sherratt, Diligent Market Intelligence’s Publications Editor, shares key findings from the Shareholder Activism Annual Review.

Last week, the SEC announced long-anticipated rules aimed at improving and standardizing climate-related disclosures. In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Tracey-Lee Brown, Director at PwC's Governance Insights Center, delves into the final ruling and its implications for today's corporate governance landscape.

In today's corporate landscape, the role of the Audit Committee continues to expand. In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, John Rodi, Leader at KPMG’s Board Leadership Center, and Eileen Kamerick, experienced leader and audit committee member, offer strategic insights into the evolving role of the Audit Committee and how board members can keep up.

What are some of the reasons an activist investor might take issue with your organization’s executive compensation plan? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Ed Hauder, Principal and Head of Research & Content at Meridian Compensation Partners, discusses best practices for viewing your executive compensation package through an activist lens.

What’s at the top of the board agenda for 2024? In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Melanie Nolen, Research Editor at Chief Executive Group and Amy Rojik, Managing Principal of Corporate Governance at BDO, delve into key findings from What Directors Think 2024, an annual survey of U.S. public company directors conducted by Corporate Board Member, Diligent Institute and BDO.

Understanding your investors and their perspectives is essential for fostering alignment towards sustainable value creation. How can boards integrate this into their decision-making? Matt DiGuiseppe, Managing Director at PwC’s Governance Insights Center, talks through the findings from their annual Global Investor Survey in this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms.

What do private companies often misunderstand about the process of going public? What are the biggest things private company directors should be prepared for during the first year after the IPO? In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Rick Morris, Partner at Wilson Williams and capital markets expert, discusses the do’s and don’ts of the IPO process.

As we enter 2024, what are the biggest risks companies should keep an eye on? What trends will be most important for board governance this year? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Paul DeNicola, Principal at PwC’s Governance Insights Center, discusses the five governance trends to watch in 2024.

In this episode, Tina Fordham, leading independent geopolitical strategist and Founder of Fordham Global Foresight, shares insights on the current and future geopolitical landscape and how companies can identify strategies for risk mitigation.

Tina Sharkey, entrepreneur, investor, advisor, academic and board member takes us inside the world of brand building in this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Josh Klein, CEO of Indigo Metrics and co-host of the Built for Change podcast at Accenture discusses exciting new innovations in artificial intelligence and where boards and corporate leaders can take advantage of the opportunities.

When it comes to building an effective board, culture is crucial. As the chair of a nom/gov committee, how can you build and maintain a strong culture in the boardroom? In this episode, Evelyn Dilsaver, experienced independent director and nom/gov chair, discusses the importance of board culture, best practices for board evaluation and more.

As we round our the year, what should audit committees be keeping an eye on? What will be the trends and challenges to stay up-to-date on in the new year? In our last Inside Today’s Boardrooms episode of 2023, Stephen Parker, Partner at PwC’s Governance Insights Center, discusses key takeaways from a recent whitepaper on year-end considerations for audit committees.

In this special, year-end edition of The Corporate Director Podcast, hosts Dottie Schindlinger and Rachel Simon are joined by longtime governance expert TK Kerstetter to look back on a year in governance and make their predictions for 2024!

The arena of geopolitical risk is evolving and expanding rapidly. How can companies keep up? What’s the role of the board? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, John Rodi, Leader at KPMG’s Board Leadership Center, discusses why it’s so important for boards to be able to effectively assess and oversee geopolitical risk.

Meridian Compensation Partners recently published an annual executive compensation trends report. What should directors and corporate leaders be keeping an eye on? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Michael Brittian, partner at Meridian, discusses key findings from the report and predicts where compensation trends may be headed in the future.

In this episode, Charlotte Gustavsson, strategic advisor and former CEO of The Swedish Academy of Board Directors, delves into the governance fundamentals of Sweden and Europe more broadly; sharing insights on current and upcoming regulations.

As the world of ESG becomes more sprawling and complicated, clarity is key. How can corporate leaders have meaningful discussions around ESG strategy without it becoming an amorphous blanket acronym? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Stephen Brown, Advisor at KPMG’s Board Leadership Center, talks ESG semantics.

