Category: Governance

”Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) is reviewing the Code of Corporate Governance that will among other things make sure women representation on boards of public listed companies is legalised.

Initially, the regulator wanted companies to abide by the guidelines without making it legal, but CMA Chairman Kung’u Gatabaki complained of lethargy in appointing women to the boards.

He said the issue of men dominating boards is overdue and it was time the corporate world supports women leadership.

On Wednesday March 12,BDTI Representative Director Nicholas Benes gave a presentation to a group assembled by theJapanese-German Business Association, at the TSE. In the presentation, entitledWhither Goes Corporate Governance, Goes the Future of Civilization, Mr. Benes also explaineｄ his reasons for establishihng BDTI.

GlobalProxyWatch, the popular newsletter for investors worldwide, reported as follows after the ICGN Conference in Tokyo this last week:

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s corporate governance reforms thrust Japan into unfamiliar comply-or-explain mode, officials told the International Corporate Governance Network regional meeting in Tokyo Monday:

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, whose members advise boards on the effectiveness of controls to manage risks, found that only 69 per cent said their organisation’s whistleblowing arrangements were effective.More than nine out of 10 had whistleblowing arrangements in place. But in more than half of organisations, people responsible for handling calls from whistleblowers received no training in how to do so. Nearly half of respondents said their organisation provided no feedback or progress updates to whistleblowers.

「One of the best ways to demonstrate commitment to career growth is by obtaining industry recognized　certification. This is true for finance, accounting, insurance, and legal professionals, but is it also applicable to board directors? Certification programs trigger debates among corporate governance experts: some are strongly against it, saying nothing can replace real boardroom experience, while others see it as a valid method for improving the knowledge and skills of directors.

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) has now formalized its position on director compensation bylaws.

(Reuters) – Canon Inc has appointed its first outside directors, ending years of high-profile resistance to opening up its boardroom as pressure mounts on Japan's big companies to improve governance and better manage risks.

The camera maker's long-serving chief executive Fujio Mitarai, who headed Japan's powerful Keidanren business lobby from 2006 to 2010, had argued that only insiders could understand the company well enough to serve effectively on its board.

Review Essay: Citizens DisUnitedJames McRitchie,April 24, 2013, Citizens DisUnited: Passive Investors, Drone CEOs, and the Corporate Capture of the American Dreamboth delights and informs as only Robert A.G. Monks can. No one else writes so wellabout topics like “How CEOs and the Business Roundtable Hijacked the World’s Greatest Wealth Machine” and those in the current […]

Excerpt from NY Times article: At McKinsey, Mr. Barton has been trying to prevent another disgrace: a “third man,” as some have put it. McKinsey is known for what it calls its culture based on values and trust — a culture that was created and nurtured by Marvin Bower, its longtime managing director. The values that Mr. Bower instilled included putting the clients’ interests above the firm’s, providing independent advice and keeping confidences. These ideas were imparted from one generation to the next, mentor to apprentice. But after Mr.

Excerpt from NY Times article: At McKinsey, Mr. Barton has been trying to prevent another disgrace: a “third man,” as some have put it. McKinsey is known for what it calls its culture based on values and trust — a culture that was created and nurtured by Marvin Bower, its longtime managing director. The values that Mr. Bower instilled included putting the clients’ interests above the firm’s, providing independent advice and keeping confidences. These ideas were imparted from one generation to the next, mentor to apprentice. But after Mr.