eBriefing

Blockchain: ‘Fraud’ or Fortune?

By Eve Tahmincioglu

Whether it’s JP Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon publicly eating his words about blockchain, or Kodak attempting to resurrect its photo dominance with the technology, the promise of what is essentially a more secure, shared online database is getting hard to ignore.

Blockchain — the technology behind cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin — has been hailed as the next big disruptive business force, already being tested in everything from tracking Chinese pork to making insurance underwriting more efficient.

“2017 was the year of enthusiasm,” says Christian Catalini, assistant professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, about blockchain. “2018 is the year of more mature deployments and the slow adoption in real-world uses.”

But he warns, “Markets are overreacting and people are flocking to anything with ‘blockchain’ on it. It’s important to cut through the hype.”

Sexual Harassment: Boards Can't Be Silent

By April Hall

The issue of sexual harassment has been kept quiet in the boardroom.

The thorny topic is often treated under the larger umbrella of healthy company culture, says Eric McCarthey, a director for Spar Group, Salsbury Industries and Interra International LLC.

At its core, he says, sexual harassment is a question of culture and tone at the top that can no longer be a “silent” issue or kept in a committee. If you’re a director, he adds, sexual harassment policies are “very material to one of your responsibilities. It is a duty of care and a duty of loyalty” to employees and shareholders.

And with the rise of the #MeToo movement, it’s a responsibility that’s becoming harder and harder to ignore. 

Environmental, Social & Governance

Nominate Successful Private Company Boards

We’re looking for private company boards adding value to their organizations!

Nominate your board, or a board you admire.
 
Private Company Director,  Family Business and Directors & Boards present the third annual Private Company Boards of the Year 2018 award, dedicated to honoring private company boards who best serve their stakeholders — owners, shareholders, employees and community. These boards will exhibit best practices in their structure, practices and performance.
 
The award is open to the fiduciary or advisory boards of private companies of all sizes and ownership structures. Size of the company, or indeed, of the board, doesn’t matter. 

The Private Company Governance Summit

May 16-18

Boards & Business Disruption

How private and family businesses build an engaged and effective board of directors to copilot through today’s turbulence, including blockchain, sexual harassment, cybersecurity, the ‘Amazon’ effect, and more.

Learn from directors, business owners, investors and experts who have been there and can guide you on the governance path to success.

Directors & Boards, Family Business Magazine and Private Company Director invite owners, shareholders and board members of privately held companies to the Private Company Governance Summit 2018, May 16-18, 2018, at the Westin City Center, Washington, D.C.

Reserve your seat at the governance conference for directors, owners, and advisors of family-owned, closely held and private-equity owned businesses of all sizes.

Click here for more information.

Boardroon Valentine's Gift for Women Will Take 30 Years
 

By Eve Tahmincioglu

Gender parity in the nation’s boardrooms was projected to happen in 2055, but a recent report pushed up the timeline by seven years.

While it’s not going to take longer than estimated last year, it will still be a long time coming, according to the latest Equilar Gender Diversity Index released Wednesday.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, just 16.5% of board seats at Russell 3000 companies were taken by women, an uptick from the 16.2% reported in the previous quarter, reported Equilar, a board solutions firm.