In a rapidly changing technology landscape, what does it mean to be in the Web 3.0 era or in a Web 3.0 company? How can directors best position their companies for success using Web 3.0?
In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, experienced board member and university lecturer Tina Sharkey discusses the strategic benefits of Web 3.0.

In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, George Paulin, Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, talks about recent research around non-employee director compensation.

How can businesses balance the need for sustainability reporting and disclosures while finding the time to innovate in this space? In this episode, Katrin Muff, internationally recognized thought leader in sustainability and responsibility, digs into this tension and provides advice for boards, corporate leaders and sustainability professionals.

John Rodi, partner at KPMG and leader of their Board Leadership Center, gives insight into proper oversight and governance of generative AI in this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms.

In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Susan Angele, Senior Advisor at KPMG’s Board Leadership Center, digs into key takeaways from a recent paper, "Board Climate Competence: Advancing the Board-Management Conversation."

The SEC has posted their cybersecurity rules, and now the clock is ticking for organizations to respond. How can companies (and boards) prepare? Barbara Berlin, Managing Director of PwC’s Governance Insights Center, breaks down the rules, their implications and what you can do right now to get ready.

What’s the latest in the capital markets? How does the current IPO market look compared to 2021 and 2022? In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, we’re joined by Mark Baudler, a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, to talk trends and advice.

In this episode, Dr. Meghan Anzelc, the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Three Arc Advisory, discusses ethical deliberations surrounding AI and how businesses can leverage AI for their strategic benefit.

In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Carin Robinson, Director at PwC Governance Insights Center, discusses the do’s and don’ts of ERM.

Josh Black, Editor-in-Chief at Diligent Market Intelligence, talks shareholder activism and other voting trends from this year’s proxy season in this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms.

In this episode of Inside Today’s Boardrooms, Paul DeNicola, Principal at PwC’s Governance Insights Center, delves into key findings and takeaways from PwC's 2023 Annual Corporate Directors Survey.

In this episode, Rebecca Sherratt, Editorial Manager at Diligent Market Intelligence, discusses trends in investor behavior during the 2023 proxy season and what it might mean for the future.

Starting now, all episodes of Inside Today’s Boardrooms will also be available in podcast format on this same channel. You’ll hear from host Lisa Edwards, Executive Chair of Diligent Institute, as she tackles the latest trends in corporate governance each week – all in ten minutes!

And don’t worry – The Corporate Director Podcast isn’t going anywhere! You’ll still get our episodes every other week along with new content from Inside Today’s Boardrooms – all on one channel.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dave DeWalt, CEO of NightDragon and board member, Five9 and Delta Airlines, discusses key findings from the State of Cyber Awareness in the Boardroom Report.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Julie Castro Abrams, Founder and CEO of How Women Lead, discusses how women can make space for themselves in the world of venture capital.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Manoj K. Raut, CEO of the Institute of Directors, India as he discusses India surpassing China as the most populous country and what that might mean for corporate governance in India.

John Chevedden, leading proponent of shareholder proposals annually in the United States, joins us on this episode of The Corporate Director podcast to dissect the latest proxy season, trends over time and where things are headed in the future. Also in this episode, Diligent Marketing Intelligence Editor-in-Chief Josh Black discusses findings from the 2023 Proxy Season Review.

Tom Fox, Founder of the Compliance Podcast Network, discusses recent expansions in the application of the Caremark standard and implications for corporate officers in this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast.

Bestselling author Steven Van Cohen discusses key findings from his book, "Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams from Isolated to All in," in this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast.

Spencer Stuart senior leaders Jason Baumgarten and Sunni Chauhan discuss key findings from their latest report conducted in partnership with Diligent Institute in this episode.

Rhys Davies, Partner in the ESG & Impact Practice at Kirkland & Ellis discusses key features of Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and how different companies around the world will be impacted. Also in this episode, Lead Researcher Kira Ciccarelli gives a sneak peek inside Diligent Institute’s latest ESG report, conducted in partnership with Spencer Stuart.

