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FT Board Director provides the latest news, analysis and insight on key topics impacting corporate boards, including strategy, risk, corporate governance, ESG, technology, cybersecurity, D&I, remuneration and succession planning. It offers an authoritative space to discover, debate and exchange ideas on a range of board matters and ensures that boardroom leaders are fully equipped to navigate challenges and drive their business forward.
Patrick Jenkins, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times, selects this week's must-read stories on FT.com for board directors.
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The latest news, regulations and resources for boards, covering corporate governance, strategy, risk, ESG, technology, remuneration and D&I. Curated by Patrick Jenkins, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times.


The challenges confronting business leaders have probably never been as varied and demanding as they are today. Rapid technological change, massive shifts in the global economy, fast-changing markets, and political unpredictability across many regions of the globe demand constant attention from top executives. At this event, the panel will discuss: Which challenges are the most pressing and important? How do successful business leaders prioritise their time? How to lead complex, multinational organisations in times of rapid change?
The challenges confronting business leaders have probably never been as varied and demanding as they are today. Rapid technological change, massive shifts in the global economy, fast-changing markets, and political unpredictability across many regions of the globe demand constant attention from top executives. At this event, the panel will discuss: Which challenges are the most pressing and important? How do successful business leaders prioritise their time? How to lead complex, multinational organisations in times of rapid change?
Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, new reality. Think of how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to an enormously successful product launch in eleven months. But they are the exception. Consider how London’s Crossrail project delivered five years late and billions overbudget. More modest endeavours, whether launching a small business, organising a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why? Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg. At this event, he will identify the errors that lead projects to fail, and the research-based principles that will make yours succeed.
We are approaching the end of a tumultuous year, which began with the war in Ukraine and ends with inflation on the rise and a decline in global economic growth. This panel of FT experts will discuss their predictions for the world in 2023 and identify the key trends that will reshape the macroeconomic and business landscape next year. What is next for British politics? Will we see further geopolitical tension and the breakdown of relationships between states? And as globalisation enters a new phase, how will this impact the global economy? They will also discuss how these changes are likely to play out over the next few years and how they will impact businesses.
As we reach the end of another year when businesses are under stress from unavoidable macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, how boards prepare their response will determine how successful they are. Moderated by Patrick Jenkins, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times, this exclusive roundtable discussion will allow participants to discuss the most pressing issues that boards will likely face in the year ahead with other VIP FT Board Director members. What should corporate boards expect in 2023? And what are the emerging opportunities and risks on the horizon?
For VIP members only
The ability to understand, inspire, communicate and manage the many opportunities, challenges, and behavioural dynamics involved in leading multi-generational and multi-cultural organisations is a major differentiator for business leaders. Being culturally and generationally adept and agile requires a high level of awareness of how others think differently as well as our own deep self-awareness. It also requires the ability to understand and manage conflicting objectives and ways of doing things. As usual, this will be a highly participative event with interesting content to stimulate group discussions with peers as well as shared learning amongst the group as a whole.
For VIP members only
Lockdowns and working from home changed the relationship between leaders and led, probably irrevocably. With hybrid working and labour shortages giving employees the upper hand, what does leadership look like now? This panel will discuss post-pandemic leadership. Will the shift from a command and control leadership style to trust and influence remain in workplaces? And what leadership skills will be needed in order to navigate the post-Covid world successfully?
In-person event, London
The global economy is in the midst of a growth slowdown coupled with multi-decade high inflation as economies feel the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This combination of weak growth and high inflation is reminiscent of the world economy in the 1970s and raises concerns that we may be heading for a repeat. This session will explore the inflation crisis and what the 'Great Inflation' of the 1970s can teach us about the economy and the market today. How close are the parallels between today's economic climate and the 1970s? What are the critical difference and what can we learn from the mistakes?
In-person event, London
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we live, work and do business, and many of these changes are here to stay. As companies refine their strategies to adjust to the post-pandemic world, a focus on how they attract talent should be a key component. This session will focus on what companies should consider when engaging with, and hiring, Gen Z. What are the attributes of Gen Z that make them different to any other generation? What are they expecting from the post-pandemic workplace? And how do generational differences impact the workplace?
