Private Company Governance Resource Center

Empowering Directors. Transforming Boards.

NACD can help private company boards address the governance disruptions and challenges that they face today. Of our 23,000+ members, 7,500+ are members on private company boards who manage cybersecurity threats, increased competition for talent, a hot IPO market, diversity and inclusion, and more. From large private, to family-owned, to private-equity backed, to venture funded, NACD is your partner in supporting your board with NACD courses and events like the Private Company Governance Learning Series; learning from peers in our Private Company Directorship newsletter and our latest Private Company Survey; and preparing directors with NACD Directorship Certification®. With NACD as a partner, your private company board can adapt to the rapid pace of change, expand their knowledge, and build their networks.

Events

Private Company Chapter Programs Private Company Governance Learning Series NACD Directorship Certification NACD Summit Director Professionalism®

General Private Company Governance

2022 NACD Private Company Board Practices and Oversight Survey [publication] Five Steps to Making the Search for a New Director More Effective [article] Why private company boards need outside directors (PwC) Four Considerations for Private Company Total Rewards in Response to the Great Resignation [article] Silicon Valley ESG: Concerns for Public and Private Venture - Backed Companies [video] Best Practices in Private Company Director Compensation Programs [article] The 2022 Private Company Board Agenda (KPMG) Four Tools to Be an Effective Board Member [article] Practical Integration of ESG in Private Companies [article] Good Governance in Private Corporate Ownership [article] Real Consequences: Targeted Cyber Attacks [article] A First-Hand View: How to Return to Work [article] Succession Planning Presents Different Challenges For Private vs. Public Company Directors [article] The Play That Changes the Game’s Momentum: ESG [article] What Private-Company Boards Need More Than Public-Company Boards [article] Tools to Adapt to a Profoundly Fast-Changing World [article] The Board’s Role in Assessing Vendor Risk for Private Companies (Grant Thornton) [article] A Guide for Directors of Privately Held Companies [publication]

Family Business Governance

5 Differences Between Family Business and Family Office Governance (Institute For Family Business) [article] Proven governance, ownership, and succession strategies for family businesses (Centro LAW) [article] Moving from the Kitchen Cabinet to a Fiduciary Board [article] Born of Crisis, Some Changes to Become Permanent [article] Pivotal Moments for Family Business Boards: Getting Beyond the Cost of Harmony [article] Corporate Governance Progression Matrix for Family or Founder-Owned Unlisted Companies (International Finance Corporation) [publication] IFC Family Business Governance Handbook (International Finance Corporation) [publication] Sample Interview Questions for Director Candidates [publication] Annual Letter From the Board to the Family Council [publication] The Family Business Board Role in Executive Compensation Planning: An Illustrative Case [publication] Director FAQ: Director Independence on Family Business Boards [publication] The Family Business Board, Volume 1 [publication] The Family Business Board, Volume 2 [publication] Family Enterprise Governance: Professionalizing your family business board (PwC) [publication]

IPO and Pre-IPO Stage Company Governance

From Private to Very Public: Considerations for Private Company Directors in a De-SPAC [article] Governance Preparations for Your IPO (Beyond Governance) [article] Five Simple Rules for Post-IPO Pay [blog post] Understanding SPACS [publication] Expert Series: SPAC Market Update—What Directors Should Know, hosted by the NACD Atlanta Chapter [video] Unpacking SPACs: Considerations for Board Members [blog post] Under Construction: Why and How to Build a Pre-IPO Board [blog post] Governance in the New World of SPACs, hosted by the NACD New England Chapter [video] Facts About SPACs: Joining a SPAC Board, Reputational Risk, and More, hosted by the NACD Northern California Chapter [video] 7 Reasons to be IPO Ready: Becoming a Better Private Company Director Through an "IPO-Ready" Focus [article] Signature Series: The Stampede Toward SPACS—the Good, Bad, and Surprising, hosted by the NACD North Texas Chapter [video] SPACs: A Popular Alternative to IPOs—A Primer for Directors, hosted by the NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter [video] Record-Breaking SPAC IPOs [article] How Directors Shape Successful Start-ups [magazine article] Private-Company Exchanges and Employee Stock Sales Prior to IPO (Stanford Graduate School of Business) Why Governance Matters for Your Startup (Stanford University's Rock Center for Corporate Governance) [publication] Getting a Start-up CFO Up to Speed [magazine article] Private Company Governance Learning Series: The Start-Up Board [video]

Private Equity Owned Company Governance

Private Equity Firms See Opportunity in Upheaval and ESG in 2022 [article] Corporate Governance in Private Equity (Travers Smith) [article] Private Equity Governance (Financier Worldwide) [article] PE Firms Turn to Outside Recruiting [magazine article] The PE-Backed Portfolio Company Board (Spencer Stuart) [publication] Building a Foundation for Growth: Governance in Investor-Owned Private Companies [publication] Private Company Governance Learning Series: Enlightened Boards of Private Equity Portfolio Companies [video]

Employee-Owned Company Governance

Five Lessons Any Board Can Learn from ESOPs [article] ESOP Fiduciary Rules (Employee Ownership Foundation) [article] Corporate Governance for Private ESOP Companies (Employee Benefits Law Group) [article] Who controls an ESOP-owned company? (RSM) [article]

NACD Private Company Directorship Newsletter

Should Your Company Go Private? Private Equity Firms See Opportunity in Upheaval and ESG in 2022 Subscribe to the Newsletter Here Policy Drives the Need for Stronger Board Oversight of Cybersecurity Four Considerations for Private Company CEO Succession Private Company Compensation Committees Are Following Public Firms’ Lead Family Business Boards: Manage Cost to Maximize Value [article] What Every Private Company CEO Needs to Know About M&A Transactions [article] A Functional Test: How to Detect Board Dysfunction [article] An Interim CEO Could Be a Board’s Blessing [article] Why and When Private Company Founders Should Form an Independent Board [article] Board Members and Financially Distressed Companies [article] Accelerating E-Commerce for Hypergrowth [article] Leading a Private Company to Success [article] War for Talent: Flexibility Creates Strength [article] The Double-Edged Sword of Long Tenure [article] Specialists, Generalists, and Private Company Board Composition [article] Managing Committee Scope Creep [article] Directors’ Duty: How to Increase Compensation Transparency? [article]