The Corporate Director Podcast

Declining foot traffic. The migration to digital and e-commerce brands. More globalization and lower barriers to entry. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic sent in-store shoppers and their wallets home for months, the future of retail has been called “dire” and “apocalyptic.” Have online retailers like Amazon won the battle for good? Anddria Clack-Rogers Varnado brings a dual perspective to this question from the worlds of retail and governance. She’s held executive strategy roles with Williams-Sonoma and Macy’s, where she’s currently chief strategy officer, and serves on the board of directors for Umpqua Holdings.

At the beginning of 2020, the environmental, sustainability/social, governance (ESG) discussion centered around climate change. What a difference a few months makes. The pandemic shutdowns, worldwide outrage over police brutality and systemic racism – what does it all mean for boards? Roy Dunbar brings a multi-faceted perspective from executive leadership roles at Network Solutions, MasterCard, and Eli Lilly and now serving on the boards of Humana, Johnson Controls, and SiteOne Landscaping.

On this week’s episode, hosts Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan day reflect on the recent events, and how corporate leaders are responding to the #BlackLivesMatter protests and denouncing racism and police violence. Then, Meghan shares her previously recorded interview with Larry Clinton, President of the Internet Security Alliance, on the huge uptick in cybercrime during the pandemic. According to Larry, if cybercrime around the world had its own economy, it would be big enough to qualify for inclusion among the G-10 nations. Larry discussed what it all means for boards, and what board members need to ask and expect from management in this new environment of increased cyber risk.

Executive compensation has gotten complicated. Succession planning – for more roles than just the CEO – has risen to the fore. Meanwhile, stock price volatility is spurring a rise in activism, inspiring shareholder rights plans, and tempting hedge funds. Dawn Zier, a board member for Spirit Airlines, brings insights from an industry hard hit by COVID-19, as well as perspectives from the board of Hain Celestial Group and her leadership of Nutrisystem. In this episode—marking the one-year anniversary of The Corporate Director Podcast—she joins co-host Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan Day to talk about how boards are re-thinking metrics, post-mortems, leadership, and more in today’s “new normal.”

One “business” that’s thriving during the coronavirus crisis is cybercrime, which has increased four-fold since the start of the pandemic, according to the FBI. In this episode, we speak to Bob Zukis, CEO and founder of the Digital Directors Network about where boards are at in terms of preparedness, and how “digital directors” can help. Zukis is a leading advocate for digital diversity in the corporate boardroom, who has lived and worked on the front lines of globalization across four continents and twenty countries. He cites “a cybersecurity leadership crisis in companies all around the world in the boardroom”: They need to move from awareness of cyber risk to action.

During the COVID-19 crisis, when we most need a strong and robust healthcare system, healthcare leaders have faced unprecedented challenges. From canceling lucrative elective procedures at already cash-strapped facilities, to obtaining and allocating vital resources, to navigating evolving conditions—and standing up to skeptics—while battling a deadly virus, hospital and health system leaders have faced one tough decision after another. What best practices can all industries glean from the experience of healthcare boards, both now and into the future?In this episode, podcast co-hosts Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director of the Diligent Institute, and Meghan Day, Diligent Corporation Senior Director of Board Member Experience, get insights from Jamie Orlikoff, healthcare governance expert and chair of the board for the St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon.

Is it right to order grocery delivery during a pandemic? What measures should companies take to protect employees during a lockdown? As the COVID-19 crisis places ethical questions like this in the forefront, Global Ethicist Dr. Andrea Bonime-Blanc shares her views on the podcast. Dr. Bonime-Blanc has built a career around helping corporations, governments, and nonprofits navigate ethical issues, including serving as an Independent Ethics Advisor to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, and authoring the book, Gloom to Boom, on how leaders can transform ESG risk into opportunity. In this episode, Dr. Bonime-Blanc discusses the deficit of public trust in institutions, the role of ethical advisors, and the influence of technology on ESG issues and risk.

COVID-19 is very different from a traditional economics-based crisis or natural disaster. A great deal of uncertainty exists related to global response and how long the situation will last. “It’s more akin to a war zone than a normal crisis,” says Alejandro “Alex” Wolff. Wolff is a 34-year veteran of the US State Department, who now serves on the boards of Albemarle Corporation, PG&E Corporation, and two airlines – JetSmart Holdings – an airline operating in South America, and Frontier Airlines based in the US. In this episode, Wolff shares his insights on governance through the COVID-19 crisis, tips for boards on crisis leadership in general, and his predictions for what the world will look like beyond the pandemic.

Officially a pandemic, the impact of coronavirus is broad reaching and disruptive. For companies, your response not only impacts the bottom line, it also impacts lives. Podcast guest, Peter Deans, shares with Meghan Day, Diligent’s Director of Board Experience, his take on how the associated risks need to be effectively managed by boards and management. Also in this episode, Diligent Institute Head of Research Annie Kors offers highlights from a just-released report, A Few Good Women: Gender Inclusion in Public Company Board Leadership.

Change is happening at lightning speed. In fact, NACD reported that nearly 7 in 10 directors believe their company won’t be able to extend its existing strategy over the next five years. Dr. Clayton Christensen tackled this issue with his 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma. And so has Claudia Fan Munce as a co-founder and former managing director of the IBM Venture Capital Group. Munce shares with Diligent Institute Executive Director Dottie Schindlinger her perspectives on Christensen’s work and legacy, plus her own thoughts on innovation as a board member today. Also in this episode, Diligent Institute lead researcher Annie Kors shares highlights from a just-released report, “Beyond the Boardroom: How Directors Gain Insight,” with Meghan Day, Diligent’s Director of Board Experience.