Plenary Session: Hot Topics for Boards in 2018

The controversies facing corporate boards are becoming increasingly difficult and fractious. In addition to traditional concerns over shareholder activism, board diversity, cyber-security, CEO succession, and shareholder engagement, boards today face a gamut of newly evolving challenges. What role should boards play in responding to #MeToo? Corporations are pressured to take positions on social policy and political matters such as immigration, gun safety, and a range of other concerns. How should boards respond? Major shareholders want corporations to reflect greater social responsibility. What does that, as a practical matter, mean for governance practices? The Federal Reserve’s enforcement action against Wells Fargo raises profound concerns about a modern board’s ability effectively to manage and respond to information flows within complex organizations. Are the Fed’s concerns understood with sufficient precision in corporate America? This panel addresses a portfolio of the most contentious issues confronting contemporary boards and discusses emerging best practices for responding to these evolving pressures.