(0:00) Intro. (1:28) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:15) Start of interview. (3:16) Yifat's "origin story." (6:20) Yifat's bio and positions at the University of Haifa and Technion - Israel Institute of Technology . (8:00) About Elizabeth Pollman , Professor at the Penn Carey Law School at the U. of Pennsylvania. (9:57) About their article, Ousted (2023). "We use that term broadly to refer to being forced or pushed to step down from the CEO role, specif...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 122
(0:00) Intro. (1:21) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:08) Start of interview. (2:49) Larry's "origin story." (4:49) About the Internet Security Alliance (ISA). Founded in 2000 by former Congressman Dave McCurdy , former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Larry joined as CEO from the beginning. "The ISA view is that we need to look at not just how the attacks are occurring, we also need to look at why the attacks occur. Because unless we unders...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 121
*Prior episodes reviewing Succession: Season 1: E98 (May 22, 2023) Season 2: E102 (June 26, 2023) Season 3: E109 (Sept 11 , 2023) 0:00 -- Intro. 2:12-- About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:58 -- Start of interview. 3:54 -- On the influence and leadership style of Logan Roy . The "ultimate corporate governance challenge." 6:41 -- Comparing the (fictional) Roy family with the (real) Murdochs and Sultzbergers . "Why is Logan trying to sell Waystar? The answer is...
Dec 11, 2023•55 min•Ep. 120
0:00 -- Intro. 1:26-- About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:13 -- Start of interview. 3:47 -- Ker's "origin story." 7:41 -- His history with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham). 9:42 -- About his book “ Selling to China. Stories of Success, Failure and Constant Change .” (2023). "We felt that it was important to remind people why we're doing this in the first place, you know, what's good about our relationship with China. We wanted bring the ...
Dec 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 119
0:00 -- Intro. 1:26-- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:13 -- Start of interview. 2:45 -- John's "origin story." His time at WLRK and at the SEC . 4:15 -- His focus at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. 4:39 -- About his book THE PROBLEM OF TWELVE: When a Few Financial Institutions Control Everything (2023). Publisher: Columbia Global Reports . "Around the year 2000 [Index Funds and Private Equity Funds] began a sustained takeoff and the bo...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 118
0:00 -- Intro. 1:14-- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:09 -- Start of interview. 2:41 -- Abby's "origin story." 4:11 -- Her time at Hambrecht & Quist . Distinctions between IPO market in the 1990s and the current environment. Her time as a CEO of a venture-backed e-commerce company. Her time at Russell Reynolds (7 years). 10:36 -- The history, mission and current focus of her company Boardspan , founded in 2014. "To help boards succeed." "[The focu...
Nov 13, 2023•58 min•Ep. 117
0:00 -- Intro. 1:27 -- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:23 -- Intro of Webinar (and speakers) by Nancy Easterbrook , Executive Director of SVDX . 5:33 -- Start of webinar by Dan Siciliano , Chair of SVDX. 6:40 -- Some differences between private (VC-backed) and public boards. 9:23 -- The role of independent directors in venture-backed companies. 14:00 -- Specific issues in VC industry: preferred vs common shares and impact on director fiduciary duties ...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 116
0:00 -- Intro. 1:11-- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:08 -- Start of interview. 2:47 -- Julie's "origin story." She started her work with boards in the early 1980s with Catalyst (a non-profit women's organization whose mission is to promote women in corporate America). 5:46 -- Now she's leading the Board Practice at Spencer Stewart. 6:15 -- About the 2023 U.S. Spencer Stuart Board Index . Now in its 38th year, this index examines the latest data and t...
Oct 30, 2023•50 min•Ep. 115
0:00 -- Intro. 1:38-- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:34 -- Start of interview. 3:13 -- Mauro's "origin story." 4:11 -- About AMEC , and his time as CEO of the organization (2012-2017). Prior, he was Chairman of IBGC (2008-2010). "My first mission as CEO of AMEC was to become the first independent director at Petrobras " (which he served from 2013 to 2015). 9:02 -- On the differences between shareholder engagement/activism in the U.S. and Brazil. 10:0...
Oct 23, 2023•51 min•Ep. 114
0:00 -- Intro. 1:21-- About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . 2:17 -- Start of interview. 2:49 -- Brian's "origin story." He founded a startup that sold cars online in the dot com era (CarOrder) based out of Austin TX. He later worked at McKinsey & Co. From there he moved to Diligent as CEO. 6:17 -- The history, mission and current focus of Diligent Corporation . "The role of governance oversight has become much more of an exercise in risk management." 11:4...
