(0:00) Intro (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:13) Start of interview *mention of my participation in the Board Summit in Chile (Nov 2025) (3:40) Tina's origin story (6:19) From Germany to Latin America with Beiersdorf (10:14) Her time with D&S and Walmart Chile (11:38) Her start with board memberships (14:23) The Role of Independent Directors in Family-Owned Businesses (19:44) Navigating Boardroom Challenges (22:54) The Role of Pension Funds in ...
Aug 05, 2025•59 min•Ep. 182
(0:00) Intro (1:28) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:15) Start of interview (3:17) Steven's origin story (7:09) The AI Market Explosion (10:07) Introducing Alpha : the company he leads. (16:01) On Events and Board Forums: "There is going to be a premium on IRL really moving forward because the bar is going to be so high" (17:50) The Necessity of Tech-Savvy Directors (19:58) Steven's State of the Art of AI for directors. "The AI wave is driven by 4 forces: ...
Jul 24, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 181
(0:00) Intro (1:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:00) Start of interview (2:36) Erik's origin story (4:14) Discussing Foreign Private Issuers (FPIs): His article " SEC Revisits Foreign Private Issuer Eligibility " (June 2025) (16:45) The Rise of AI and Its Implications. Discussion on " AI Washing " (19:30) Distinguishing statutory mandates between the SEC, FTC, and DOJ on regulatory oversight of AI (20:40) The evolving crypto regulatory landscape "It's ...
Jul 14, 2025•52 min•Ep. 180
(0:00) Intro (1:30) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:16) Start of interview (3:09) Jack's origin story (4:11) The Accounting Foundation. His time at PriceWaterhouse (1987-1992) (5:45) His Startup/Executive Journey . Electronics for Imaging => Apptitude => NetRatings => Atheros => Qualcomm (12:15) Transitioning to Board Service. His start with Silicon Labs (2013) (12:26) His time as CFO at GoPro (2014-2016) (13:55) His focus on boards since 2016...
Jul 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 179
(0:00) Intro to this episode (1:43) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:30) Start of interview (3:09) Walker Newell 's origin story (6:38) Lenin Lopez ' origin story (9:21) Intro to Woodruff Sawyer , and their focus on corporate law and securities litigation. (14:00) The Importance of Corporate Governance (14:38) On the Gallagher merger (WS was acquired for $1.2B) (15:10) Advising boards on D&O insurance (corporate and litigation). *Reference to E42 wit...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 178
This episode marks the fifth anniversary of the Boardroom Governance Podcast and Newsletter. In this solo edition, I reflect on: The origin of the podcast and newsletter, both launched during the pandemic Key lessons from over 175 episodes with leading voices in corporate governance The Boardroom Governance Summit My role leading the Center for Business Law at UC Law SF The Startup Litigation Digest The VC-Backed Board Academy (VCBA) What’s next for the Boardroom Governance community Mentioned i...
Jun 22, 2025•5 min•Ep. 177
(0:00) Intro (1:49) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:36) Introduction by Professor Anat Admati, Stanford Graduate School of Business. Read the event coverage from Stanford's CASI . (4:14) Start of Interview (4:45) What inspired Karen to write this book and how she got started with journalism. (8:00) OpenAI's Nonprofit Origin Story (8:45) Sam Altman and Elon Musk's Collaboration (10:39) The Shift to For-Profit (12:12) On the original split between Musk and ...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 176
(0:00) Intro (1:09) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (1:56) Start of interview (2:39) Michal's origin story (5:05) Her start in journalism in Silicon Valley with Business 2.0. magazine and later at Fortune Magazine. (7:45) Her project Operation Firewall (audible original podcast involving cybersecurity) (11:40) The current state of tech, particularly AI, in Silicon Valley. "I tend to be cautiously optimistic" (14:59) On Mira Murati' s Thinking Machine Labs fo...
Jun 04, 2025•50 min•Ep. 175
(0:00) Intro (1:37) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:24) Start of interview (3:10) Alex's origin story (5:56) His advisory boards and other board positions. On the importance of the academic practitioner nexus. (7:02) About his book May Contain Lies (2024) (10:07) About confirmation bias , relevant to corporate directors. (11:48) About black and white thinking (binary thinking). (14:44) Dissent in the boardroom. How in the UK directors don't have "skin the...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 174
(0:00) Intro (1:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:01) Start of interview (4:38) His professional background starting with Skadden in Delaware. (5:08) About his corporate governance practice at Dechert LLP (8:10) How Delaware Came to Dominate U.S. Incorporations (13:14) What prompted the pushback against Delaware (15:12) The Tornetta v Musk decision (Elon Musk CEO compensation rescission) (18:40) The Rationale Behind the Governor and Legislature’s Suppor...
