On the board’s agenda

The complex role of the board in setting executive compensation

July 2023

The complexity of setting pay may be magnified when it involves groups with varying and perhaps conflicting short-term and long-term interests. It may be difficult to find the balance between these varied stakeholders with different time frames. Ultimately, though, and regardless of the number and volume of other voices, decisions on this matter fall to the board and its compensation committee.

In conjunction with Deloitte’s Chief Executive Program, this edition of On the board’s agenda reviews recent developments in how boards set executive compensation, outlines challenges related to market volatility, and illustrates how variations across countries may impact compensation strategy.

The never-ending story: CEO succession planning

May 2023

The CEO is usually the most visible and prominent position within a company. The board’s role in CEO succession planning is a unique role and one of the highest-priority activities in which they engage. When things go well, an effective succession planning strategy can result in a CEO with transformative leadership potential who executes on the company’s long-term vision and adds value for shareholders and other stakeholders.

Board governance and strategy in a changing global economic landscape

April 2023

The recovery from the pandemic has been uneven at best, and it brought its own challenges—chief among them inflation. Board-level strategy around such issues often requires weighing a proverbial constellation of economic data. While cost cutting is often the “standard playbook” response in this area, there is value in weighing all the options available to promote economic resiliency. Periods of volatility are also an opportunity for boards to reaffirm their stewardship commitments. Such actions can pay dividends in social capital – a return on investment that, while not measured in dollars, can be just as valuable.

Rethinking how tech trends shape governance and oversight

February 2023

Deloitte’s 2023 Tech Trends report offers a navigational framework for boardroom conversations in this area and specifically suggests a holistic governance approach where leverage of technology is based on the business use case rather than its perceived novelty or innovativeness.

The 2023 Board agenda

January 2023

In this edition of On the board's agenda, we discuss some of the critical topics like board composition, technology, workplace, climate, organizational strategy and risks, and finally the board itself, that have remained relatively constant in the past five years, as well as new and emerging topics that will likely be on the board’s agenda in 2023.

Prioritizing human capital—modern challenges and the board’s role

November 2022

Many corporate boards are devoting increasing amounts of time to one of their most important assets, their workers. Profound, disruptive shifts in the marketplace and worker expectations coupled with growing demands for transparency and action on environmental, social, and governance issues, are elevating a variety of human capital risks and opportunities to boardroom discussions.

Supply chain strategies: For many companies, the traditional balance is shifting

October 2022

The path to a new equation for supply chain management is an important balancing act for boards to understand and oversee. With its deep understanding of strategy and risk spanning the enterprise, boards are in the optimal position to hold C-suite leaders accountable for considering the company’s mission and strategy and synchronizing a supply chain ecosystem that balances a multitude of sensitive factors.

In M&A, how can boards help companies avoid the synergy trap?

September 2022

Mergers and acquisitions offer one way that shareholder value can be increased. By exercising their responsibilities and providing advice and perspective, boards can help increase shareholder value, reduce tension within the organization, and ultimately improve the odds of success in M&A efforts.