In the wake of the SEC’s ruling on climate change earlier this month and subsequent lawsuits against its constitutionality, it seems like a good time to review material information in general. Although it sounds simple, the decision by companies to disclose information about their impact is anything but. It rests on the definition of material…

Generational gaps – those differences that generalize one group by age from another – can sometimes lead to positive ‘teaching’ moments but also to negative culture clashes, even intractable misunderstandings. So, what happens when company executives and their employees experience this gap in perspective? Leaders today are facing this challenge – for the first time…

Deloitte and the Alliance for Board Diversity recently noted that continued focus is necessary for Fortune 500 boards to be more representative of the U.S. population. Research on the state and national level has focused on this very issue – and on whether and at what pace company boards and C-Suites can become reflective of…

The Nasdaq exchange, one of the largest in the world, requires that firms listed on its exchange have at least one woman director and one director who self-identified as being part of an underrepresented minority group by 2025. The SEC complemented this move by issuing compliance and disclosure interpretations related to the disclosure of self-identified…

Pressure for companies to do something about the environment has grown substantially over the past decade. Scrutiny from investors, customers, regulators, proxy advisors, and the media is often targeted at the board of directors. What do they need to know about the disclosure landscape? Disclosure priorities for companies include those that have a substantial impact…

The public’s growing concerns about environmental issues, along with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to impose fines on businesses for greenwashing, point to the potential fallout when companies engage in environmentally damaging actions. Companies such as Burger King, KFC, and McDonald’s have all been recent targets of government and investor pressure to cut plastic…

Global environmental governance, similar in some respects to corporate governance, includes policy, rules and norms that govern human behavior and it also addresses who makes those decisions, how they are made and carried out, the scientific information needed for decision-making and how the public and major stakeholders can participate in the decision-making process. Governance is…

McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King have all been the target of government and investor pressure to cut plastic waste. Their inaction creates consumer backlash too. They are large, visible companies and people are watching. With Earth Day upon us, together with the increased attention by the EU and the FTC on greenwashing, companies like these…

Digital transformation and the related scope and velocity of change pose new challenges for both traditional banking and governance: from taking advantage of the opportunities related to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), deep learning and digital platforms to managing risk, cyber security threats and relationship management. The pace and scope at which digital innovation…

It’s perhaps an understatement to say that companies and their boards often struggle to determine if, and how, they should address significant social issues. While certainly not all can be addressed, a board needs to be engaged in a discussion about what issues are paramount (and why), what the company is considering saying about them…