Oct 16, 2023•45 min•Ep. 113
0:00 -- Intro. 1:10 -- About new podcast sponsor American College of Governance Counsel . 2:28 -- Start of interview. 3:17 -- Joyce's "origin story" 5:22 -- Joyce's academic focus and executive career before joining boards of directors. 8:12 -- On her board journey . "It began with non-profit board work." On serving in different types of boards. "They all offered an opportunity to collaborate with board colleagues, very smart people - learning from them, with a clear focus on growth of the insti...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 112
0:00 -- Intro. 1:43 -- Start of interview. 2:11 -- Suzanne's "origin story" "One of my proudest jobs was working with the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund " 14:12 -- Joining the NYSE Board Diversity Initiative . *reference to Chief ("the only private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders") 15:22 -- Three key NYSE ESG Initiatives: The NYSE Sustainability Advisory Council (tackling the "E" in ESG) The NYSE/Syndio collaboration (tackling the "S" in ESG) The NYSE Adv...
Sep 26, 2023•54 min•Ep. 111
0:00 -- Intro. 2:02 -- Start of interview. 3:02 -- Victor's "origin story" 5:30 -- Joining Stanford University's Board of Trustees , and later the board of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen (NASDAQ: PLKI). 9:06 -- His current position as Managing Director and Practice Leader, Consumer and Retail at Diversified Search Group , working primarily in the Board of Directors practice. He is the leader of the firm’s Dallas-Fort Worth office. 9:53 -- Differences between executive and board searches . "We find p...
Sep 18, 2023•51 min•Ep. 110
0:00 -- Intro. *reference to our episodes reviewing Succession Season 1: E98 of this podcast (May 22, 2023) and Season 2: E102 (June 26, 2023). 2:00 -- Start of interview. 3:50 -- About Sean Berkowitz and the Enron Case: prosecuting Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling (2006). 7:05 -- On whistleblowers and avoiding retaliation. "Whistleblowers are one of the trickiest things you can deal with as counsel representing a corporation." 11:05 -- Kendall's whistleblower scenario. Conducting internal investigatio...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 109
(0:00) Intro. (1:35) Start of interview. *Link to our first episode: E6 from June 2020 . (2:18) On the origin story of her new podcast: The Startup Solution with Heidi Roizen . (4:23) The Case of the Boardroom Blow-Up . How entrepreneurs should go from 'pitching' to 'partnering' with their investors. "Entrepreneurs get stuck in pitch mode." On terms "happy ears" and "jazz handy." On the golden rule of the boardroom : no surprises. "A board meeting should be a working meeting, it should not be a ...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 108
0:00 -- Intro. 1:38 -- Start of interview. 2:26 -- On the origin story of their latest book: " The Art and Practice of Corporate Governance ." 7:32 -- About the Boeing 737Max case . The cultural shift. "Safety was just a given." 12:29 -- About Netflix's "Radical Transparency in the Boardroom." Reference to their 2010 case study " Equity on Demand, the Netflix Approach to Compensation ." 18:37 -- On the question of CEOs moving up to the Chairman position, (the role of Executive Chairman ). 22:39 ...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 107
0:00 -- Intro. 1:21 -- Start of interview. 2:10 -- Lisa's "origin story" 2:59 -- Her connection to Japan . 6:29 -- Her experience in investing banking, mostly with Goldman Sachs (20-year career). 15:55 -- On her board journey , and the distinctions between serving on private (VC or PE backed) and public boards. 19:57 -- On Extraordinary Women on Boards , the organization she co-founded in 2017 to amplify the impact of women inside boardrooms and beyond. "To be clear, I did not set out to start a...
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 106
0:00 -- Intro. 1:38 -- Start of interview. 2:31 -- Benjamin Mean 's "origin story." He is a Professor of Law and the John T. Campbell Chair in Business and Professional Ethics at the University of South Carolina School of Law. 4:14 -- On family businesses, legal education and the Family and Small Business Program at the University of South Carolina School of Law. 5:55 -- Douglas Moll 's "origin story." He is the Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, L.L.P. Professor of Law at the University of Houston ...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 105
0:00 -- Intro. 1:09 -- Start of interview. 1:37 -- Cindie's "origin story." 3:41 -- On her executive career before joining boards. 5:31 -- On her turnaround CFO career. Joining Tatum , an executive services firm, and her CFO turnaround/crisis practice. 15:14-- Her transition to public company board service . Her first board role in 2003 with Horizon Organic Holdings (based in Denver, CO). "The CEO wanted a financial expert and a mom in the boardroom." Her second board, also in 2003, was with Tra...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 104
0:00 -- Intro. 1:18 -- Start of interview. 1:53 -- Alicia's "origin story" and her career in finance and search/recruiting industry. 4:52 -- Her role founding investment firms. She was the first employee and CAO at Mount Kellett Capital Management and founded Pantegrion Capital , an investment vehicle focused on seed and early stage investments. 7:02 -- Her journey in the corporate board world. She's now the Chair at Digimarc (Nasdaq: DMRC). 8:11 -- On the distinctions between private and public...