Carin Robinson and Catie Hall from PwC’s Governance Insights Center compare and contrast findings from their latest research in this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Evan Epstein, founding Executive Director of the Center for Business Law (CBL), discusses the world of VC-backed company governance and implications for the board.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Michael Levine, Vice President of Sustainability, Chief Sustainability Officer and Managing Counsel at Under Armour, discusses the publication of the company’s first Sustainability & Impact Report.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, experienced healthcare leader Dr. Bill Winkenwerder discusses challenges and trends in the industry since the beginning of the pandemic and what other companies can learn from the response.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dominique Shelton Leipzig, co-founder and co-CEO of NxtWork and cybersecurity & data privacy partner at Mayer Brown, discusses how diversifying the boardroom can help organizations meet new challenges and expectations.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Bridget Ross, CEO and Board Member, discusses joining her first board during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and how she’s used her own experience to innovate director onboarding at her own companies.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Nadia Rawlinson runs the gamut on what it means to be a Next Gen Board Leader: discussing age-inclusive board member policies, navigating HR issues in the boardroom, mitigating reputational risk and much more.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Betsy Atkins, a seasoned director who has served on 37 public company boards, as she dives into the world of corporate catastrophe and crisis response, offering sage advice and best practices.

In this special 100th episode edition of The Corporate Director Podcast, Brian Stafford and Dottie Schindlinger join us on the show as guests to take a four-year retrospective on their co-authored book, Governance in the Digital Age.Also, hear from host Meghan Day as she checks in from maternity leave to celebrate 100 episodes!

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Masha Sedova, Co-Founder and President of Elevate Security, discusses the most common source of cyber incidents: insider threats, whether malicious or intentional, and how organizations can center employees at the heart of cyber risk mitigation.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dan Bigman, Editor at Corporate Board Member, reflects on the 20th edition of “What Directors Think” and discusses what the future may hold for boards. Josh Black, VP of Editorial at Insightia, a Diligent brand, joins our hosts to highlight key findings from Insightia’s latest report on shareholder activism trends.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Kai Liekefett, Co-Chair of the Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice at Sidley Austin LLP, discusses what’s changing in the world of shareholder relations, including recent trends in activism and the introduction of the universal proxy card.

In this special year-end edition of The Corporate Director Podcast, host Dottie Schindlinger is joined by fellow governance geeks Rachel Simon, new co-host and Senior Director of Product Marketing at Diligent, Kira Ciccarelli, Lead Research Specialist at Diligent Institute, and as always TK Kerstetter, Host of Inside America's Boardrooms, to discuss the top governance moments of 2022 and predictions for 2023.

In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media, discusses the biggest challenge facing companies today, the future of stakeholder capitalism and ESG amid political blowback and stories from his latest book, Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Sonvi Khanna, Associate Director of the Social Compact at Dasra, and Meher Pudumjee, Chairperson of Thermax Limited discuss the “S” in ESG and their work championing informal workers’ rights in India.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Robert Silvers, Undersecretary of Policy for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security discusses the Cyber Safety Review Board, the Cyber Incident Reporting Council, the biggest cybersecurity threats for businesses today and what companies can do to better prepare.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dan Siciliano, Co-Founder of the Rock Center for Corporate Governance and Chair of the Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX), discusses key findings from a report conducted in partnership between Diligent Institute and SVDX - Blockchain Digital Assets: Fad, Disruption or Strategic Driver?

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, get insights from the latest Diligent Institute global report on boardroom diversity and hear from Edie Fraser, CEO of the Women Business Collaborative, as she discusses her organization’s Companies of Purpose Initiative.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Veronica Olazabal, Chief Impact and Evaluation Officer of the BHP Foundation and President of the American Evaluation Association discusses impact evaluation in the philanthropic and non-profit space and the questions leaders should be asking to make their organizations more sustainable.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Michael Volkov, CEO and Founder of The Volkov Law Group LLC discusses the latest trends in ethics and compliance, regulation and litigation around these issues and how the board’s role in overseeing ethics and compliance issues is evolving.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dr. Filipe Morais, Lecturer in Governance & Reputation at the Henley Business School and Independent Partner at AMROP discusses his latest book, “The Palgrave Handbook of ESG and Corporate Governance.”

