Advisors, Talent Seekers, and Strategists
A Seat at the Table: John Castellani
Directors have a friend in Washington D.C., and his name is John Castellani. Since joining The Business Roundtable in 2001, Castellani has raised the profile of perhaps the most influential business lobby group. As president of the organization, he has piloted several key public policy issues for the Roundtable, including trade expansion, civil justice reform, and fiscal policy. In fact, Bloomberg named him one of Washington’s six most influential lobbyists. Recently, the Roundtable, whose members constitute nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets, has been an outspoken proponent of healthcare reform, with an eye toward reforms that would ease the growth in the cost of providing health coverage for employers. Castellani has appeared on a number of television programs such as NBC’s Meet the Press, PBS’ The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Fox News Channel’s Special Report, and CNBC’s Street Signs.
Dominic Barton, McKinsey & Co.
A managing partner at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Dominic Barton has advised clients in a range of industries, including consumer goods and banking. An active participant in the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Aspen Strategy Group, and the World Bank and IMF meetings, he has written extensively about issues and opportunities facing global and Asian markets. Barton spent almost 10 years in the Far East, including a stint in Korea from 2000 until 2004, and in Shanghai as chairman of McKinsey’s Asia offices from 2004 to 2009. He is the author of China Vignettes: An Inside Look at China.
Irv Becker, Hay Group
Irv Becker, national practice leader of the executive compensation practice at Hay Group, advises firms to combat the tough economy by becoming more familiar with annual bonus and budget process metrics. Becker’s clients have included Fortune 50 financial services companies, major foreign-owned banks, and global consumer products companies, among others. His experience arises from 10 years of in-house corporate experience while heading up the compensation and benefits functions at Goldman Sachs.
Ram Charan, Charan Associates
A highly sought after business advisor, Ram Charan, a CEO coach described by Fortune magazine as “the most influential consultant alive,” is known for his rigorous schedule and behind-the-scenes insight into problems facing corporate executives and directors today. He is the author of multiple books, including his latest publication, Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask. He served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on corporate governance and was selected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He sits on the boards of Austin Industries and Tyco Electronics.
Frederic W. Cook, Frederic W. Cook & Co.
Founding director of compensation-consulting firm, Frederic W. Cook & Co., Frederic W. Cook remains a staunch proponent of pay for performance and an opponent of say on pay. Cook previously served as a principal with Towers Perrin, which he joined in 1966 following four years as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer. He is an honorary member of the American Compensation Association and a fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources.
Julie Hembrock Daum, Spencer Stuart
As practice leader at Spencer Stuart, Julie Hembrock Daum has placed more than 450 directors at various companies. She consults with corporate boards for Spencer Stuart’s North American Board and CEO Succession Practice. Having worked with firms of all sizes, from Fortune 100 to pre-IPO companies, she is credited with recruiting the outside directors for the Tyco spin-off companies and Delta Airlines, AIG, Citigroup, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and General Motors. She’s the founder of the Directors’ Institute, a program for first-time board directors at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a frequent writer and speaker on governance issues. (Spencer Chairman Thomas J. Neff is being inducted into the 2009 Directorship 100 Hall of Fame.)
George L. Davis and Justus O’Brien, Egon Zehnder
Emphasizing the importance of going global when considering boardroom candidates, George L. Davis is a staunch believer that it’s best to start recruiting early. Having served as vice president of the Walt Disney Co. and as marketing director for the Disney Channel, Davis believes finding a new director can take 12 to 24 months. When recruiting new board members, his colleague Justus O’Brien, co-managing partner of North American board services at Egon Zehnder, applies the expertise gained from his past positions, including serving as senior vice president at Leo Burnett International and president of Leo Burnett, Publicidade in São Paulo, Brazil.
Steven Hall, Steven Hall & Partners
As managing director of Steven Hall & Partners, Steven Hall has provided consulting services for more than 30 years with senior management and board compensation committees in planning and implementation of senior-executive compensation programs. His expertise is especially essential as the financial world recovers under the watchful eye of a skeptical public. He has a strong technical background in tax, accounting, and finance, and uses this knowledge to help design remuneration programs, including partnerships and side-by-side investments. He is a member of the faculty of the NACD where he teaches courses related to executive and director compensation. (Co-founder Pearl Meyer is being inducted into the Directorship 100 Hall of Fame. Read her profile on page 31.)
Richard Levick, Levick Strategic Communications
The president and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, Richard Levick is a specialist in corporate communications, with one of two missions for his firm’s clients: “To get them into the news or get them out of it.” Levick is a skilled master of public relations and reputational challenges, having hedged crises and promoted successes whenever clients have needed such services. He mantra for directors is to know the blogosphere and other online media. Some of his firm’s successful campaigns have included such international staging grounds as Guantanamo Bay, the Catholic Church, and the credit crisis on Wall Street.
Steve Mader, Nels Olson, and Robert Hallagan; Korn/Ferry International
A world-renowned executive recruitment firm, Korn/Ferry International has for 40 years made happy marriages between top-tier companies and the executives for whom they search. Based in 90 offices across 40 countries, Korn/Ferry consultants conduct more than 10,000 searches annually in a number of specific industries. Having personally worked on 400-plus search assignments, Korn/Ferry’s Steve Mader is among the firm’s most valued consultants, and is a regular media contributor on the topics of leadership and corporate governance. Similarly prolific, Nels Olson has participated in more than 350 searches, serving now as Korn/Ferry’s Eastern Region managing director after 14 years with the firm. Vice chairman and managing director of the firm’s Board Leadership Services arm, Robert Hallagan has almost 20 years in the executive search business, along with a number of other high-profile positions within the financial industry, and is on the NACD board.
