The Board’s Corporate Governance Role
A board of directors has a vital function of corporate governance that is to ensure that the company is operating legally and in the best interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. This is why the board operate independently of management, and focuses on the most important issues, not the day-to-day business.
The board oversees the company’s operations and strategies in setting policy, directing risk, and making other decisions reserved for it. The board also chooses and oversees the succession of the CEO, as well as the performance of that CEO. It also decides on the company’s culture and mission.
It also promotes shareholder interests, ensures that financial information is accurately reported, and makes sure that investors receive all the information that could impact their investment portfolios. It also takes steps to safeguard the integrity of a business and to prevent fraud and other deceit. It should encourage directors to be trained on a regular basis particularly on the latest technologies and important issues like environmental, social, and governance (ESG), or global crises that affect the way in which businesses are managed.
A well-constructed structure of the committee, including chairs and secretary is crucial to efficient governance. It is important to establish an atmosphere of open communication and collaboration among all members of the committee. The secretary of the committee will help to set the agenda, and keep minutes of meetings and distribute them to all members of the committee.
A committee should be able to rely on the advice of its advisors and their reports, advice, and opinions. It is essential that the committee is aware of who these advisors are and assesses their credentials.