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Keith Meyer, Global Practice Leader of Allegis Partners’ CEO & Board Practice discusses key takeaways from a recent report, “Human Resource Leaders in the Corporate Boardroom” and new trends in board composition.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Sue Siegel, experienced CEO, board director and venture capitalist as she shares her opinion on how boards can center stakeholder concerns and promoting diversity at the heart of their ESG strategy.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, intrepid business leaders Coco Brown, CEO of the Athena Alliance, Randi Feigin, Head of Global Partner ISV Sales in Media & Entertainment for Amazon Web Services, and Jessica Carps, CEO of Skyline Enterprises, take us inside the world of ESOPs and discuss why the board of an ESOP can be a great fit for a new director.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Eileen Kamerick, distinguished and experienced independent director, and Peter Tomczak, partner at Baker McKenzie, take us inside his recently co-authored book, ESG in the Boardroom: A Guidebook for Directors and discuss the evolving role of the board in the era of ESG

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow, Chair of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and experienced board member, discusses her journey to the boardroom, using her position to advocate for diversity and updates from the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA).

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from digital expert Ariel Evans as she takes us inside the current cybersecurity risk landscape, discussing what boards should be doing to stay up-to-date and how companies can adapt in the future.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Shai Ganu, Managing Director and Global Leader of Executive Compensation and Board Advisory Services at WTW, takes a deep dive on aligning executive compensation to ESG metrics and strategy.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Stuart Cable, Vice Chair and Global Chair of M&A at Goodwin, and Alexandra Kennedy, Director of Client Services at Twitter, discuss Goodwin’s GOOD Directors program, a national leadership opportunity focused on accelerating diversity in the boardroom.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear Richard Levick, Chairman & CEO of LEVICK, a leading public relations and crisis communications firm, discuss how boards can lead effectively in times of company crisis.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from David Greenberg, former CEO and special advisor of LRN and director at International Seaways, discuss the importance of bringing a compliance perspective into strategic boardroom discussions.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, board leader Deanna Oppenheimer discusses her own experiences in the boardroom, recent trends in board diversity and strategies to diversify the leadership pipeline. Also in this episode, hosts Meghan Day and Dottie Schindlinger highlight key findings from the latest Diligent Institute research on gender diversity.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Dr. John Katsos, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics at the American University of Sharjah and Jason Miklian, Senior researcher at the Center for Development and Environment at the University of Oslo take us inside their recent Harvard Business Review article, A New Crisis Playbook for an Uncertain World.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Maura Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Directors in Ireland, discusses the state of ESG integration in Irish boardrooms based on recent research conducted in partnership with the Diligent Institute.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Sherry Williams, Chief Audit Executive, and Don Bouffard, Audit Committee Chair at Amalgamated Bank give us insight into how internal audit can serve as an important link between business operations and strategy.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Joe Hurd, former technology executive for companies like Facebook and Gannett, and experienced public company director, discuss the key similarities and differences between boards in the United States versus boards in the United Kingdom.

In this special end-of-year edition of The Corporate Director Podcast, hosts Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan Day are joined by TK Kerstetter, host of Inside America’s Boardrooms to discuss their 2021 governance highlights and predictions for 2022.

In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, hear board member and digital expert Cris Topfner-Rigby detail her unique journey to the boardroom, and Joel Holsinger, Partner and Co-Head of Alternative Credit at Ares Management, and Michelle Armstrong, Head of Philanthropy and Executive Director of the Ares Charitable Foundation, discuss their organization’s employee-centered approach to charitable giving.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear Bart Van den Bussche, Director, and Aurore Zadeling, Director Manager, at PwC Belgium discuss key findings from the latest edition of the Corporate Governance and Executive Pay report.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Andrew Droste, Head of Stewardship for the Americas for the Carbon Tracker Initiative, an independent financial think tank. Droste discusses the current ESG regulatory and investor landscape, future evolutions in the space, and what corporate leaders should be doing as a result.

