Intro. (1:12) - Start of interview (1:54) - Janine's "origin story." (2:25) - Her path from law school to plaintiff litigation work, representing and training employers, and the founding of Emtrain . (5:40) - Her thoughts on lawyers transitioning to entrepreneurship, and her personal story with Emtrain: "I had this day job that was pretty directionally consistent with what I wanted to do in a technology aided fashion." "It was a big deal when I quit my day job in 2006 and all of a sudden there w...
Apr 12, 2021•55 min•Ep. 32
Intro. (1:21) - Start of interview (2:07) - David's "origin story." (3:42) - His take on lawyers pursuing "non-traditional" careers. "I think that ESG as a career path is going to explode. This is only the beginning." (5:04) - Paul Weiss' Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice Group . (9:02) - How did "ESG" become a core topic of corporate governance? "There has been tremendous pressure on organizations to perform better, to be better corporate citizens." "It coalesced gravitationally in lar...
Apr 07, 2021•58 min•Ep. 31
Intro. (1:22) - Start of interview (2:23) - Amy's "origin story" (3:41) - Her time as a journalist at Businessweek (US, UK and Japan). (5:02) - Her return to the US in 1990, where her last beat was to cover the SEC and corporate governance (including corporate scandals from the early 2000s and SOX). (6:32) - Her start at the Council of Institutional Investors in 2006. (7:52) - The history of CII, founded in 1985 "at a time of corporate takeovers, imperial CEOs and insulated boards of directors."...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 30
Intro. (1:16) - Start of interview (2:04) - Nichol's "origin story" (3:48) - Her beginnings with Glass Lewis & Co . in 2004. (4:32) - What is the proxy advisory business? What was the origin of Glass Lewis? Founded by Greg Taxin and Kevin Cameron in 2003. (7:17) - The evolution of the proxy advisory business. " Now we've become more of a trusted partner to institutional investors to navigate all [the corporate governance] issues. " (7:51) - The proxy voting management platform "Viewpoint ". ...
Feb 08, 2021•53 min•Ep. 29
Intro of episode. (1:18) - Start of interview (1:52) - Aeisha's "origin story" (2:31) - Her beginnings with Salomon Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley in the "dot com" era. (3:40) - Her corporate governance beginnings with CalPERS. (6:50) - How pension funds manage their proxy voting and stewardship. At CalSTRS they manage 9,000+ equities. Role of Proxy Advisors : they help triage proxy voting, allowing to focus on the most relevant issues. (9:17) - She would like to see more competition in the pro...
Feb 01, 2021•56 min•Ep. 28
(1:35) - Start of interview (2:23) - Peggy's "origin story" (3:04) - Her experience at Notre Dame (BA and JD) (4:17) - Her progression from Wall St. law firm work to Mellon Bank, JP Morgan, Pfizer, Sara Lee and Prudential. (6:17) - Dennis Weatherstone (former CEO of JP Morgan) as a catalyst of #corpgov at the bank in the mid-90s. (7:00) - Her move to Pfizer, drawn by Terry Gallagher and Bill Steer focus on #corpgov (pre SOX 2002) (7:50) - The focus on governance in late 1990s - Peter Clapman at ...
Jan 25, 2021•49 min•Ep. 27
(1:50) - Start of interview (2:23) - Sukhinder's "origin story" (2:58) - Her start in Silicon Valley in 1997. She characterizes her career as " always building ". Junglee - Amazon ('98-99) Yodlee ('99-'03) Google ('03-'09) Accel-Polyvore ('10) Joyus ('11-'17) TheBoardlist ('15-present) Stubhub ('18-'20) (6:50) - Her boardroom experience ( J Crew Group , StichFix , TripAdvisor , Ericsson , Urban Outfitters , Upstart ...). " Your job is one of influence, and one of bringing specialization - in my ...
Jan 04, 2021•55 min•Ep. 26
(1:40) - Start of interview (2:38) - David's "origin story" (4:49) - The founding of Equilar in 2000. The modern "corporate governance" era started after the corporate scandals of the early 2000s (Enron, Tyco, Adelphia, WorldCom, etc.) and the passage of SOX in 2002. "Very few people talked about corporate governance in the 1990s" With this new focus on corporate governance, there was a lot of attention given to exec comp. (9:56) - The Board's role in setting compensation for the CEO: " It's a v...
Dec 14, 2020•51 min•Ep. 25
(1:40) - Start of interview (2:10) - David's "origin story" (3:44) - His start with Wilson Sonsini in 1989. (6:11) - His experience serving as a board member, and why he thinks corporate America has lost out on having lawyers as directors. His for corporate boards have included California Culinary Academy, and currently LTSE . (7:41) - His take on the Long Term Stock Exchange . (9:47) - His thoughts on why companies should list on the LTSE ("the market is wide open"). (11:03) - His take and role...
