Heavier committee work calls for coordination, communication
Four suggestions for boards to help promote effective information sharing and coordination among committees.
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Governance & effectiveness
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Elevating corporate purpose, ESG, and stakeholder issues
Lead directors and independent chairs highlight key areas of focus to help their boards raise their game and add value to the business.
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The LGBTQ+ inclusive board
Considerations for boards related to LGBTQ+ diversity, including barriers and myths leading to underrepresentation.
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The inflation question
KPMG Chief Economist Constance Hunter explores whether today’s higher prices are transitory or here to stay.
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Oversight of cybersecurity and data governance
Considerations for refining boardroom cybersecurity and data governance discussions and oversight processes.
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CEO succession strategies shift amid disruptions
COVID-19, social unrest, and other disruptions have put a premium on effective board oversight of CEO and leadership succession planning.
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Raising the board’s game and focusing on the future
Amid unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, navigating the future will require a sharp focus on near-term and longer-term strategy and risk.
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Refocusing on culture and employee engagement
Board considerations for sustaining culture and engagement in a postpandemic environment.
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Capitalizing on the recovery: Talent, tech, innovation
Views on how organizations can adapt to the challenges and opportunities of a strong but uneven economic recovery.
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COVID-19’s impact on diverse employees and talent strategy
Cali Williams Yost, founder and CEO of Flex+Strategy Group, discusses how boards should consider the needs of diverse employees.
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Earning trust by measuring up
In an interview with the Board Leadership Center, Lex Suvanto of Edelman shares his views on earning stakeholder and shareholder trust.
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Board oversight of workforce well-being
Focus areas for boards as they broaden their talent oversight responsibilities.
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Engagement is more imperative than ever
BLC Senior Advisor Stephen Brown offers considerations for boards on preparing for engagement heading into 2021.
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The imperative for LGBTQ inclusion
KPMG BLC Senior Advisor Susan Angele offers five questions for boards to ask about the company’s LGBTQ-related policies and practices.
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Bringing employee perspectives into the boardroom
Amid employee activism and shareholder proposals seeking employee representation in the boardroom, questions to consider in reassessing how employee input is elevated to the board.
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Leading the board on ESG
Lead directors play a role in guiding discussions on environmental, social and governance issues, corporate purpose, and the implications for their companies.
Financial reporting & controls
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Q2 2021 focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
A quarterly update for audit committees on accounting and financial reporting developments, including SEC matters and FASB activity.
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Q1 2021 focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
This quarter, and in the months ahead, a number of developments impacting financial reporting will need to be front and center for audit committees.
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How internal auditors are adjusting to changing risk profiles
Stephen Dabney and Michael A. Smith of KPMG identify emerging risks for internal auditors to have on their radars.
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Tapping into internal audit’s holistic view of risks
A look at emerging risks that should be front-and-center for internal auditors in the current environment.
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The top issues for audit committees in 2021
Operating against a backdrop of tremendous uncertainty and an uneven economic recovery, prioritizing the audit committee agenda will be particularly challenging.
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Navigating the risk and control challenges presented by COVID-19
Audit committees need to maintain a sharp focus on understanding the effects of COVID-19 on the company’s financial statements and reporting, including the internal control environment.
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Learning from the crises of 2020
The events of 2020 are a sharp reminder for board leaders to take a fresh look at the company’s enterprise risk management processes and crisis readiness.
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An audit committee lens on ESG reporting
KPMG Audit Partner Maura Hodge poses five questions for the audit committees to consider as they evaluate their companies’ ESG strategy and reporting.
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Q3 2020 Focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
This quarter, and in the months ahead, a number of developments impacting financial reporting will need to be front and center for audit committees.
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Securing the new business reality through pragmatic cybersecurity
The longer-term implications of a “distance everything” business environment require a vigilant focus on cybersecurity.
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Q2 2020 Focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
This quarter, and in the months ahead, a number of developments impacting financial reporting will need to be front and center for audit committees.
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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.
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Q3 2019 Focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
This quarter, and in the months ahead, a number of developments impacting financial reporting will need to be front and center for audit committees.
