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Resources

This section is intended to provide you with access to a variety of resources and information from The Directors College:

Should you have any questions about these items please contact us at thedirectorscollege@mcmaster.ca and we would be pleased to assist you.

Curated Resources

Every week we curate interesting articles, research and opinion pieces from Canada and around the world that may provide value to our alumni and other governance professionals. Here are a few of the items we shared:

Equity Diversity and Inclusion

Road to stakeholder capitalism begins with diverse boards

Corporate boards became more diverse in 2021: 2020 was the year of big corporate diversity pledges, 2021 was the year boards actually started to reflect those pledges

7 Biases That Sabotage Board Decision Making

SEC gives green light to Nasdaq board diversity plan

Companies Are Adding More Women to Their Boards. What’s Driving the Change?

Tone At The Top: Where Does Diversity Begin? Diversity within organizations is so much more than a policy or a job title. It is culture, atmosphere, and environment

First-of-Its-Kind Book Unites Trailblazing Women Board Leaders to Foster Gender Diversity & Challenge Disparities in Corporate Boardrooms Worldwide

How to Create a Diverse Board of Directors

The Rise of Women on Boards of Directors Worldwide: The growth rate slowed in 2020

It’s time to address the millennial in your boardroom

Out with the old? Ageism, tokenism and other challenges in board diversity: A long-term board strategy can avoid problems, ensuring a balance of youth and experience

As Workplaces Move Toward Normalcy, Gender Diversity in the Boardroom Is Critical

The ‘Glass Cliff’ Challenge For Corporate Governance: women are more likely to be appointed to senior executive positions during times of organizational crisis, making them less likely to succeed.

Innovation Governance

Progressive organizations are making AI governance an integral part of their corporate governance and environmental, social and governance strategies

Ransomware attacks increased 150% in 2020, and the payments rose 171%. Cybersecurity is a boardroom issue

Ensuring digital maturity in the boardroom: how will you be able to thrive under new competitive circumstances?

How boards can help digital transformations via @McKinsey

Why Board Directors And CEOs Need To Learn AI Knowledge Foundations: Building AI Leadership Brain Trust is a Business Imperative: Are You Ready?

Digital experienced directors are rare at the top 100 TSX corporations – that’s a problem creating a gap in providing the necessary oversight that is a fundamental responsibility of the board

World Economic Forum says boards should follow this one cybersecurity guidance

What you need for responsible leadership and innovation in 2021 – a breakout year for leadership

Should we be concerned about the digital literacy of Canadian board of directors? The short answer is yes.

Artificial Intelligence In The Corporate Boardroom: using artificial intelligence to make decisions in boardrooms could lead to a void of accountability

Regulatory and Compliance

Small investors punch above their weight when it comes to improving corporate governance

Where the line may get drawn in terms of the where, when, and to whom a director owes its duties remains to be seen: Nine West’s sales creates implications for director liability

Alberta Eliminates Director Residency Requirements making Alberta a more welcoming jurisdiction for non-Canadian businesses to incorporate their Canadian subsidiaries

Governance Leadership

The Globalization Of Corporate Governance: the rise of authoritarianism will require boards to reorient their agenda to more closely focus on global trends and events

Qualities To Look For When Choosing Board Members For Your Micro- To Mid-Sized Company via @forbes

Building an inclusive end-to-end health innovation ecosystem able to deliver the appropriate medical technologies required to achieve Health for All equitably requires reforming corporate governance to be more long-term and purpose-oriented

What Will Dominate Future Corporate Governance Agendas? The pandemic has heightened the necessity for effective crisis management and board engagement

Four common biases in boardroom culture: What behavioral psychology can tell you about the human dynamics of your board

We need a Pay Czar in Canada: Governance expert on Air Canada bonuses: Where was the board?

How private company boards are leading for what’s next – focused on innovation and culture as keys to long-term growth as they oversee risks for their organizations

What are frontier risks and how can we prepare for them? Decisionmakers must widen their field of vision to consider risks that could emerge as humans push new frontiers.

No More “Mystery Meat”: A Case for Better Corporate Governance Data. The field of empirical corporate governance is a poster child of the growing use of data as a key pillar of informing and shaping research

Boyden Executive Search Board Leadership Panel: board directors across the industry spectrum discuss the changing business landscape, governance practices, identify arising opportunities/anticipate risk and the skillset and composition of the board of the future.

Transparency between the Board of Directors and the executive leadership team, stakeholders, managers, employees, and customers improves a Board’s decision-making skills.

How boards have risen to the COVID-19 challenge, and what’s next

A Boardroom and CEO Cheat Sheet on Chaos and Systemic Risk

Why Startups Are Increasingly Prioritizing Corporate Governance As Their Businesses Scale

Lessons From Covid-19 For Company Board Directors: Here’s How To Upgrade Your Corporate Governance

The Boards Role During a Crisis and Beyond

Preparing For A Post-Pandemic Boom: Boardroom Agendas Should Identify Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Navigating the Pandemic and Looking Ahead: Questions for the (Virtual) Boardroom

Do Employees Benefit From Worker Representation on Corporate Boards? workers in firms with worker representation do see some benefits

Environmental and Social Responsibility and Corporate Purpose

Creating a Meaningful Corporate Purpose: 5 Critical Considerations

Without good governance, companies will struggle to successfully implement good practices on the environmental and social fronts

Human rights and environmental due diligence are key for business: the EU will set the pace for companies and their boards

The Business Benefits Of Corporate Social Responsibility Impact Assessments

How ESG and Social Movements are Affecting Corporate Governance: Stakeholders are starting to look closely at what companies preach in their corporate cultures, including their commitments to ethics and sustainability

The board’s role in embedding corporate purpose: Five actions directors can take today via @McKinsey

Another report, same Dey: New guidelines on corporate governance and how the role of the corporation in society has significantly evolved

The ESG imperative – Canadian legislative and regulatory developments

Create Your ESG Road Map To Meet Consumer And Investor Demands For Transparency

The EU is moving ahead with mandatory ESG disclosure – what does it mean for Canadian companies?

How to Bring ESG Into the Quarterly Earnings Call – Stop treating environmental, social, and governance strategies as a sidebar and integrate them into regular financial reporting

Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Only Ethical, But Also A Modern Business Tool

Five ESG Concerns for Corporate Boards with a Social Conscience

A Living Wage: The Latest ESG Challenge For Corporate Governance

Why boosting workplace mental health is good for business: a central concern in a growing number of boardrooms

From the boardroom to Wall Street, ESG fluency is an essential component of successful contemporary risk management for boards

Companies that incorporate ESG into their overall strategy, risk management, and operations are better able to present their story on why and how they create value.

2020 has forced a reckoning about the role of the corporation in society, and along with it, the responsibilities of boards of directors to the corporation’s myriad stakeholders.

Biden has hit the ground running on climate and environmental justice. How will Canada respond?

Has the pandemic become the catalyst of a more sustainable future?