Nov 23, 2020•56 min•Ep. 24
(1:27) - Start of interview (2:59) - Yumi's "origin story" (4:18) - Her start with Barclay's Global Investors (which was later acquired by BlackRock) . (4:50) - The lessons she learned working for the Stewardship team at BlackRock (2004-2018) Proxy Voting Group Big change on engagement with companies started after financial crisis (2007-2009). Impact Dodd Frank Act (2010) - Say on Pay. (10:24) - Her experience as Global Head of Corporate Governance at Alliance Bernstein (2018-2019). (13:29) - Ho...
Nov 16, 2020•57 min•Ep. 23
(0:00) Intro (1:17) Start of interview (1:58) Mason's "origin story" (2:51) His start with ValueAct Capital (2001-Present) "A lot of what we do at ValueAct is invite ourselves to the dinner party." (6:20) The history of ValueAct Capital and its investment thesis. How he met Jeffrey Ubben (founder of the firm). The impact of the corporate scandals in the early 2000s and the Martha Stewart story. Building a reputation as long term thinkers with board members that add value, plus network . (11:21) ...
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 22
Start of interview [1:19] Ilya's "origin story" [1:50] Lomonosov Moscow State University ('97) New Economic School (NES) ('99) London Business School, PhD Finance ('04) His start as a Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (2004-Present) [7:08] His initial interest in the field of venture capital [7:56] " These days my major problem is that there are so many research projects, and I have to juggle 10 different (amazing) research projects at the same time. " Why governance of ventu...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 21
Start of interview [1:06] Kerrie's "origin story" [1:34] Her initiation on corporate governance matters with the UK Institute of Directors (IoD) (2000-2004) [3:49] Her take on corporate director education and training [5:42] Her role at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) (2005-2008) [7:43] Her transition to the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) (2008-Present) [9:49] History and mission of ICGN [11:56]. It was established in 1995, it has grow to ov...
Oct 12, 2020•51 min•Ep. 20
Start of interview [1:11] Ahmad's "origin story" [1:52] His experience as senior aide to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C. (2005-2010) [4:29] TARP Programs Dodd Frank Act His experience with Barclays Investment Bank covering public sector infrastructure (2010-2020) [7:41] Led Barclays’ California and Silicon Valley regional municipal banking team. Led Barclays' public sector coverage of social impact engagements in the 13 western U.S. states. Served as a lead banker on several in...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 19
Start of interview [1:25] Esther's "origin story" [1:50] Her experience at Occidental College [3:55] Her transition from CA to Washington DC [4:36] Introduction of the Latino Corporate Director Association (LCDA), founded in 2016 [6:20] History of LCDA [7:15] Links with the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility (HACR) The Mission of LCDA is to 1) develop, 2) support & 3) increase the number of Latinos on Corporate Boards [8:56] LCDA Pillars [9:06]: 1) Increase supply (Latinos hold...
Sep 29, 2020•48 min•Ep. 18
Start of interview [1:15] Roger's "origin story" [1:50] Introduction of the Institute of Directors of the UK (IoD founded in 1903) [4:56] On the evolution of director education and professionalization in the UK. "Modern" corporate governance in the UK was kickstarted by high profile scandals in the late 1980s such as Robert Maxwell's media empire collapse , Polly Peck , BBCI , etc. which led to the Cadbury Committee in 1992 [7:00] No certification required to be a director in the UK " this is wh...
Sep 08, 2020•59 min•Ep. 17
Start of interview [1:12] Mark's "origin story" [2:02] How he got started with Cotchett, Mitre & McCarthy (1993) [3:40] His current practice focusing on corporate governance cases [5:03] His opinion on current state of corporate governance in public companies: Increased focus on diversity on boards [7:27] Data Breaches , Privacy and Cybersecurity " one of the hottest areas " [10:03] His take on the current TikTok situation (forced sale by US President) [12:08] "The CISO is the most important...
Sep 03, 2020•59 min•Ep. 16
Start of interview [1:30] Jim's "origin story" [2:12] How his experience at CalEPA led him to become a shareholder advocate [6:07] His experience with Mark Latham, a former Berkeley Prof and Salomon Brothers banker on developing and promoting a new shareholder proposal method [8:03] His efforts to get elected to the CalPERS board [11:33] CalPERS and the increasing influence of institutional investors in corporate governance [12:53] "Thirty years ago no shareholder proposal had ever passed." Last...
Aug 19, 2020•51 min•Ep. 15
Start of interview [1:38] Rick's "origin story" [1:55] His "traditional" corporate law practice for 25 years with Morris Nichols in Delaware ("the core of our advice followed two simple rules: shareholders get to elect the directors, and directors run the company for the benefit of those shareholders... all the rest is commentary") [3:45] How his focus changed in 2010 with B Lab 's effort to push legislation in DE on benefit corporations [5:45] How B Lab's benefit corporations proposal differed ...
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 14
Start of interview. [1:40] Marta's "origin story" from Brazil to Washington DC [2:21] Her involvement with corporate governance education in Brazil with IBGC [6:31] The impact of Lava Jato (operation car wash) in Brazilian corporate governance (2014) [8:33] Her role coordinating the "comply or explain" Brazilian Corporate Governance Code [11:07] What made her transition from Tozzini Freire to IDB Invest in 2017? [16:31] What is IDB Invest? [19:13] Description of the Corporate Governance Developm...