The war in Ukraine has now entered its third month and organisations continue to grapple with the disruption to their businesses. Although primarily a humanitarian crisis, the conflict has accelerated long-term business trends already brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic such as global inflationary pressures and disrupted supply chains. This panel will discuss the business implications of the war in Ukraine. How are organisations navigating this crisis and the high level of uncertainty ahead? Does the war mark the end of globalisation? And will the crisis drastically reshape global supply chains?
Retired four-star General Stan McChrystal has lived a life associated with the deadly risks of combat; he has seen how individuals and organisations, too often and to great costs, fail to mitigate risk. Why? Because they focus on the probability of something happening instead of the interface by which it can be managed. In conversation with Andrew Hill, the FT’s management editor, McChrystal will explain how to build and strengthen your organisation's risk management and what it takes to master risk to your and your business’s advantage. Drawing on practical examples ranging from military history to the business world, he will share ten dimensions of control that you can use to detect, assess and respond to risk.
Meet fellow members at our first in-person event of the year, hosted at the Financial Times in London. We’ll also be joined by guest speakers Katie Martin, Markets Editor, Financial Times and Philipp Hildebrand, Vice Chairman, BlackRock who will discuss the markets outlook for 2022. Post-event content will be shared after the event for those of you unable to attend.
While progress has been made on improving the gender diversity of boards, women remain largely under-represented in senior leadership positions. This session will provide an in-depth discussion on what effective measures companies can take to improve gender balance across their organisations and the challenges associated with this.
Sir Alex Younger, former MI6 Chief, discusses with John Thornhill, the FT’s Innovation Editor, how organisations can protect themselves against cyber attacks and how governments and the private sector can work together to build resilient cyber strategies.
Sir Howard Davies, Chairman of Natwest Group, explores the trends impacting the global economy in the year to come. How will the continued new variants of Covid-19 impact the global economic recovery? How big is the inflation risk in the short and medium-term? How will these challenges affect the prospects for global trade?
There are five key trends set to dominate the coming decade and beyond - debt, tech, climate change, demographics and Asia’s economic rise. Watch this event recording to learn how the pandemic has accelerated these trends and what all this means for investors in the West.
At this event, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and co-founder and chair of IMAGINE, explains how you can profit by fixing the world’s problems instead of creating them.
At this exclusive 'Chatham House style’ discussion, board members were presented with a dilemma based on a genuine, real-life situation where the Chair and the CEO are in conflict. In small groups, they discussed the situation, the issues it raises for the board and the best solution to resolve.
Dan Thomas, Chief UK Business Correspondent, Financial Times and Sir Jonathan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Financial Reporting Council discuss the recent publication of the UK white paper on audit and corporate governance reforms.
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Includes the 'How to Lead' interview series with high-profile leaders discussing the challenges of leadership - the successes and setbacks, the mistakes made, and the lessons learned along the way.
ESG
- Sustainability - recent ESG developments (Briefing from Clifford Chance)
- Climate quitting - younger workers voting with their feet on employer’s ESG commitments (Insights from KPMG)
- State Street boss says facts ‘left aside’ in attacks on ESG funds (Interview from the FT)
- Danone lawsuit could be test case for new war on plastics (Opinion from the FT)
- ESG momentum remains strong but may face headwinds in 2023 (Insights from Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance)
- How do the Federal Reserve and ECB differ on tackling climate change? (Feature from the FT)
- Elliott portfolio manager behind GSK and Fresenius campaigns leaves firm (News from the FT)
- The perils and questionable promise of ESG-based compensation (Working paper from The European Corporate Governance Institute)
- Throwing more money at EU industry is not the answer to US green deal (FT opinion)
- Coal mine approval sends UK green credentials up in smoke (FT opinion)
- Europe may not find energy efficiency sexy — but it’s crucial (FT opinion)
- Corporate sustainability reporting - new approach needed (ICAEW insight)
Strategy
- Slimmer profit margins are here for a while (Opinion from the FT)
- Get boardroom ready: five ways to improve executive interactions with the board (Insights from Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance)
- How to ensure experiments leave the launch pad (Opinion from the FT)