May 12, 2025•51 min•Ep. 173
(0:00) Intro (1:30) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:17) Start of interview (3:01) Roy's origin story. (6:35) About the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive ("CS3D"). His paper co-authored with Luca Enriques and Matteo Gatti: How the EU Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Could Reshape Corporate America (2025) (9:28) The Political Climate of ESG, and divide between US and EU. *On March 15, 2025, Tennessee senator Bill Hagerty filed " Prot...
Apr 28, 2025•53 min•Ep. 172
(0:00) Intro (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:13) Start of interview (2:45) Robin's origin story (3:55) About the AI Law and Innovation Institute . (5:02) On AI governance : "AI is critical for boards, both from a risk management perspective and from a regulatory management perspective." Boards should: 1) Get regular updates on safety and regulatory issues, 2) document the attention that they're paying to it to have a record of meaningful oversight,...
Apr 21, 2025•44 min•Ep. 171
(0:00) Intro (1:13) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:00) Start of interview (2:45) Amy's origin story (3:25) Her start in corporate governance (5:02) About the implosion of Arthur Andersen (she worked there from 1993 to 2002) (7:00) Her time at BDO USA for the past 21 years and founding the BDO Center for Corporate Governance (11:50) AI governance and board approaches to new technologies. (13:53) Technology savviness or literacy of directors. (15:32) Where...
Apr 10, 2025•52 min•Ep. 170
(0:00) Intro (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:02) Start of interview (2:45) Emily's origin story (8:27) Her start in venture capital through DFJ with Tim Draper in 2000. (11:56) About the history and evolution of VC (13:42) Investing thesis (founding principle) at her firm Threshold Ventures . (19:21) The venture mechanics of Threshold Ventures . "One of our SLAs is we'd like to be the founder's first call." (21:30) On navigating boardroom dynamics ...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 169
(0:00) Intro (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:13) Start of interview (2:45) Joe's origin story (4:07) His early career starting in London, with law firm Linklaters . (6:43) His move to Friendster in Silicon Valley. (8:00) His time at Videoegg . (9:24) His time at the International Trade Administration in the Obama Administration. (11:30) His return to private practice with Gannett and Facebook 's emerging products. (13:10) His operating role at SOSV...
Mar 17, 2025•59 min•Ep. 168
(0:00) Intro (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:02) Start of interview (2:48) Jorge's origin story (6:03) His executive career in Silicon Valley (including computer and semiconductor industries) (9:00) On his board experience (he has served in ~20 boards) (11:32) Distinctions between serving on different types of boards (public/private/non-profits/etc). On non-profits: "the board is really there for what they call the 3 W's: wisdom, work, or wealth." ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 167
(0:00) Intro (1:38) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:25) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Dave ( E25 from Dec 2020 ) (3:30) Equilar 's current focus. New: Equilar Research Intelligence Copilot ERIC (7:49) The current status of boardroom diversity . Latest (Q3 2024) Equilar Gender Diversity Index (10:05) On boardroom refreshment (11:25) On digital/technology/AI directors (13:15) Executive (and Director) Compensation trends. (17:36) On th...
Feb 24, 2025•48 min•Ep. 166
(0:00) Intro. (1:33) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:20) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Rick ( E14 from Aug 2020 ) (3:32) Update on Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) from prior episode (2020) (6:00) Surge of VC investments in PBCs driven by AI startups. *Reference to E159 with David Berger on Anthropic's structure (9:48) The OpenAI Controversy (conversion from non-profit to PBC) (13:25) On Dual-Class Share Structures in tech compani...
Feb 17, 2025•55 min•Ep. 165
(0:00) Intro (1:35) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:21) Start of interview (3:00) Jonathan's origin story (5:10) His start in journalism (7:05) Founding Monitor Canada with Roger Martin (1987) (9:43) Transitioning to Deloitte Monitor (2013) (12:18) About Deloitte Canada’s Podium Club for Directors that he leads. (13:38) How Trump's tariffs may impact Canada (note: this podcast was recorded on 1/24, before tariffs went into place) (17:57) What is strategy?...
Feb 10, 2025•59 min•Ep. 164
(0:00) Intro. (1:52) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:39) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Jeff ( E46 from Oct 2021 ) (3:42) On Nasdaq's IPOs in 2024 (180 IPOs raising $23B). Looking ahead in 2025. (6:23) What to expect facing new Administration. Reference to Nasdaq's IPO Pulse Index . (8:59) The three priorities for boards considering an IPO: strategic quality, risk management, and succession planning (people). (11:14) On the ruling st...
