(0:00) Intro. (1:25) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:11) Start of interview. (2:56) Zain Oke 's origin story . (5:08) Dianna Jones 's origin story . (8:25) Dennis Lanham 's origin story . (12:00) How executive education works (as opposed to degree conferring programs) (14:22) On the origin and mission of the Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) program at Santa Clara University. (17:41) On the role of community and mentorship at BCBR. (22:11) On lawye...
Oct 07, 2024•57 min•Ep. 152
(0:00) Intro. (1:30) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:15) Start of interview. (3:05) Maggie's origin story . (7:08) Maggie's board career . Reference to HBS case study on her . On staying on boards between 8-12 years to remain independent . (10:19) On distinctions between serving on public and private company boards. The role of directors in each. *Reference to VC-Backed Board Academy (VCBA) on Oct 29, 2024 at Nasdaq in NYC. (13:37) On PE-backed company ...
Sep 30, 2024•48 min•Ep. 151
(0:00) Intro. (1:23) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:10) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Peter ( E83 from Jan 2023 ). (3:00) NACD Surveys on Board Practices and Oversight: Private Company Results and Public Company Results . (3:44) 1/ On Technology Oversight : "We are seeing boards go after technology, not necessarily expertise, but experience." (11:16) 2/ On CEO Succession Planning . "Succession is always a challenge at companies, ...
Sep 23, 2024•51 min•Ep. 150
(0:00) Intro. (1:03) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:50) Start of interview. (2:24) Cedric's origin story . (4:30) U.S. talent management insights (cultural differences with other countries): current merit . (6:00) On his management career with HP, Visa, and Syncada from Visa (a joint venture between Visa and U.S. Bank). (8:13) His transition to Taulia , a venture-backed company, in 2013. (11:04) On managing board dynamics as CEO and Chair of Taulia as ...
Sep 09, 2024•57 min•Ep. 149
(0:00) Intro. (1:03) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:50) Start of interview. *Reference to E137 with Coco Brown (CEO of Athena Alliance) . (2:47) Yvonne's origin story . (5:49) Her executive career starting with Accenture, and later with VMware, New Relic, and CEO of Airware and Puppet. (9:03) On her board journey . Distinctions between private and public company service. Plus non-profits. (17:43) Explaining board composition and dynamics in VC-backed c...
Sep 02, 2024•59 min•Ep. 148
(0:00) Intro. (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:02) Start of interview. (2:49) Javier's origin story . (4:31) The blurring lines between VC and PE . Cross-over investors, growth equity investors, and other "alternative" financing. (9:01) On the capital formation cycle . Impact of interest-rates in capital allocation. The VC power law . New VC vehicles. (16:00) On the rise of cross-over investors ("starting somewhere between 2013 and 2016: rise of s...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 147
(0:00) Intro. (1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:57) Start of interview. (2:30) Carol's origin story . (4:34) Evolution of corporate governance in Canada since the late 1980s. (5:51) The origin and focus of her firm Hansell McLaughlin Advisory Group , based in Canada. (10:13) On her personal board career and the benefits of lawyers serving on boards. (14:20) Best practices for board evaluations and distinctions between board education in Canada and ...
Aug 05, 2024•51 min•Ep. 146
(0:00) Intro. (1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:07) Start of interview. (2:58) Oliver's origin story . (7:00) His experience in private equity with PE-backed boards . (9:57) About the mission and focus of Nurole , the UK-based board search firm where he serves as CEO. (12:27) On Nurole's network of 65,000+ board leaders (two parts: free and paid offerings). (20:16) Demystifying the board search process, four key stages: Briefing stage Sourcing proc...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 145
(0:00) Intro. (1:05) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:52) Start of interview. (2:28) Thompson's origin story . (3:42) His startup work at Quizlet (joined a 5 person team) and Stripe (from 2k to 8k employees). Joined Anthropic in early 2023. (6:25) On China-US relations , and the course he teaches at Vanderbilt Law School: Emerging Technologies, Law, and U.S.-China Competition. (11:04) On startup incorporations , Delaware, and other thoughts for entrepren...
Jul 17, 2024•52 min•Ep. 144
(0:00) Intro (1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:06) Start of interview. (2:37) Natasha's "origin story." (6:25) On the risks and opportunities for AI . (8:39) On the regulatory landscape of AI in the US. Reference to President Biden's Executive Order . (11:40) On California's regulation of AI (SB 1047). (15:24) On the international AI regulatory landscape , including the EU AI legislation . (20:35) On the state of startups and venture capital in Sil...
