Against the backdrop of the New York city skyline, the 17th annual Corporate Governance Awards bestowed 22 trophies on some of the industry’s key players back in 2024.
Commemorated themes included annual general meetings, compliance and ethics programs, ESG reporting, entity management, use of technology, proxy statements, investor engagement and corporate transactions.
The top individual prizes of the night, celebrating personal excellence in the world of GRC, went to Christina Lai of Robinhood Markets for governance professional of the year (small to mid-cap) and Kevin Bohl of Ventas for governance professional of the year (large cap).
Also, Nicole Fritz of The Kraft Heinz Company was named the 2024 rising star while Helle Bank Jørgensen took home the lifetime achievement award.
With the Corporate Governance Awards 2025 closing for nominations this month, we caught up with two of these game-changers to find out what has happened since their wins and the impact these recognitions have had.
Nicole Fritz
Since winning, Fritz has started a new role as vice president and corporate secretary at Medline Industries, the largest provider of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions serving all points of care.
Speaking of her win, Fritz says winning rising star was a ‘complete shock and incredible honor’ adding that even being shortlisted among such ‘amazing peers’ was enough of a surprise.
‘For many years, I have looked at the winning companies and disclosures awarded by Governance Intelligence for best practice enhancements to my own work and SEC disclosure, particularly proxy statement disclosure,’ she says.
‘To have the opportunity to celebrate that work and connect with peers was such a delight.’
Alongside her personal award, The Kraft Heinz Company also took home trophies for best AGM, best proxy statement (large cap) and best shareholder engagement (large cap), making her rising star win extra special.
‘For my work with Kraft Heinz to be honored with multiple awards and to be able to celebrate that with our incredible team was an exciting milestone,’ she adds.
Chiefly, the awards created a moment to connect with peers in corporate governance and securities, an opportunity that Fritz hopes will facilitate the sharing of ideas and help to evolve the work.
‘The demands on our time are so high, it can be hard to make time or resources available to attend conferences or events and maintain relationships across companies, industries and geographies,’ she explains.
‘But I hope that I can continue to be involved and engaged and that others prioritize the same so that we can continue to have opportunities to connect with – and celebrate – one another.’
Kevin Bohl
Over at commercial real estate investment trust Ventas, Bohl continues to serve as senior vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary – advising on governance and compliance matters.
Bohl describes the idea of growing an S&P 500 company as ‘exciting professionally and intellectually, especially amid a continually evolving landscape’.
While being nominated by his colleagues last year meant a lot personally, Bohl credits being recognized as governance professional of the year as a testament to the opportunities he has had at Ventas.
‘This honor was both fulfilling and energizing, highlighted Ventas’s rigorous commitment to strong corporate governance. It affirmed the value of what I’ve been able to accomplish in an environment where we keep pushing for excellence,’ he says.
Furthermore, Bohl says the biggest advantage to winning is that the award opened doors for wider collaboration with peers both within commercial real estate and externally across other business sectors he otherwise ‘might not have had an opportunity to meet’.
‘It is also a tribute to the work of my team and the many individuals who have provided guidance, mentorship and support throughout my career,’ he says.
The work of governance practitioners is critical to supporting long-term value for companies and preserving investor trust by ensuring organizations are well-managed, compliant and operating ethically – and that is a point Bohl stresses.
‘In celebrating that work, the governance awards reiterate the importance of what we do every day and help us advance the field,’ he adds.
The deadline for submissions for the Corporate Governance Awards 2025 is July 25, 2025.
Click here to learn more and start your entry!