David Nadler, Marsh & McLennan Cos.
As vice chairman of Marsh & McLennan Companies, David Nadler has had a wide range of experience in an advisory role at some of the world’s top companies. Formerly an associate professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, Nadler founded the Delta Consulting Group in 1980 (now known as Oliver Wyman and run as a business unit of MMC). He has been active in the industry since. In addition to his consulting duties, Nadler has written or co-authored several books, including Competing By Design: The Power of Organizational Architecture and Building Better Boards: A Blueprint for Effective Governance. Nadler was previously an associate professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.
Harvey Pitt, Kalorama Partners
Harvey Pitt served as the 26th chairman of the SEC from 2001 to 2003, as Enron, Worldcom and other scandals came to light. Pitt instituted real-time enforcement to ensure that the Commission was more effective at enforcing regulations. A frequent writer and speaker on corporate governance issues, he now serves as CEO of Kalorama Partners, which advises senior management and boards on forming and implementing strategy and policy.
Michael Smith and John Doyle, Chartis
A property-casualty and general insurance organization, Chartis operates globally, serving 40 million clients in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. For directors, Chartis is the top provider of directors and officers liability coverage (D&O insurance). John Doyle, executive vice president of Chartis and CEO of Chartis U.S., has spent 23 years in the insurance industry, and has logged executive experience in a number of fields with AIG and AIU Holdings. Michael Smith is the president of Chartis’ Executive Liability branch. A 13-year veteran of the insurance business, Smith began his career as a counsel in AIG’s Professional Liability division before eventually moving up the ladder to his current top-tier position. An attorney, Smith’s law background has set him up for the unique challenges facing D&O liability insurance providers in a post-recessionary economy.
David Swinford and Jannice Koors, Pearl Meyer & Partners
With more than 10 years at Pearl Meyer & Partners, David Swinford, CEO of the firm, works closely with boards to tie strategy to compensation and governance practices. He was previously principal and worldwide partner at William M. Mercer, where he was national practice leader for executive compensation. Jannice Koors, an expert on long-term incentive plans and pay metrics, is now managing director in PM&P’s Chicago office. She has more than 20 years of experience in all areas of executive compensation, including value-based annual and long-term incentive plans, salary structure development, subsidiary pay programs, and performance measure selection. Prior to joining PM&P, Koors was a principal at SCA Consulting.
John Wood, Keith Meyer, and Bonnie Gwin; Heidrick and Struggles
For more than 50 years, global executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles has been the “man for the job” for finding the man for the job. The world’s premier leadership consulting service, Heidrick employs nearly 500 consultants committed to making connections between superior companies and executives. Heidrick Vice Chairman John Wood has served as an executive search consultant for more than 15 years, and has completed almost 200 executive and director searches. Keith Meyer, vice chairman and managing partner of Heidrick’s Global Board Advisory Services Practice, is an influential consultant to many Fortune 500 companies, including ExxonMobil and Procter & Gamble. Bonnie Gwin, formerly with IBM for 13 years, is a director recruitment specialist, serving as managing partner for Heidrick’s Board of Directors practice.
Very interesting and very valuable for my MBA level courses on corporate governance at Lubin School of Business, Pace University. We began offering the first MBA level course on COMPARATIVE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, nearly four years ago. We now have added a second and third governance related courses and have under consideration both a double major for Accounting and Finance majors and a governance MBA. Your publications are very insightful and offer students a “real world” experience with governance and the important role of Directors.
Some years ago I created, edited and published the first texts available in English on all aspects of governance, company law and related industrial relations/labour relations (stakeholder laws)for the 12 major countries of Western Europe.
Professor John Alan James, Lubin School of Business, Pace University
Good job on a tough assignment. Of course no two people will ever agree on everyone who should or shouldn’t be on the list but the one person who immediately comes to my mind, and the minds of many in any discussion of corporate governance, is Robert A. J. Monks.
Bob was instrumental in creating a fiduciary duty for pension a mutual funds to vote in corporate elections. He found Institutional Shareholder Services (now part of the Risk Metrics Group), which many believe has almost monopoly power in advising institutional investors how to vote. He and Nell Minow (who you did include) then set up the LENS Fund, which paved the way for Relational Investors, GO and others on your list. Along with Nell, he then set up The Corporate Library, which you also include. You include several academics, all worthy, but it was Bob and Nell’s book, Corporate Governance, along with another earlier book by R.I. (Bob) Tricker, that virtually created the academic discipline.
I can’t understand how you missed this giant of the field… or maybe he’s on your list and I missed it?
We appreciate Jim McRitchie’s comment on Robert A.G Monks, and his achievements in the context of US corporate governance. In fact, Bob Monks was recognized by Directorship in our 2008 Corporate Governance Hall of Fame, and deservedly so (along with Bill Donaldson, Mike Oxley, Paul Sarbanes, and Ira Millstein). In addition to Bob’s many accomplishments, he also happens to be a first rate fellow and a delightful individual whom we admire and enjoy immensely.
– The Editors of Directorship
“has clearly helped the nation avoid further financial disaster and put the economy on the path to recovery.”
It’s been a year since your article. Perhaps you should reconsider that statement?
I’m going to have to echo Bill’s comment. While there certainly has been a “recovery” in the financial sector, thanks to a VERY generous Fed, the recovery everywhere else is completely lacking. It seems there are two different worlds, and if you’re not part of the financially connected, then you may not have the same view as the one described in the post.
I am glad to see Bob Monks getting a mention. A very impressive character who studied at both Cambridge AND Harvard and despite his many highly influencial positions has retained a salt of the earth personality. A very imformative post overall, thank you.
So here we are just over a year since this report was issued. Wonder where Barack stands now?