Jul 10, 2023•54 min•Ep. 103
0:00 -- Intro. *Note: you can check out our analysis of Succession's first season in E98 of this podcast (published on May 22nd, 2023). 1:43 -- Start of interview. 4:03 -- Governance challenges to family-owned companies . 5:50 -- On Kendall's car accident and legal implications. Issues of corporate wellness , mental issues and drug-use . *Story on Tyson Foods' CFO . 10:55 -- Waystar’s response to “bear hug” offer from Maysberry. “I saw their plan, but my father's was better.” On disclosure proce...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 102
0:00 -- Intro. 1:16 -- Start of interview. 1:55 -- Georgia's "origin story". 2:42 -- The founding story of her company Tumelo . 5:37 -- On their differentiation with the divestment movement. Referenced: ShareAction , AMNT. 8:01-- On her role as a member of Aviva's Independent Governance Committee . 10:15 -- On the rise of institutional investors and their impact on corporate governance, along with concentration of power . Reference to E89 with Jan Van Eck : "Some Index Fund Companies Have Become...
Jun 19, 2023•48 min•Ep. 101
0:00 -- Intro. 3:45 -- Start of interview. 5:09 -- Leo's "origin story". His focus on public service, and work for then Delaware Governor (now U.S. Senator) Tom Carper . 9:41 -- On his time at Skadden 's Wilmington office. 11:52 -- On his time at the Delaware Court of Chancery and as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court . 15:32-- His views on the evolution (and strengths) of the Delaware Court of Chancery. Its symbiosis with the SEC. "The courts in Delaware are not infected by partisanshi...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 100
0:00 -- Intro. 1:30 -- Start of interview. 2:12 -- Barrett's "origin story". 6:11 -- His start in finance. First in Stone & Youngberg then in Lehman Brothers in SF. His first secondary market transactions in private company stock (Facebook) in 2007. 8:54-- His experience working at SVB (internship with wine finance team) and Lehman Brothers (business development). 12:10 -- The early days of secondary market transactions for private company stock with SecondMarket, later acquired by Nasdaq in...
May 30, 2023•58 min•Ep. 99
0:00 -- Intro. 1:38 -- Start of interview. 3:23 -- Kate's origin story and her professional background. 4:54 -- About the ESG & Law Institute led by David Curran from Paul Weiss (Kate serves as an advisory board member). 7:08 -- Premise of HBO's Succession show . "It's a show about power dynamics. But it's also a show about governance, and how power is or not constrained in the corporate world, the political world and within a family." "It is also a show about governance, which should operat...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 98
0:00 -- Intro. 1:41 -- Start of interview. 2:58 -- On current market conditions. Impact of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve , particularly on banks. 3:35 -- The gap between news coverage, what people think is happening and what actually is happening on the ground. The example of First Republic . 15:37-- How 'bank runs' have changed. The Meme Run . "A meme is a first impression decision-making instrument." 18:43 -- The media/general confusion over regulatory/supervisory agencies oversee...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 97
0:00 -- Intro. 1:35 -- Start of interview. 2:15 -- Bethany's "origin story". 3:35 -- Her experience working at Lockheed Martin . 5:55-- Her transition to Apple Computer , Cisco , startups in networking technologies and Blue Coat . 8:17 -- Her time at HP , where ended running the Networking division. 8:55 -- Her role as CEO of Ixia (later sold to Keysight Technologies for $1.6bn in 2017) 10:17 -- On her board journey. Her first public company experience with Ixia, under the mentorship of Chairman...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 96
0:00 -- Intro. 2:00 -- Start of interview. 2:28 -- Karen's "origin story". 3:24 -- Her management career at Procter & Gamble , Bain & Co (focusing on property and casualty insurance), Berol , GM , ICG and Ford (where she led the Corporate Venture Capital Group) . 11:12 -- Her transition to SF/Bay Area and tech as CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney and AcademixDirect . 13:23 -- Distinctions between operating in startups and public companies. 14:20 -- On her board journey: Past board position...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 95
0:00 -- Intro. 1:35 -- Start of interview. 2:05 -- Alan's "origin story". 2:43 -- On his background as a U.S. Air Force pilot . 4:42 -- On the evolution of his academic career, including at and Stanford GSB and U. of Colorado Boulder. 7:01 -- On his Professorship at Cambridge Judge Business School and his role as Co-Director of the Centre for Financial Reporting and Accountability . 9:16 -- About the Cambridge Disinformation Summit , on July 27-28, 2023. "I would characterize fraud and greenwash...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 94
0:00 -- Intro. 1:35 -- Start of interview. 2:05 -- Penny's "origin story". 3:38 -- Her experience as CEO of Simplex including its IPO (2001) and later sale (2002). 6:32 -- Her experience as CEO of FirstRain . 7:57 -- On her board journey . Public boards (past and present): Rambus, JDSU, Faurecia (France), Lumentum, Smart Global, Forvia, Embarck Trucks. Private tech software company boards: Delphix and Modern Health. 9:17 -- On distinctions between private and public boards . "A private VC-backed...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 93
