Risk Oversight

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.

Related content

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.

Eurasia Group’s top geopolitical risks for 2020

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

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.

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.

On the 2020 audit committee agenda

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

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.

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

Reflections on some of the issues that shareholders asked boards to address in 2019 and the outlook for next proxy season

A geopolitical lens: July 2019

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

The role of culture in crisis prevention

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

Directors Quarterly: July 2019

In this edition: geopolitics, transformational technologies, proxy trends, investor coalitions, audit committee concerns, board diversity, and a financial reporting and auditing update.

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

Observations of the current climate for shareholder engagement, proxy voting and disclosure trends, shifts in board composition, and institutional shareholder concerns.

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.”

Board’s-eye view of data and analytics

Given their oversight roles, how can boards and audit committees help ensure that the company is getting the appropriate insights from data and analytics while taking the necessary precautions to protect the company, its employees, customers, and others?

SEC cybersecurity guidance: Takeaways for boards

Amid increasing cyber threats and recent massive breaches, the SEC issued interpretive guidance on cybersecurity disclosures that applies to public companies registered with the Commission

Navigating uncertainty: The long view

It’s clear that, as the business and risk environment becomes more complex, the board’s ability to prioritize and devote enough time to substantive issues becomes more challenging

2018 global economic outlook

Wavering U.S. policy could dampen existing trade relationships and sour some reliable partners. Directors and executives who tuned in the for the Webcast appeared to agree with his observation

On the 2018 investor agenda

Reflecting on the events of 2017 and recent conversations with members of the institutional investor community, several high-level themes related to board operations and board leadership on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are likely to be top of mind for investors this year.

Connecting the dots: Cybersecurity in the boardroom

The ongoing threat of cyber attacks has put cyber risk near the top of board and audit committee agendas.

Eurasia group’s top geopolitical risks for 2018

This year’s list is impacted by an acceleration of declining U.S. influence in the world and “concerns about the prospects of a geopolitical depression

The new mindset in cyber security: The board lens

Has the cyber risk and security conversation in the boardroom kept pace with the business? Better yet, does the board have the assurance that operations, technology, and risk management are communicating on cyber expectations and priorities?

Gauging corporate culture

In our survey report, directors, senior management, and internal auditors share views on how they assess and monitor corporate culture.

Areas of interest

Upcoming events

Aligning near-term goals with long-term value | Board Leadership Conference

KPMG Board Leadership Center Webcast

Lead Director Initiative

Audit Committee

Directors Quarterly

On the agenda

New director onboarding - overview

New audit committee member onboarding - overview

Risk Oversight

Directors Quarterly: January 2020

2020 Economic Outlook | KPMG Board Leadership Center Quarterly Webcast

Featured content

Be agile. Or be irrelevant.

A conversation with Bill McNabb

Facilitating board engagement in strategy

Related content

Areas of interest

Upcoming events

Receive the latest from KPMG Board Leadership Center