2016-2017 NACD Public Company Governance Survey

Newer public company survey data are available at nacdonline.org/survey. 

Click here for a downloadable copy of the Executive Summary (complimentary).

In Brief: The 2016–2017 NACD Public Company Governance Survey presents findings from our annual questionnaire that was in the field from May through July 2016. This report’s takeaways draw from 631 public company responses received and are supplemented by data compiled by Equilar Inc., a provider of executive compensation data. This year’s survey offers great insight into how directors and boards view the next 12 months. What major business trends do they believe will most significantly impact their companies? In which areas do they plan to improve board performance next year? On which topics do directors want to spend more time in board meetings? In addition, we assess how boards are currently engaging with management on the increasingly complex challenge of formulating strategy and drill down on the growing board imperative of cyber-risk oversight. A supplemental report containing the comprehensive set of responses gathered in this year’s survey can be found here. 

Reports containing data from our private company surveys are published separately.

How Boards Can Use this Resource:

• Identify areas for improvement in current governance practices, including board composition, structure, succession planning, and risk oversight;
• Learn about critical issues boards discuss with institutional investors
• Inform your board’s philosophy for designing executive compensation plans;
• Benchmark your board’s 2017 priorities; and
• Compare relative time allocation to fulfilling key board activities.

Relevant Audiences: Board members and corporate secretaries of public companies, especially board chairs, lead directors, and committee chairs.