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 13
Start of interview. [1:40] Linda's "origin story" from Beresford, New Brunswick, Canada. [2:15] The record of five Maxwell sisters at Harvard . [3:56] Her start as a head and neck surgeon. [6:28] Why an MBA at Oxford? [07:20] Her work on life sciences tech transfer at Oxford University Innovation and NHS. [08:25] Her time with the London (UK) Harvard Business School Angels . [11:24] Working with Medtronic in Sao Paulo, Brazil. [12:07] Her work founding the Biomedical Zone in 2015 (Ryerson Univer...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 12
Start of interview [1:40] Nick's "origin story", from New Jersey to California to Japan [3:33] His first board experience with Alps Mapping ('00-'06) [7:34] Why he founded the Board Director Training Institute of Japan in 2009 [12:40] His WSJ article on " Japan's Coming Shareholder Revolution " (2001) [19:42] Japan's keiretsu system ("a defensive cross-shareholding wall") [21:04] The historical resistance against having independent directors in Japan companies [23:25] The effect of the ACCJ's wh...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 11
Start of interview [1:44] Miriam's "origin story" from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland [2:17] Her pick for a dual JD/MBA degree [3:16] Her experience as a startup founder in the late 1990s [5:17] Her early experience at Google starting 2001 [07:08] Her focus on angel investing and entry into the VC industry [08:09] Her experience with the Kauffman Fellows Program "they were at the forefront of diversifying VC" [10:18] How to think about corporate boards from the seed stage onward [12:37] The pr...
Jul 06, 2020•58 min•Ep. 10
Start of Interview [1:33] Suzanne's start in the U.S. Air Force [2:50] Her transition to cyber operations [4:25] Suzanne's take on transitioning from the Military to corporate boardrooms [7:25] Adding former military leaders in the boardroom adds to "diversity of thought": "[Board composition] should seek concinnity , rather than falling into the lowest common denominator which would be consensus" [09:07] At the time of Suzanne's transition to the private sector, "the Government had recognized t...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 9
Start of Interview [1:45] Mervyn King's origin story as an attorney in South Africa [2:51] His first foray into corporate boards and later senior management roles [4:30] Why he was asked to form a Corporate Governance Committee in 1992 [5:30] The call from Nelson Mandela [06:07] Professor Lynn Paine's article: The Error at the Heart of Corporate Leadership [9:43] How King framed the role of the corporation in the first King I Report in 1992 [12:10] "Decisions by the Board need to be made in the ...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 8
Start of Interview [1:30] How Anat's research evolved from corporate finance to corporate governance [3:40] How the Financial Crisis ignited her research interest in the banking sector [4:25] What's "special" about the finance and banking industries? [8:31] Why the lack of equity funding in banking? [10:12] The premise of her book " The Bankers' New Clothes " [11:28] "In banking you can be insolvent forever if you don't default" [13:27] "JPM's assets on balance sheet: ~$2.5T, plus off balance sh...
Jun 22, 2020•58 min•Ep. 7
Start of Interview [1:32] Heidi's origin story and career pre-venture capital [2:00] Heidi's first board experience: Great Plains Software prior to its IPO in 1997 [6:01] Joining Softbank Venture Capital ( Mobius Venture Capital ) in 1999 [09:09] The HBS Heidi Roizen Case Study [12:50] Her experience with foreign boards (UK, Canada) and take on transnational directors [16:21] Re-entering the VC market with DFJ and Threshold Ventures [23:25] Private tech company board governance challenges [25:36...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 6
Start of Interview [1:51] How is a16z dealing with COVID-19, plus its new Talent & Opportunity Fund [2:31] Scott's professional background [3:48] The shift from traditional VC firm to Registered Investment Advisor (to pursue investment opportunities beyond traditional equity, such as crypto) [6:00] The governance chapters of his book The Secrets of Sand Hill Road . Distinctions between public and private venture-backed boards [12:11]: The contrast in board composition in the private and publ...
Jun 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 5
Start of Interview [1:22] Kate's path to the Venture Capital ("VC") industry [2:00] Kate's path to serving on boards [5:18] Distinctions between serving on private and public boards [8:43] The investor nominated director [9:10] The role of the independent director [12:47] Directors representing preferred stock, and longer term horizons [13:51] In a startup board, "all constituents are around the table, or right outside the door coding" [15:10] Startups staying private for longer, and effects on ...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 4
Start of Interview [1:51] Motivation for writing her Startup Governance Article [3:22] Why are companies "staying private" for longer [6:18] The JOBS Act amendment of Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act [7:30] Discussion on secondary markets for private shares [10:00] Challenges of startups "staying private forever" [11:54] Distinctions between public and private market regulatory frameworks [13:36] The vertical and horizontal startup governance issues [18:14] Distinctions between preferred and co...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 3
