Research reports

Sponsored by Govenda

How are legal counsel and corporate secretaries using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline their board management processes? In this Governance Playbook, written by Governance Intelligence in partnership with Govenda, leading legal professionals share their own practices for using a growing suite of digital tools to improve their work alongside company boards. This step-by-step guide also includes vital cyber-security checklists to ensure your approach to using AI is safe and secure, as well as vital intelligence on the issues surrounding the rapidly evolving technology.

Read this report to:

• Understand which board management tasks are best augmented by AI, allowing you to free up time for strategic work.
• Check the starter guide for using AI in your board management activities
• Get a checklist of essential security and data considerations when using AI as part of your board management efforts

Download 'Governance Playbook: A guide to using generative AI in board management' here >>

Governance Intelligence’s ‘Corporate transactions and the board: Governance across M&A’ report presents the findings from exclusive research that provide important insights into, among other things, which elements of the board oversee M&A strategy, discussions with investors, boards’ thinking on risk, the time devoted to due diligence, ESG considerations in target selection and the briefings boards receive. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted among governance professionals such as general counsel, corporate secretaries and their teams between December 2022 and March 2023.

By downloading this report, you will learn about issues such as:

• Who on the board is responsible for overseeing M&A strategy
• How boards’ views of M&A strategy have changed in recent years
• Which technological tools are being used in due diligence
• How often boards are updated up strategy, deals and implementation
• The role of governance teams in assisting the board on M&A.

Click to read Corporate transactions and the board: Governance across M&A

Sponsored by Computershare | Georgeson

Corporate Secretary’s ‘Board refreshment: Finding the right directors to move forward’ presents the findings from exclusive research conducted among governance professionals such as general counsel, corporate secretaries and their teams. The report provides helpful insights into, among other things, how candidates are identified, what characteristics are taken into account in recruitment and whether boards are building a pipeline of potential directors. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted between December 2022 and March 2023.

By downloading this report, you will learn about issues such as:

• Who on the board is responsible for overseeing refreshment and how often it is discussed
• Investors’ interest in board refreshment
• How board composition information is shared publicly
• How governance professionals rate boards’ approach to refreshment.

Click to read CS Board Refreshment

Sponsored by AIG

This special report celebrates the winners of Corporate Secretary’s 15th annual Corporate Governance Awards. In this publication, we speak to the honorees and hear how they successfully approach some of the key corporate governance challenges that face governance professionals and their companies. The accounts of their excellent and often innovative work provide insights into some of the latest best practices.

Click to read Corporate Secretary – Corporate Governance Awards 2022 - Winners report

The awards were presented at a ceremony in New York. They recognize that, as always, GRC professionals are adept in finding new ways to maintain standards and overcome both new and continuing challenges.

By downloading this report, you will learn about, among other things:

• Implementing a successful global ethics and compliance program
• Cutting-edge practices for ESG reporting at companies of different sizes
• How proxy statements are evolving as a means to communicate with investors
• Engaging with shareholders around say on pay
• Making the best use of technology to support governance.

Corporate Secretary’s ‘Geopolitical and economic risks: Board oversight in an evolving world’ presents the findings from exclusive research that offer useful insights into, among other things, which elements of the board oversee those risks and how often they discuss them, what issues are on board agendas, what investors are asking about and how governance professionals view their board’s handling of these matters. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted between August and September 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn:

• Who on the board is responsible for overseeing geopolitical and economic risks
• How frequently the board tackles these issues – and how that is changing
• Which geopolitical and economic risks boards are discussing and investors are asking about
• How governance professionals rate board oversight of these issues.

Sponsored by Diligent Institute

Corporate Secretary’s ‘Director education and training: Ensuring the board has what it needs’ provides findings from a survey that offers useful insight into, among other things, who on the board oversees director education and training and who outside of the board provides those services, which topics boards are receiving specific information or training on, how frequently governance teams check whether their board has what it needs and how they rate their board’s ability to oversee the key issues facing the company. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted between August and September 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn:

• Who is responsible for providing board education and training
• What topics boards are being given information and training on
• Which director training formats companies use
• How governance professionals rate the success of director education and training.

Click to read CS RR director education

Sponsored by Morrow Sodali

Corporate Secretary’s research report, ‘Stakeholder capitalism and the board: Taking on a new mindset’, reveals findings from a survey conducted among in-house governance professionals such as general counsel, corporate secretaries and their teams. Their responses provide helpful insight into, among other things, how boards assign oversight of and discuss stakeholder capitalism issues, investor questions about those issues, the extent of formal stakeholder capitalism strategies and whether companies link executive compensation to corporate purpose. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted between December 2021 and February 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn:

• Who on boards has oversight of stakeholder capitalism issues
• How important stakeholder capitalism issues are to investors
• How companies seek information on the needs of stakeholders other than shareholders
• Whether companies are executing their stakeholder capitalism strategies.

Click to read CS Stakeholder capitalism and the board

Sponsored by FW Cook

Corporate Secretary’s ‘Executive compensation: Insight on companies’ governance’ report reveals findings from a survey conducted among in-house governance professionals such as general counsel, corporate secretaries and their teams. The results provide useful insight into, among other things, which members of the board are involved in compensation oversight, the extent to which outside advisers are used, the impact of Covid-19, investors’ interest in the space, director engagement and linking executive compensation to ESG. The findings in this report are based on an online survey conducted between December 2021 and February 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn about issues such as:

• Who plays a role in executive compensation discussions
• The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic
• Board members’ engagement with investors on executive compensation
• Whether boards are tying compensation to ESG metrics.

Click to read Executive Compensation: Insight on companies’ governance

Sponsored by Nasdaq Governance Solutions

Corporate Secretary’s ‘Succession planning: Preparations for the inevitable’ report presents data collected from a survey conducted among in-house governance professionals such as general counsel and corporate secretaries. It provides important insights into, among other things, who typically is in charge of succession planning, who and what is included in plans and how often boards review their company’s plans. Findings in this report are based on data from an online survey conducted between December 2021 and February 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn about issues such as:

• Which elements of boards are responsible for succession planning
• What considerations are included in plans
• Investor interest in succession planning and how it is changing
• Governance professionals’ levels of confidence in their company’s plans.

Click to read CS Succession Planning

Sponsored by Q4

Corporate Secretary’s ‘ESG in the Boardroom’ report presents data collected from a survey conducted among in-house governance professionals such as general counsel and corporate secretaries. It provides important insights into, among other things, which part of the board is taking responsibility for ESG oversight, when ESG discussions are taking place and investors’ interest in board oversight of ESG matters. Findings in this report are based on data from an online survey conducted between December 2021 and February 2022.

By downloading this report, you will learn:

• Which elements of boards have oversight of ESG matters
• How often committees report to main boards on ESG issues
• What ESG issues boards have been discussing
• How governance professionals rate their boards’ competence on ESG oversight.