Build a more effective board with insight from the forefront of corporate governance The Handbook of Board Governance provides comprehensive, expert-led coverage of all aspects of corporate governance for public, nonprofit, and private boards. Written by collaboration among subject matter experts, this book combines academic rigor and practitioner experience to provide thorough guidance and deep insight. From diversity, effectiveness, and responsibilities, to compensation, succession planning, and financial literacy, the topics are at once broad-ranging and highly relevant to current and aspiring directors. The coverage applies to governance at public companies, private and small or medium companies, state-owned enterprises, family owned organizations, and more, to ensure complete and clear guidance on a diverse range of issues. An all-star contributor list including Ram Charan, Bob Monks, Nell Minow, and Mark Nadler, among others, gives you the insight of thought leaders in the areas relevant to your organization. A well-functioning board is essential to an organization’s achievement. Whether the goal is furthering a mission or dominating a market, the board’s composition, strategy, and practices are a determining factor in the organization’s ultimate success. This guide provides the information essential to building a board that works. Delve into the board’s strategic role in value creation - Gain useful insight into compensation, risk, accountability, legal obligations - Understand the many competencies required of an effective director Get up to speed on blind spots, trendspotting, and social media in the board room The board is responsible for a vast and varied collection of duties, but the singular mission is to push the organization forward. Poor organization, one-sided composition, inefficient practices, and ineffective oversight detract from that mission, but all can be avoided. The Handbook of Board Governance provides practical guidance and expert insight relevant to board members across the spectrum. PRAISE FOR THE HANDBOOK OF BOARD GOVERNANCE "Professor Leblanc's Handbook comes forth at an integral moment in the evolution of corporate governance. In the midst of increasing global demand for corporations to be responsible to employees, civil society, and the environment, the role of directors and shareholders in the creation of sustainable long-term value sits at center stage. The EU Directive, OPP21, and laws requiring quotas for women on boards are only the latest examples of citizenry demanding corporate sustainability and inclusion. Intolerance for the role corporations played in the financial crises of 2002 and 2008 now requires boards to go beyond consideration of strategy and C-suite succession planning and rise to the outcry for integration of nonfinancial impacts into the stewardship of long-term capital and value creation. Dr. Leblanc has assembled a first-rate list of global authors to explain why this movement is here to stay." —CHRISTIANNA WOOD, Chairman, Global Reporting Initiative; Institutional Investor; Nonexecutive Director; and Former Chair, International Corporate Governance Network "The board of directors sits at the center of the governance framework in a wide range of organizations. This new Handbook will be an invaluable reference for both board members and academics seeking to deepen their understanding of boardroom functioning. The breadth and depth of the volume's coverage is both impressive and indicative of the challenges and risks faced by the modern director." —LADY BARBARA JUDGE, Chairman, Institute of Directors "This Handbook is a truly comprehensive and invaluable compendium of governance best practices and insights. I have worked with Dr. Richard Leblanc for close to 20 years and have had the privilege to see him develop into a foremost mover and an informer of key governance practices and trends in Canada and internationally. He proves this again with the publication of The Handbook of Board Governance , which is a brilliant piece of work by contributors who span the who's who in the world of governance subject matter expertise. I think it should be on every director's and corporate secretary's desk." —LYNN BEAUREGARD, President, Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries "Professor Leblanc has put together a very impressive array of authors for this Handbook, including Michael Useem, Dennis Carey, and Ram Charan, among many others. The field of governance is constantly changing, and wise directors should keep abreast of changes and their responsibilities. This Handbook is highly recommended to directors who wish to do that!" —JOHN A. KROL, Former CEO of DuPont; Former Chairman of Delphi Automotive, Dupont and Pacolet Milliken; Former Lead Director of MeadWestvaco and Tyco International; Former Director of Ace Insurance, Armstrong Flooring, JPMorgan and Milliken Company; and Former Director of Bechtel Corp., and Teijen Ltd. Advisory PROFESSOR