Jul 09, 2024•46 min•Ep. 143
(0:00) Intro (1:06) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:53) Start of interview. (2:37) Tyler's "origin story." (4:50) His beginnings at Theranos. (7:07) On the culture of the Theranos , "the company was extremely secretive and paranoid." (9:41) On the lack of equity compensation for Theranos employees. (10:32) On Theranos' board of directors. (16:50) Some of the prominent investors in Theranos, and lack of due diligence. (19:24) On Elizabeth Holmes and Sunn...
Jul 01, 2024•56 min•Ep. 142
(0:00) Intro. (1:39) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:25) Start of interview. Reference to E21 with Ilya Strebulaev from October 2020. (4:01) On why he wrote his book The Venture Mindset : for decision makers in large organizations. (5:37) About the first principle: Home Runs Matter, Strikeouts Don’t . Make small bets vs fear of failure. (7:23) Two types of innovation : incremental (step by step) vs. disruptive innovation. (13:32) The unique role that in...
Jun 25, 2024•58 min•Ep. 141
(0:00) Intro. (1:19) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:05) Start of interview. (2:58) Greg's "origin story." (5:31) His teaching focus. (8:04) Discussion on startups and venture capital and the era of AI. Behavioral finance and bubbles. (11:17) Bubbles in private (VC and PE) and public markets. (15:12) Staying private vs going public fundamentals. (20:05) The role of governance and advice from directors to CEOs. (22:43) On growth of private equity . (28:0...
Jun 17, 2024•56 min•Ep. 140
(0:00) Intro. (1:21) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:08) Start of interview. (2:41) Jennifer's "origin story." (3:41) Founding a non-profit at the start of her career: Breakthrough Pittsburgh . (4:15) The start of her tech career with Yahoo! (7:12) Her roles post Yahoo!: founding and selling The Dealmap to Google . (9:20) Her transition and tenure as president & COO of Change.org (scaling from 18 million to 200 million users). About her Motivational...
Jun 10, 2024•58 min•Ep. 139
(0:00) Intro. (1:24) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:12) Start of interview. (4:04) Sonita's "origin story." (5:45) Her professional career, starting with a startup in the gaming industry. (8:15) Her guiding principles for her career at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and digital transformation. (9:30) Her roles at HP, Siemens and PG&E . (11:00) Her board "portfolio" life starting in 2022: SunRun and TrueBlue . Advisor to Sway Venture...
Jun 03, 2024•53 min•Ep. 138
(0:00) Intro. (1:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:02) Start of interview. (2:37) Coco's "origin story." (4:32) Her professional background with HR, comp and IT. (6:32) Her time at Taos , a professional services business in IT consulting (17yrs). Ultimately acquired by IBM in 2021. (8:35) The origin story of her founding Athena Alliance (2016) as a non-profit. (11:00) Three core issues with board placements: 1) access to opportunities, 2) positioning ...
May 28, 2024•48 min•Ep. 137
(0:00) Intro. (1:17) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:03) Start of interview. (3:08) Greg's "origin story." (6:53) From the University of Georgia to Apple in Cuppertino. (10:50) The start of his entrepreneurial journey in 1992 with his first company. (13:03) The boom and bust cyclical nature of Silicon Valley. "[M]y father used to say that the stock market has predicted nine of the last three recessions. And, you know, I think in Silicon Valley, the inve...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 136
(0:00) Intro. (1:23) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:10) Start of interview. (2:40) Patrick's "origin story." (3:41) His time at Skadden and Olshan Frome Wolosky (leading shareholder activism legal practice). (4:38) Joining Vinson & Elkins to co-build shareholder activism practice. (6:40) Distinguishing between large, mid, and small cap activism. (10:14) Reference to Lazard's 2023 Annual Review of Activism and Patrick's 2024 trends to watch out in a...
Apr 29, 2024•53 min•Ep. 135
(0:00) Intro. (1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:57) Start of interview. (2:40) Leah's "origin story." (3:41) Her time at IBM . (4:48) Her founding story of TaskRabbit (Boston, 2008). (12:43) The evolution of her board at TaskRabbit, and how to think about (startup) board composition and scaling . (20:31) First CEO succession (after $12m Series B in 2012). (25:10) Her return as CEO , raising a Series C, and adding 3 strategic independent directors. ...
Apr 22, 2024•56 min•Ep. 134
(0:00) Intro. (1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:58) Start of interview. (2:43) His role at EY and appointments at Harvard's Safra Center for Ethics (ELSCE), MIT and Boston University . (5:23) Defining AI. Reference to the 1956 Dartmouth AI conference . (8:29) GAI, AI market and valuations. (11:31) On AI Ethics for business and AI governance . Reference to Harvard's Danielle Allen . (15:10) On the concept of Multistakeholderism and AI Ethics . Hippo...
