The goal of the meeting was simple: to gather together and share our views on what are some of the most important governance issues of the day.
Held in the nation’s capital in conjunction with the fall meeting of the ABA Business Law section, the meeting was called by John Stout, chair of the ABA Corporate Governance Committee, and included Philip Armstrong, head of the Global Governance Forum International Finance Corporation, Alexandra LaJoux, chief knowledge officer at the National Association of Corporate Directors, James Kristie, editor of Director & Boards magazine and nearly two-dozen highly regarded lawyers in the field of governance.
The goal of the meeting was simple: to gather together and share our views on what are some of the most important governance issues of the day. What came out of the meeting was the realization that a great deal of what confronts us as governance professionals is uncharted territory and many of you, the readers of Corporate Secretary, will find yourselves in position to actually shape governance policy that will be adopted nationally and internationally. Whether you write comment letters on Dodd Frank legislation to the SEC or craft compliance protocols for your company, all of these small actions translate into one very big effort that ultimately safeguards the capital markets.
That is why such face-to-face meetings where differing views on governance can be shared are so important. The passion and urgency felt in the voices of some of the roundtable participants can’t be duplicated online. Most everyone at the meeting agreed that they would like to see the meeting held again next year, and chairman Stout agreed to do so. But each of us should make it a point to participate in similar meetings in our professional networks in our area of the country. I may be reaching out to some of you to hold such a meeting in New York in the New Year. Contact me if you have interest in attending.
Such an opportunity is coming up on Thursday November 29 in Chicago as we are holding the first ever IR Magazine Corporate Secretary Think Tank Midwest 2012, bringing together corporate secretaries, investor relations professionals and other top governance executives to discuss the challenges of a constantly changing regulatory environment. This peer-to-peer networking opportunity is free-of-charge and off-the-record so the exchange of ideas can be candid and to the point. We hope to see you in Chicago!
