Boardroom INSIDER for… DECEMBER

CEOS SERVE ON THEIR OWN BOARDS — BUT WHY?

The makeup of corporate boards around the world is slowly shifting,  with increased independence, stronger diversity, and more targeted skills.  But one standard remains universal – the company chief executive is inevitably also a member of the board.  “But why?” asks the lead article in the December issue of online monthly Boardroom INSIDER.  BI publisher and business speaker Ralph Ward writes that CEO board membership is so unquestioned that we “never step back to look at the pros and the cons.”

There are many benefits to keeping the CEO in the boardroom.  Legally, the chief is “just another board member” for a few hours, a valuable reality check reinforcing the board’s power, and offering the CEO insights on the governance role and thinking of directors.  Still, Ward writes that we overlook just “how odd it is to be one of your own supervisors.”  It becomes easy for independent outsiders on the board to defer to the chief’s knowledge and judgments.  Even if the CEO were a non-voting director, they “would always punch above their weight in discussion.”

Ward sees no prospect of moving chief executives off their own boards… “but we should still ask why?”

Also in Boardroom INSIDER for December…

What trends are shifting the top three board committees?
Your board “skills matrix” — IR tips for disclosure.
Q&A: Helping our founder say goodbye.

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