A checklist for the corporate secretary: setting the tone for effective governance
As a corporate secretary, you’re all too familiar with the many challenges of corporate governance.
In your unique position between the board, management, and shareholders, you bring these three perspectives together to address challenges and seize new opportunities effectively. But how can you help your board adapt quickly to emerging and unforeseen risks?
It starts with recognising that traditional governance practices are no longer sufficient.
Addressing governance deficits
Consider today’s business landscape: The world is digital and on-demand, with an unending catalogue of cyber risks threatening to strike at any time. Large segments of the workforce are partially or wholly remote. The future of the economy remains uncertain. Add to the mix increasing pressures from activist investors and constantly evolving regulations. To top it off, board members can be held personally liable for lapses in oversight. Directors must, quite literally, be ready for almost anything.
In this world where seconds count, old governance practices aren’t just outdated; they leave organisations vulnerable to governance deficits that can quickly explode into full-blown crises. These deficits, or blind spots, can take many forms:
- Board members don’t have the correct information at the right time to ask the right questions or make the right decisions
- The board lacks visibility into the company’s performance in critical areas, including how it compares to peer benchmarks and past results
- Disparate, unsecure organisational data and communication systems hinder collaboration and expose users to unnecessary cyber risk
No one is better positioned than the corporate secretary to rectify these issues and help the board and executives are ready for anything.
Understand how you can set the tone for effective governance in your organisation.
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