NACD in the News

• How Do I Know If I am the “Bad Character” on the Board?

  In more than 23 years spent working with 175-plus corporate boards, Beverly Behan has learned this firsthand: The problem people on any board are the ones who are oblivious and obstinate.

• A Guide to the Big Ideas and Debates in Corporate Governance

  Corporate governance has become a topic of broad public interest as the power of institutional investors has increased and the impact of corporations on society has grown. Yet ideas about how corporations should be governed vary widely. People disagree, for example, on such basic matters as the purpose of the corporation, the role of corporate boards of directors, the rights of shareholders, and the proper way to measure corporate performance. The issue of whose interests should be considered in corporate decision making is particularly contentious, with some authorities giving primacy to shareholders’ interest in maximizing their financial returns and others arguing that shareholders’ other interests — in corporate strategy, executive compensation, and environmental policies, for example — and the interests of other parties must be respected as well.

• Ryder Awarded NACD NXT™ Recognition for Diversity and Inclusion Commitments

  MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions, today announced it is one of five boards chosen as winners of the second annual NACD NXT™ recognition awards. The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is the authority on boardroom practices, representing more than 20,000 corporate board members. The NACD NXT recognition, part of NACD’s NXT initiative, applauds exemplary board-leadership practices that promote greater diversity and inclusion and ultimately foster long-term company value.

• Cybersecurity, The C-Suite, & The Boardroom: The Rising Specter Of Director & Officer Liability

  Let’s face it — data security is significant problem for corporate America. If you don’t think so, here’s a statistic that may help convince you: in Q1 2019 alone, there were 1.9 billion records exposed. In fact, a business falls victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds. That’s right — every 14 seconds. In fact, the global cost of online crime is expected to reach $6 trillion by 2021. Sadly, there are lot more statistics where those come from, and they are not encouraging. Suffice it to say that businesses must take their cybersecurity very seriously. Thankfully, may companies already take steps to secure their data, but oddly, many companies think that such measures are an IT function and that any data security program does not merit serious “board-level” oversight. Such an approach is asking for trouble, in more ways than you may think.

• How Boards Can Equip Themselves For Rapid Change

  Associations are often described as slow-moving ships, but the message to their boards is increasingly clear: Step on it. Among the latest reports making that point is Fit for the Future: An Urgent Imperative for Board Leadership [registration required], produced by the National Association of Corporate Directors. NACD research says that 73 percent of corporate directors feel that board work is more challenging than it was three years ago, and 36 percent said that the accelerating pace of business is one of the key impediments to board effectiveness.

• ISA and European Directors Partner to Create a Pan-European Culture of Cybersecurity

  The Internet Security Alliance (ISA) and The European Confederation of Directors’ Associations (ecoDa) announced a partnership to develop a handbook on cyber-risk management for European corporate boards of directors.

• Director certification program will help prepare boards for more dynamic business challenges – NACD

  The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) will officially launch its professional directorship certification program in October, which includes a three-day course on director professionalism and an examination. The first exam is to be given in November and the first cohort of directors is expected to be certified in December, Erin Essenmacher, chief programming officer at NACD, told Activistmonitor after last week’s global board leaders summit.

• Ex-GE executive Beth Comstock expresses favor for employee board spots, ESG

  (September 27, 2019) - Beth Comstock, a leader for decades of conglomerate General Electric Co. who now sits on athletics retailer Nike Inc.'s board, endorsed a broadened view of corporate duty and emphasized obligations to workers and communities during a talk this week.

• Corporate Boards Face Challenges in Overseeing AI

  WASHINGTON—Corporate directors say they are searching for better ways to oversee their companies’ expanding artificial-intelligence strategies. AI raises a number of critical boardroom issues, such as bias in hiring, worker displacement through automation, and “deepfake” videos or audio damaging a company’s brand, speakers and attendees said at a meeting of the National Association of Corporate Directors this week.

• Novant Health board nationally recognized for exemplary commitment to diversity and inclusion

  WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Novant Health's board of trustees was one of five boards honored at the second annual NACD NXT™ Recognition Awards and named best in the nation for nonprofits. The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is the authority on boardroom practices representing more than 20,000 corporate board members. The NACD NXT recognition, part of NACD's NXT initiative, applauds exemplary board-leadership practices that promote greater diversity and inclusion, ultimately fostering long-term value creation.