Episode Archives

14. Diane Hessan on what makes an effective board member and an effective board

Diane Hessan is successful entrepreneur, CEO, author and has been highly recognized for the broad range of impactful work she has done.  And she has served on virtually every type of company board and seen the work of the board from many perspectives.  In the fascinating conversation, she shares her insight and opinion on the…

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13. Ed Pendergast: What it takes to be a board member that every company wants

Ed Pendergast has served on numerous boards – public, private, and nonprofits – for more than 40 years. Very few people have had the opportunity to serve on such a broad range of boards over such a long period of time as Ed, and for good reason. He is the consummate board member. Armed with…

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12. David R. Koenig: understanding and utilizing risk well is critical to optimizing the success of any business

David R. Koenig has been fascinated by and focused on understanding risk virtually his entire life and is recognized as a global leader on the governance of risk.  He has held executive and board positions, published across multiple media (including 2 books: Governance Reimagined and The Board Members Guide to Risk), founded the DCRO (The…

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11. David Rosen on the importance of boards in private companies

David Rosen has been a CEO, served in other C-suite capacities has served as a board member and is a life-long entrepreneur – and has developed a passion about the importance of boards in private companies.  As a result, helped found the Boston Chapter of The Private Directors Association (PDA), a national organization whose focus…

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10. Ian Sheridan on the importance of the board in the very earliest stage of a company

Ian Sheridan has been innovating in the financial world, in a variety of roles, for many years.  He has brought that innovative mindset to the venture fund where he is a managing partner, Vestigo Ventures.  In this episode of On Boards we discuss the fascinating approach in the use of data they employ in making…

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9. Larry Stybel on the importance of an informed and effective board

Larry Stybel talks what a board need to do to really do its job properly and the critical role of the Nomination/Governance Committee in that process.  Do we have the right talent on this board?  Are the board members sufficiently educated to handle their fiduciary responsibilities? And does the board understand that it has primary…

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8. A Panel Discussion: The Role of Boards in the Current Crisis – and how it’s changing

Planning for a crisis is not a luxury and boards must be a very good at crisis management – we’re seeing just how important that is right now.  For this topic, we’ve assembled an incredibly experienced panel – our first panel episode – to delve into the role that boards are playing, and must play,…

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7. George Davis on what boards need to do in a crisis: Listen aggressively – but fight the urge to grab the wheel

George Davis has been a trusted advisor to multinational, public sector and private equity backed organizations seeking guidance on critical boardroom issues for many years.  We discuss with him what boards of directors need to do in a crisis, how this crisis is different from those in the past and what it may mean in…

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6. Joe Baerlein on crisis communication: clear, concise, honest communication and, especially now, a strong dose of authentic empathy

Joe Baerlein, a nationally known strategic communication advisor for some of the country’s largest companies, trade associations, large non-for-profits, talks about what matters: always consider the long-term impact on the company’s brand and reputation – and never be afraid of providing truthful information or being proactive about providing it. Thanks for listening! We love our…

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5. John Hession on investor-backed company boards: discipline, tough love and results

John Hession, legal advisor, business advisor and angel investor, holds the world land record for number of board meetings attended.  He’s been working with emerging growth companies for over 35 years and he has seen it all.  He talks about the discipline, tough love and results required if investor backed companies are going to be…

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