Apr 15, 2024•59 min•Ep. 133
(0:00) Intro. (1:12) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:00) Start of interview. (3:10) Amy's "origin story." (6:23) Her time leading Comcast Ventures , and how Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) has evolved. (9:08) Why SF/Silicon Valley as a tech hub for Comcast Ventures. (11:19) Her first public company board experience (with Adobe). (13:15) Differences on serving on public and private (venture-backed) boards . "Much more hands-on in private companies." (15:...
Apr 08, 2024•55 min•Ep. 132
(0:00) Intro. (1:04) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:51) Start of interview. (2:54) Terry's "origin story." (5:18) The start of her legal career with O'Melveny & Myers. (8:35) Her time at Howard Rice and her current role at Arnold & Portner (the firms merged in 2012). (11:34) Her book ESG, the Professional's Guide to the Law and Practice of ESG , published by the American Bar Association. (14:55) On the evolution of the purpose of the corporatio...
Apr 01, 2024•58 min•Ep. 131
(0:00) Intro. (1:27) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:14) Start of interview. (3:30) Mary's "origin story." (5:32) Her start as a whistleblower lawyer at Philips & Cohen. The advent of US Whistleblower reward programs ( CFTC , SEC , IRS , Transportation , Treasury , and DOJ soon). (7:50) The Theranos case and her representation of Tyler Schulz. (14:02) More about the SEC Whistleblower Program . (24:52) The Facebook (Meta) case and her representation ...
Mar 18, 2024•59 min•Ep. 130
(0:00) Intro (1:02) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:49) Start of interview. (2:37) Katherine Henderson 's "origin story." (5:05) Amy Simmerman 's "origin story." (8:02) The origin and focus of their Delaware Corporate Law and Litigation Year in Review . (9:14) Caseload of Delaware Court of Chancery judges. (12:51) Cases involving director oversight duties ("Caremark duties"). Reference to the Blue Bell case (2019). "Mission critical risk areas." Referen...
Mar 04, 2024•53 min•Ep. 129
(0:00) Intro. (2:27) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (3:13) Start of interview. [Interviewer: UC Law SF Professor Abe Cable . Reference to his article " Does Trados Matter? " (2019)]. (4:17) Summary of the Trados case by Vice-Chancellor Laster. (9:44) Concept of " residual value maximization. " Distinguishing between standard of conduct and standard of review. (16:17) Explaining standards of review : 1) Business judgment rule, 2) Enhanced scrutiny and 3) E...
Feb 26, 2024•50 min•Ep. 128
(0:00) Intro. (1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:57) Start of interview. (4:00) Alexandre's "origin story." His time as Commissioner of the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) (2020-2023). (7:34) On his OECD background note on Institutional Investors' Engagement in Latin America (2023). (14:56) Local institutional investors and pension funds engagement in Brazil. *reference to E118 with John Coates: The Problem of Twelve, Index Funds ...
Feb 12, 2024•48 min•Ep. 127
(0:00) Intro. (0:55) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (1:41) Start of interview. (2:21) Richard's "origin story." His position as Chair of WSGR's public company practice and Chair of the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council . (7:30) On the origins and focus of WSGR's 2023 Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report . (12:00) What findings were most surprising or unexpected in this year's report? Discussion on ESG disclosures. (14:40) On ESG backlash...
Feb 05, 2024•54 min•Ep. 126
(0:00) Intro. (1:36) About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:23) Start of interview. (3:33) On the collapse of SVB and its impact to Silicon Valley and the VC industry. (9:05) On the state of private markets . *Reference to Aileen Lee's post on Unicorn update (2013-2024). (14:35) How VCs are approaching tough conversations on shutdowns, downrounds and/or recaps in this down market cycle. *Reference to Scott's book Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital a...
Jan 29, 2024•50 min•Ep. 125
(0:00) Intro. (1:28) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:14) Start of interview. (3:09) Nick's "origin story." (6:36) On his first startup IMix.com (focused on music streaming) (7:55) His pivot as an equity analyst at Sanford Bernstein. (8:32) His focus on investing in and advising internet companies. (9:56) His time at Google (2010-2022), first in Canada then as Chief Evangelist. (13:21) His time at Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at Coveo , a Canadian A...
Jan 16, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 124
(0:00) Intro. (2:21) About this podcast's sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (3:08) Start of interview. (3:50) On collapse of SVB & other banks. Lessons for board members. *Reference to video from Stanford Rock Center (12:00) On the state of private markets and unicorns . Downturn and shutdowns in VC-backed startups. * Per Pitchbook : “Approx 3,200 private VC-backed U.S. companies have gone out of business this year. Combined, those companies raised north of $27B.” (15:32)...
Jan 09, 2024•50 min•Ep. 123