Feb 03, 2025•44 min•Ep. 163
(0:00) Intro. (1:47) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:34) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Nora ( E74 from Oct 2022 ) (3:42) About the 2024 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on Technology Leadership in the Boardroom: Driving Trust and Value (7:29) On the evolving role of the board overseeing technology and cybersecurity (10:41) On the surge of AI technology and its underlying infrastructure (13:15) The role of trust in the age of AI (17:22) H...
Jan 27, 2025•58 min•Ep. 162
(0:00) Intro (2:06) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:53) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episodes with Joe ( E1 from '20 , E35 from '21 , E84 from '23 , E123 from '24 ) (4:53) The future of the SEC with Chairman Paul Atkins (6:30) New approach to crypto by SEC (9:40) On the politicization of corporate governance (10:48) On the future of ESG ("Extremely Subjective Guessing") and DEI ("Decrease Emphasis Immediately") (14:18) On DOGE , and how it play...
Jan 20, 2025•45 min•Ep. 161
(0:00) Intro (1:43) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:29) Start of interview (3:11) Ben's origin story (9:39) His start at Cravath in 2010 (10:54) His time at the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House. (15:04) About CFIUS. Reforms from FIRRMA (2018) . Control transactions and minority investments in critical technologies, critical infrastructure, or sensitive personal data. (24:45) Trends in transaction reviews. CFIUS Annual Report to Congress – CY 2...
Jan 06, 2025•58 min•Ep. 160
(0:00) Intro. (2:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (3:01) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with David ( E24 from Nov 2020 ) (4:22) David's description of the ACGC (7:56) Post-Election Governance Changes (SEC, FTC, etc). ESG and DEI considerations. Federal vs state regulatory matters. (13:06) On crypto and digital assets in the new Trump administration. (14:51) On DOGE led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (18:46) Delaware's challenge as the F...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 159
(0:00) Intro. (2:09) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:56) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Richard ( E126 from Feb 2024 ). (3:46) About his firm's 2024 SV150 Corporate Governance Report . (9:04) On Virtual (Stockholder) Meetings (89% of SV150). (11:23) Board Committee Structures . Audit, Comp, NomGov, and Others. (14:02) On SV150's approach to ESG , impact of new SEC. (18:53) On the evolution of boardroom diversity , impact of CA laws...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 158
(0:00) Intro. (2:05) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:52) Start of interview. (3:36) Tom's origin story . (5:37) The start of his career with Merrill Lynch (1991-2008). (7:00) The financial crisis and his transition to the NYSE (2009-2013). (10:53) His time at BlackRock (2013-2022). (15:14) Defining private markets: "VC-backed pre-IPO private companies typically worth $1b ie. unicorns." Comparing public and private markets. Impact of the JOBS Act (2012)....
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 157
(0:00) Intro (3:27) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (4: 14) Start of interview. (4:56) Drew Shagrin 's origin story. (8:12) David Chekroun 's origin story. (14:15) About the Institute of Corporate Governance at ESCP Business School, based in Paris. (19:13) The focus of ICG between students, alumni, execs, directors, investors, state representatives, judiciary, and regulators. (24:57) Corporate purpose under French law: changed in 2019 to explicitly take in...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 156
(0:00) Intro (1:12) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:59) Start of interview. (2:57) Heather Gates ' "origin story." (5:17) Wolfe Tone 's "origin story." (10:23) On the governance of privately-owned businesses . Distinction with having "outside investors." (15:20) On the nuances of family-owned businesses . *Reference to my podcast series on Succession show. (18:28) On growth of LLC structures . (20:53) On VC-backed company governance. *Note UC Law SF's V...
Oct 28, 2024•57 min•Ep. 155
(0:00) Intro. (1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:06) Start of interview. (3:20) Valeria's origin story . (6:14) On joining IBGC , its mission and focus: governance training, research, and regulatory work with CVM, B3, Congress, etc. (9:03) On the 25th IBGC Annual Summit . (11:11) On the state of ESG in Brazil . (15:15) On boardroom diversity in Brazil (20% female representation in public companies). (17:40) Geopolitics, and where Brazil stands betwe...
Oct 21, 2024•40 min•Ep. 154
(0:00) Intro. (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:13) Start of interview. (3:03) Barry's origin story . (7:00) Barry's board journey. (9:39) On distinctions between serving on public and private company boards: "you have the same fiduciary duties." (11:57) Evolution of boards in the last 30-40 years: "they have evolved for the better, but I don't think they've evolved enough." On board refreshment . On "non-traditional candidates" to boards. (15:52) ...
Oct 14, 2024•54 min•Ep. 153