On this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Nick Shevelyov, the Chief Security Officer of Silicon Valley Bank and author of the new book, Cyber War...and Peace: Building Digital Trust Today with History as our Guide, discuss the importance of cyber security in today’s boardroom discussions. Shevelyov also shares some insights on how companies can build and maintain an appropriate digital defense team.

On this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Frederik Otto, founder and business advisor of the Sustainability Board Report, discuss the importance of sustainable corporate leadership and the future of sustainability. Otto also dives into some research findings around sustainable board practices.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Sally Susman, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, as she takes us inside the process to create a COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed “Project Lightspeed,” and what she learned about leadership and governance along the way.

How can we increase board accountability in new, emerging and critical issue areas? In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Alexander Lowry, Executive Director of the Career & Connection Institute, and Esther Aguilera, President and CEO of the Latino Corporate Directors Association as they discuss ESG, stakeholder capitalism, DEI and more and how the boardroom can support meaningful progress.

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Frederic Barge, founder of Reward Value, gives a preview of his upcoming research on how we can rethink executive compensation models to better serve all stakeholders.

What emerging trends and issue areas should corporate leaders be watching as we move into a new era of business? In this episode, Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media, discusses the changing roles of the board and C-suite as stakeholder capitalism takes a stronger root in how companies function

In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, hear from Dennis Carey, Vice Chairman of Korn Ferry, Ram Charan, world-renowned business adviser, author, teacher, and speaker, and Bill McNabb, former Chairman and CEO of Vanguard, all authors of Talent, Strategy, Risk: How Investors and Boards Are Redefining TSR.

As we operate in a rapidly evolving world, how has the mandate of the board changed, and what does that mean for their responsibilities and duties moving forward? Hear from global economist and experienced leader Dr. Dambisa Moyo as she shares insights from her latest book: “How Boards Work – And How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World.”

As the push for greater diversity in the boardroom continues, what does the picture look like in different cultures and communities around the world? In this episode, Caroline Fattal discusses her unusual journey to the boardroom in the Middle East and her work to empower other women in leadership roles in the region.

How can we best work to support LGBTQ+ representation in company leadership? Hear from Todd Sears and Matt Fust of Out Leadership on the current state of LGBTQ+ representation, the work they are doing to support LGBTQ+ leaders, and methods organizations should be utilizing to move the needle.

Author Mark Tighe takes us inside his best-selling book, Champagne Football: The Rise and Fall of John Delaney and the Football Association of Ireland, a story of corruption, groupthink, and the cult of celebrity that rocked the Irish football and governance communities in equal measure.

As existential threats to business continue to mount, how can companies ensure the health and long-term viability of their company and employees? Hear from Isabel Kelly, non-executive director at the Panoply and CEO of Profit with Purpose, on the importance of nonprofit and for-profit collaboration, and from Ulrike Malmendier, Economics Professor at the University of California Berkeley, on the effects of stress on CEO health outcomes.

What lessons should companies take forward into the “next normal?” How can we meaningfully support and drive inclusion at all levels of an organization? Joyce Cacho, experienced board member at Sunrise Banks NA, the World Benchmarking Alliance, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, discusses the importance of inclusion in 2021 and beyond.

As we continue to move out of the pandemic, how can corporate leaders “do better?” In this episode, hear from Hubert Joly, the former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy, and Colin McLetchie, President and Founder of Five Ways Forward, discuss the best ways to truly lead with purpose.

Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate leadership has been a long-fought uphill battle. In the wake of company commitments, listing requirements and government legislation on the issue, who has benefitted? More importantly, which groups have still been left out and left behind? Hear from Meesha Rosa, Senior Director of Board Services at Catalyst, on how to ensure that a rising tide really does lift all boats.

How can directors best support and direct strategic business transformation? Hear from transformation expert and board member Dorlisa Flur about her experiences overseeing several unique business transformations, some in the midst of the pandemic.