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Q2 2019 Focus: Financial reporting and auditing update
This quarter, and in the months ahead, a number of developments impacting financial reporting will need to be front and center for audit committees.
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Tax reform: Key areas for audit committee focus
In the absence of timely guidance from the government, tax and finance departments will face a number of challenges in preparing the company’s remaining interim and year-end financial statements and tax return filings.
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Transparency and management's disclosure committee
Many audit committees are taking a closer look at their interactions with management’s disclosure committee, including their understanding of its operations—particularly how controls and procedures are updated in light of changing and expanding disclosure requirements.
Private company
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Questions for the board with a SPAC in sight
Directors and management of private companies considering a sale to a special purpose acquisition company should be aware of the opportunities as well as the oversight-related challenges and tradeoffs a transaction may present.
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Closing the gaps in portfolio company board effectiveness
Investors’ ability to assess strategy and operations at their portfolio companies is largely dependent upon the effectiveness of their portfolio company boards.
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Defining ESG metrics that matter for private equity portfolio companies
While the impact on private company boards, management, operations, and disclosure varies—and largely dependent on ownership—a shift is apparent in how institutional investors are directing capital and increasing expectations for private company reporting on ESG.
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Matrix thinking
For young and growing companies, particularly those backed by venture capital funds, board building is often more informal and less strategic. Yet a long-term approach to building a strong board as the company grows can make a difference.
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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.
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Getting a start-up CFO up to speed
For a CFO of a new start-up company, this is a time of tremendous opportunity. Roles and responsibilities are being formalized, processes and controls are being implemented, and cultures and capabilities are being transformed.
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Accounting for growth
As an increasing number of firms are driven by intangible, knowledge-based assets and are more frequently funded through private investors, accounting choices are expected to play a more significant role in a company’s success.
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Expediting the CEO assessment
Given the expected five- to seven-year holding period for portfolio companies, boards may be able to avoid having to make a switch in two years by being more proactive in assessing the CEO early in the ownership period.
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Diversifying portfolio company boards
Diversifying the composition of private-equity portfolio company boards is a significant challenge, yet opportunties to change are just as abundant for these firms as they are public company boards.
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Why good governance attracts investors
In a start-up climate that is becoming more attuned to company culture, many venture investors we work with say that a working knowledge of corporate governance for early-stage company founders is a critical factor for funding negotiations
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Taking off the jobs act training wheels
Nearly 90 percent of U.S. companies that have gone public since the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was passed have taken advantage of the Act’s reduced disclosure provisions.
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Blockchain: Where the board should start
The potential impact of blockchain—on how business transactions and legal contracts are executed and recorded, IP/data protection and privacy, fraud prevention, voting, auditing, and more—is so fundamental and wide-reaching that observers and early adopters are comparing the current blockchain ecosystem to the early days of the Internet
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A stakeholder-centric approach to private equity investment
Sunny Vanderbeck, a managing partner and co-founder of Dallas-based Satori Capital, is trying to prove that a stakeholder-centric approach to private equity investing can generate returns at or above market expectations.
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How risk oversight boosts fast-growing companies
Risk oversight at rapidly growing, privately held companies is both an art and a science.
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Building and maintaining the 'right' board
Getting board composition right is a challenge no matter the company size or ownership structure. Many private companies, however, face a different set of challenges than those encountered by their public company counterparts.
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A delicate balancing act for private equity portfolio company directors
For former executives, the transition from managing a company on a day-to-day basis to serving on a board can be difficult. This is especially challenging at private equity (PE) portfolio companies where the dividing line between C-suite and boardroom is often porous by design.
Technology & emerging risks
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Securing the new business reality through pragmatic cybersecurity
The longer-term implications of a “distance everything” business environment require a vigilant focus on cybersecurity.
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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.
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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
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Blockchain: Where the board should start
The potential impact of blockchain—on how business transactions and legal contracts are executed and recorded, IP/data protection and privacy, fraud prevention, voting, auditing, and more—is so fundamental and wide-reaching that observers and early adopters are comparing the current blockchain ecosystem to the early days of the Internet