Risk, Governance and Compensation

As 2021 draws to a close, it is apparent we have entered a period of higher — perhaps much higher — risk and uncertainty. A year ago, we celebrated the completion of one of the most challenging years we had ever faced. The pandemic, social unrest, and significant climate events were shocks to the system, and to which we had adapted. We looked forward to a more “normal” business environment in 2021. However, that was not to be. Major supply chain disruptions, severe labor shortages, an intense “war for talent,” resurgent inflation, two new COVID variants, and a new round of climate-related disasters made 2021 just as challenging as 2020.

We live in an era of high risk and uncertainty, where instability has become more commonplace and where one-in-a-hundred-year events happen with greater frequency. And those risks and events seem to be interrelated.

Risk, therefore, is a primary concern for most companies and must be effectively incorporated into corporate governance and executive compensation plans.

The December 9 webinar “Risk, Governance and Compensation,” coproduced with Directors & Boards magazine, addressed these topics. We presented a framework for thinking about risk, its role in corporate governance, how it relates to ESG topics, and how to incorporate these topics into executive pay plans. Nina Henderson and Ken Robinson, two prominent board members, shared how they and the boards they serve address risk and related ESG issues.

In addition to viewing the webinar, please download the accompanying materials below. We also encourage you to review the excellent Forbes articles on these and related topics by Chief Innovation and Acceleration Officer John Bremen.