If there is one common denominator to every individual listed in this issue of the Directorship 100 it’s this: every single one of them is an agent of change. I am humbled not only by what the Directorship 100 honorees have accomplished in their vast careers but what they do in addition to their day jobs, giving of themselves to benefit a larger good. It seems their capacity for work knows no bounds. The same is true of the CEOs on this year’s Directorship 100. The corporations they run today look very different than when they first went to work for them decades ago. Which got me to thinking: will the transformation of corporate governance 30 years from now be as dramatic as, say, the evolution of the Apple I or II to today’s iPad?
Absolutely. And the world as we know it is being shaped, and reshaped, by the very individuals listed in this issue. Each year we strive to make the Directorship 100 better than the last. This year we recognize that in addition to each other, directors devote a great deal of time talking to boardroom allies: their legal counsel, compensation consultants, career coaches and yes, their D&O policy advisors. In recognition of their growing influence, we have broken them out into their own categories rather than putting them together in what was becoming an unwieldy category of “strategists and advisors.” Overall, the aim is to properly identify and recognize the many spheres of influence on corporate governance.
How do we arrive at the Directorship 100? A Call for Nominees is issued to past honorees and our universe of directors and those allied to them. Included on the ballot is the opportunity to write in new candidates. Because all of us at the NACD spend our working lives steeped in corporate governance, we create a long list of nominees vetted by an editorial advisory board (you know who you are and I am indebted for the insight you provide). Our final list is given the seal of approval by NACD’s esteemed board, and it’s done.
Bringing the annual Directorship 100 issue to a close means that we begin to develop next year’s list. We also look forward to the reception and dinner on November 8th where, within the storied marble halls of New York’s Metropolitan Club, we will pause to pay tribute to this year’s Directorship 100 honorees before getting back to the business of governance during our full forum program on November 9th. I hope to see you there.
Judy Warner is managing editor of NACD Directorship and Directorship.com.