The world of GRC is being transformed by geopolitical instability, accelerating technological change and higher stakeholder expectations – and the companies that can demonstrate resilience, innovation and strong oversight will be the ones to stand out this year’s upcoming Corporate Governance Awards.
‘Escalating geo-politics, macro-economic developments, regulatory shifts, more active stakeholders and rapidly emerging technologies is creating global volatility and unpredictability amidst shortened timeframes,’ says Sheila Hooda, independent board director at Enact Holdings, Alera Group and AGL Private Credit Income Fund and CEO of Alpha Advisory Partners.
‘Given this, directors are prioritizing their oversight of strategy execution, risk management and resilience building to respond swiftly to sudden shocks over traditional long-term planning.’
Hooda is one of three governance leaders joining the judging panel for the 2026 Corporate Governance Awards, alongside Britt Sahi, head of investment stewardship at Schwab Asset Management and Christine Battist, independent director at Capital Southwest Corporation and Highland Bank.
Their perspectives reflect the changing priorities facing governance professionals, with this year's awards recognizing organizations and individuals that are adapting to an increasingly complex governance environment.
For Sahi, the most compelling entries will demonstrate how governance innovation is driving better long-term outcomes rather than simply adopting new technology.
‘From an investment stewardship perspective, I'm most excited to see innovations that directly connect governance practices with long-term value creation,’ she says. ‘This includes leveraging AI to improve oversight frameworks for company-specific material risks and other strategic issues that increasingly drive business performance.’
She is particularly looking for evidence of practical applications that strengthen decision-making. ‘I'm also interested in tools that can synthesize disclosures, identify emerging risks and improve decision-making for directors and investors as I believe there is potential to significantly enhance governance quality and efficiency and support evidence-based governance decisions,’ she explains.
Those themes are reflected throughout this year's awards program, which includes recognition for organizations demonstrating excellence in board assessment programs, compliance and ethics, director training and education, global entity management and the use of technology to improve governance and corporate secretarial processes. Other categories recognize outstanding governance around corporate transactions, proxy statements, shareholder engagement, sustainability reporting and innovative annual general meetings.
Meanwhile, Battist says truly exceptional governance goes beyond compliance or innovation alone: ‘Award-winning governance distinguishes itself through ingenuity – balancing new ideas with an unwavering commitment to shareholder interests.’
Alongside organizational awards, the ceremony will also celebrate individual and team achievement through the governance professional of the year, governance team of the year and rising star categories.
The three new judges join a panel that combines expertise from the corporate, legal, governance and investment stewardship communities. Several first-time judges – including Hope Mehlman, chief legal, corporate affairs officer and corporate secretary at Ally Financial; Patricia McLeod, board chair at Cavvy Energy and FutEra Power; and Michael Benedict Yamoah, stewardship director at EOS at Federated Hermes – will also participate this year. They join returning judges Joan Conley, board member at Tigo Energy; Matt Geekie, senior vice president, secretary and general counsel at Graybar; and Eileen Kamerick, non-executive director at ACV Auctions, Legg Mason Closed End Funds, AIG Funds, Associated Banc-Corp and Hochschild Mining.
Nominations for the 2026 Corporate Governance Awards are now open, with entries invited across 13 categories recognizing excellence in governance practice, reporting, technology, board effectiveness and professional achievement.
Join us for the celebration on November 5 at the Cipriani in New York and be sure to submit your entry before the deadline: 11.59 pm (ET) on Friday, July 31.
Natalie Bannerman
Natalie is a former telecoms and infrastructure journalist, a role she held for nearly seven years. Before this, she worked in the B2C startup space, covering lifestyle, arts and culture reporting. As senior reporter for Governance Intelligence she...