- PwC’s 26th annual global CEO survey (Report from PwC)
- CEOs beware: cost-cutting isn’t the same as growth (Opinion from the FT)
- Hyper-efficiency is bad business (Opinion from the FT)
- Trends shaping corporate governance in 2023 – four areas to watch (Insights from PwC)
- What Terry Smith gets wrong (and right) this time on Unilever (Opinion from the FT)
- 2023 annual letter to boards (Insights from the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance)
- Changes for UK limited partnerships (ICAEW insight)
- Marketing: who are your customers? (Stanford Business School podcast)
- Top-10 most-read business insights (Deloitte insight)
Audit & Risk
- UK to make ‘failure to prevent fraud’ a criminal offence (News from the FT)
- Burberry: lessons in adopting TCFD (Insights from ICAEW)
- ASML chief says chip demand expected to bounce back by mid-2023 (News from the FT)
- The China imperative for multinational companies (Insights from McKinsey)
- PwC resigns as indebted Chinese developer Evergrande’s auditor (News from the FT)
- Financial regulation in the UK is ripe for a serious rethink (Opinion from the FT)
- 2022/3 corporate reporting and AGM season - new developments and practical advice (Guide from Clifford Chance)
- What makes a good annual report and accounts (Guidance from the Financial Reporting Council)
- Danske Bank to pay $2bn penalty for defrauding US banks (FT news)
- Sheila Bair: ‘I feel for the regulators. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t’ (FT interview)
- International anti-corruption day (KPMG insight)
- Planning for the 22/23 reporting season (ICAEW insight)
- EU regulators shrug off legal setbacks on corporate tax schemes (FT news)
- UK finalises plans for regulation of ‘wild west’ crypto sector (FT news)
Technology & Cybersecurity
- Ransomware and the board’s role: what you need to know (Insights from PwC)
- Small businesses count cost of Royal Mail’s cyber attack (Feature from the FT)
- How Royal Mail’s hacker became the world’s most prolific ransomware group (Feature from the FT)
- Cyber security toolkit for boards (Guide from the National Cyber Security Centre)
- In countries where capital and labour have institutionalised cooperation, automation grows faster (Feature from LSE)
- How Germany became Europe’s leading Big Tech trust buster (Big read from the FT)
- Thriving Cities (FT special report)
- The great chip war — and the challenge for global diplomacy (FT feature)
- Desperate online sellers feel the pain of closing the deal (FT opinion)
- How boards can get ready for the metaverse (PWC insight)
- Account of the global chip battle wins FT book prize (FT news)
- Next Tech Growth Markets (FT Special Report)
- Rethinking trust in the age of digitisation (LSE insight)
People & Workforce
- Fire and rehire should be ‘absolute last resort’, UK warns (News from the FT)
- Fixing the ladder: how UK businesses benefit from better social mobility (Insights from McKinsey)
- How AI is combatting worker burnout (Podcast by the FT)
- Why hierarchies in organisations aren’t all bad (Insights from Insead)
- How you can achieve a deep purpose culture (Podcast from EY)
- London’s top law firms lure staff to offices with yoga and beekeeping (Feature from the FT)
- Essential advice for leaders from a decade of research on humble leadership (Insights from LSE Business Review)
- Diversity washing (Working paper from The European Corporate Governance Institute)
- The board imperative: further unlock the strategic value of CHROs (Insights from EY)
- The future of work: predictions for 2023 (Podcast from the FT)
- How to make peace with feeling less ambitious (Article from the Harvard Business Review)
- What if work is making us sick? (FT opinion)
- The story behind the abrupt resignation of Carlyle Group's CEO (FT feature)
Diversity
- How to best use data to meet DE&I goals (Practical insights from Harvard Business review)
- Missing Pieces Report: The Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards (Report from the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte)
- The macroeconomic damage from gender discrimination (Feature from the LSE Business Review)
Succession planning
- Your CEO succession plan can not wait (Research and insights from the Harvard Business Review)
- Your board needs a people committee (Practical insights from the Harvard Business Review)
- Chief executives: fountain of youth versus wisdom of age (Opinion from the FT)
Board moves
- Berkeley names Schroders veteran Michael Dobson as chair (News from FT)
- Insurer LV names new chair after failed Bain takeover (News from FT)
Remuneration
- Why investor pay revolts need to get personal (Opinion by the FT)
- The hypocritical attack on CEO pay (Opinion from the FT)
- A squandered chance to reform executive pay (Opinion from FT Editorial Board)
- How did boards adjust CEO pay in response to Covid-19? (Research from Stanford Corporate Governance Research Initiative)
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The latest news, regulations and resources for boards, covering corporate governance, strategy, risk, ESG, technology, remuneration and D&I. Curated by Patrick Jenkins, Deputy Editor of the Financial Times.


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