Risk Oversight

Navigating the pandemic: A board lens

Five key areas of board focus to help boards in their oversight of the company’s pandemic response.

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The board view of supply chain risk and resiliency

Questions for directors to consider as they assess the company’s supply chain risk and resiliency in light of the outbreak of COVID-19.

A geopolitical lens from Eurasia Group (March 2020)

Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, shares his views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in a G-Zero world.

Navigating the pandemic: A board lens

Five key areas of board focus to help boards in their oversight of the company’s pandemic response.

Potential impacts of coronavirus on SEC issuers

KPMG offers periodic disclosure considerations for companies in light of a recent public statement from the SEC chair regarding the impact of coronavirus.

Aligning near-term goals with long-term value

Highlights from KPMG’s Board Leadership Conference, including the economic and geopolitical outlook, climate risk, the board-CEO relationship, corporate purpose, artificial intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity, oversight of human capital management, and more.

Directors Quarterly: January 2020

Priorities for the board agenda in 2020, top issues for audit and nominating/governance committee focus, Bremmer’s outlook on geopolitics, insights on ESG from Bob Langert, and more.

Maintaining a high-value board-CEO relationship

Directors and CEOs share their views on how boards can help support their CEOs and management teams.

Eurasia Group’s top geopolitical risks for 2020

The top geopolitical risks for 2020, according to Eurasia Group. Updated March 2020.

Four key economic factors for 2020

KPMG Senior Economist Kenneth Kim shares his view on the U.S. labor market, corporate debt, China, and the Fed.

On the 2020 board agenda

Eight items for boards to consider as they focus their 2020 agendas on the critical challenges at hand and on the road ahead.

On the 2020 audit committee agenda

Seven issues that audit committees should keep in mind as they consider and carry out their 2020 agendas.

Major shift or business as usual

The evolving role and purpose of the corporation in society—the focus of the recent Business Roundtable (BRT) statement—is an important topic for boards.

Why data governance should be part of board conversations

To help develop a more rigorous approach around data governance, we recommend three areas of board focus.

It’s time to reassess ESG and sustainability reporting

The BLC’s Dennis Whalen writes about increasing stakeholder demands for more transparent, higher quality ESG reporting.

A geopolitical lens: October 2019

Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer analyzes current geopolitical trends and what they mean for companies and boards.

The pitfalls of performance targets

While performance targets are powerful tools in driving the right culture, they can also pose major risks.

Directors Quarterly: October 2019

Bremmer’s view on geopolitics, crisis prevention and readiness, the board approach to emerging technology risk and opportunity, reconsidering shareholder engagement in light of the debate on corporate purpose, and more.

The board approach to emerging technology risk and opportunity

How the board can understand and help shape the technology conversation was the focus of our recent Board Leadership Center Webcast featuring Dr. Cheemin Bo-Linn, president and CEO at Peritus Partners and corporate director at BMC Stock Holdings, and Timothy Zanni, global and U.S. technology sector leader for KPMG LLP.

Crisis prevention and readiness

Insights from board and business leaders on assessing crisis readiness and response plans and steps for enhancing line of sight.

Environmental and social concerns dominate proxy season

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Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer analyzes current geopolitical trends and what they mean for companies and boards.

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A group of seasoned directors shares their views on what “good” culture looks like in the context of crisis prevention.

Directors Quarterly: July 2019

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Keeping pace with disruptive risk, digital transformation

Technological innovation, digital disruption, and the complexity of business are sharpening the focus on risk management and the internal control environment.

Directors Quarterly: April 2019

In this edition: board engagement in strategy, highlights from our Board Leadership conference, voting in proxy fights, and more.

Facilitating the board’s engagement in strategy

Lead directors are uniquely positioned to create the right level of engagement and facilitate quality boardroom discussions on strategy.

Prepared to weather a potential economic downturn (or recession)?

In the current environment, boards will want to frame their agendas to help ensure their companies are prepared for a potential economic downturn—possibly a severe one. Dennis Whalen, leader of the KPMG Board Leadership Center, offers key areas of focus for boards to consider.

2019 Economic outlook

Highlights from our January Webcast discussion with Leo Abruzzese, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Director of Public Policy.

Leading with agility and purpose

Insights and highlights from the 2019 KPMG Board Leadership Conference, including the economic and geopolitical outlook; the CEO perspective; board engagement in strategy; technology, digital disruption, data risk, and privacy; long-term performance; shareholder versus stakeholder primacy; talent, diversity, culture, the workforce of the future; and hot topics for board committees.

Eurasia Group’s top geopolitical risks for 2019

The top geopolitical risks for 2019, according to Eurasia Group, include the sowing of “bad seeds” for the future, the ongoing trade showdown between China and the United States, an increasingly challenging cyber battle, European populism, and several country-specific developments.

The ESG journey: Lessons from the boardroom and C-suite

To build on our work in ESG, strategy and the long view, the Board Leadership Center interviewed directors and officers of major corporations, including Morgan Stanley, Tyson Foods, Ford Motor, Microsoft, Mars, and Whirlpool, among others.

Directors Quarterly: January 2019

A look at critical issues for board agendas, areas for audit committee focus, insights on integrating environmental, social, and governance issues into strategy, and more.

Navigating disruptive risk

Dedicating time to think about the future is vital to navigating disruptive risks.

On the 2019 board agenda

Seven items for boards to consider as they focus their 2019 agendas on the critical challenges at hand and on the road ahead.

On the 2019 audit committee agenda

Seven items for audit committees to keep in mind as they consider and carry out their 2019 agendas.

On the 2019 nom/gov agenda

Expectations for greater transparency about the board’s efforts to continually raise its game and help position the company for the future are putting the nom/gov committee squarely in the spotlight. Here are six items for nom/gov committees to consider as they focus their 2019 agendas.

Leveraging internal audit

Many boards and audit committees are turning to internal audit to help them better understand and assess the company’s culture.

Connecting geopolitics, markets, and strategy

Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, shared his views on how boards should evaluate geopolitical risks and their impact on the business.

Directors Quarterly: October 2018

In this edition, we looked at trends in board leadership, two emerging areas of focus for lead directors, how young and growing companies may benefit from using a matrix for board building, and more.

Sharpening risk oversight in the #MeToo era

The audit committee should add a #MeToo lens to its role in assisting the board in monitoring compliance.

Board oversight of corporate culture

Highlights and takeaways from KPMG’s Director Roundtable Series, which explored how boards can take a more proactive approach to understanding, shaping, and assessing corporate culture.

Lessons from the 2018 proxy season

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Data rich and regulation wary

Consumer data is a valuable asset for most organizations looking to extend their customer reach and competitive advantage

What boards can expect as iGen joins the workforce

Just when boards and management think they have finally figured out how to accommodate millennials as employees and customers, along comes iGen to reverse many millennial trends.

Directors Quarterly: July 2018

The July 2018 edition of Directors Quarterly.

Gauging corporate culture

The #MeToo movement and headlines announcing sexual harassment scandals and allegations have rightly put the topic of corporate culture front and center in the boardroom.

Getting ahead of sexual harassment risk

Discussion about board oversight of sexual harassment issues often comes up only after public allegations have thrown the company into crisis.

Making sense of A Sense of Purpose

As head of the world’s largest asset manager, Fink made clear BlackRock’s expectation for a new model of shareholder engagement, “that strengthens and deepens communication between shareholders and the companies that they own.”

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Risk Oversight

Navigating the pandemic: A board lens

Board oversight of human capital management

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