The following is a culmination of thought leadership provided by WCD’s global sponsors for February 2024. WCD’s sponsors provide expert thought leadership and insights into best practices for boards and committees, spanning topics such as technology, climate, and board composition.

GLOBAL LEAD SPONSOR

Humans Empowered: A new era of AI is here
You are now empowered to do more. Make smarter decisions. Achieve your vision faster. Give yourself a competitive edge. A new era of AI is here – one that empowers enterprises to drive operational excellence. Ready to be powered by AI? Let’s make the difference, together. Click to view.
KPMG LLP

Regulatory Recap – January 2024
Regulatory intensity continues – what did you miss in January? KPMG’s monthly Regulatory Recap covers key actions, including AI cross-agency releases, children’s online privacy, swaps reporting, and more. Click for key developments and insights.
KPMG LLP

Shifting geopolitics and the role of the board
Boards play a pivotal role in assessing how effectively the company is monitoring and managing geopolitical risk. The KPMG BLC and Eurasia Group provide considerations for three key areas of board oversight. Download.
KPMG BLC

Directors Quarterly: January 2024
In this edition of Directors Quarterly, SEC Chief Accountant Paul Munter shares his views on expectations for audit committees. KPMG also cover what’s on board and audit committee agendas this year, a financial reporting update, and focus areas for board oversight of third-party risk. Download.
KPMG BLC

GLOBAL EXECUTIVE SPONSOR

The Tesla Executive Compensation Ruling: What Directors Need to Know
While the size of the grant and the facts of the case are highly idiosyncratic, there are important takeaways for boards and compensation committees. Read more here.

Biotech Compensation Trends: Common Questions for 2024
Significant industry dynamics are driving a number of similar client questions. Pearl Meyer offers broad data to provide guidance and market context. Click here to read more.

CEO Succession Planning: Fortune Favors the Prepared
Click here to read the six tangible steps boards can take to maximize value and minimize CEO succession risk.

Stress-Testing Executive Change-in-Control Agreements
Periodically stress-testing your bank’s CIC agreements can eliminate surprises. Here is a step-by-step guide.

GLOBAL STRATEGIC SPONSOR

The New U.S. Merger Guidelines: Less Visibility and a More Complex NarrativeIt has been nearly two months since the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission published their new merger guidelines, and practitioners have been poring over the details ever since. Edelman Smithfield shares how companies may need to rethink their communication plans for transactions in the wake of this new antitrust approach. Read more here.

The Tidal Wave of Down Rounds is Coming for Fintech: Here’s How Communicators Can Prepare
Edelman Smithfield shares how communicators can prepare for and communicate down rounds with transparency and a long-term vision. Read the insights here.

Attention VC Firms: It’s Time to Speak Up!
There was no shortage of tough news for the venture capital industry in 2023, and all indications are that early 2024 will also be bumpy. Edelman Smithfield shares three critical ways for VCs to safeguard their reputation and maintain trust with key stakeholders in their latest report.

2023 CEO Transition: The measure of the market
Spencer Stuart’s 2023 CEO Transition report includes data for the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 — and combined views of the full S&P 1500. With the S&P 1500 representing about 90 percent of U.S. market capitalization, Spencer Stuart shares observations that represent most of the public leadership transitions in the United States. Read the report here.

Nominating/Governance Committee in the Spotlight: Three Priorities for 2024
The nominating/governance committee is no longer the board committee with relatively fewer responsibilities. Through their extensive work with private and public companies of all sizes, Spencer Stuart has identified three key focus areas for nominating/governance committees in 2024.

Courting Shareholder Proposals: ExxonMobil Sidesteps SEC and Sues to Block Scope 3 Shareholder Proposal
ExxonMobil (“Exxon”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Sunday, January 21, 2024, seeking a declaratory judgment to exclude a shareholder proposal from its proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Rule 14a-8”) and not present the proposal for a vote at its 2024 annual shareholder meeting. Read more here.

Business Groups Sue California to Block Climate Disclosure Laws
In V&E’s SEC Update, the insight shares an overview of how five co-plaintiffs representing a coalition of business groups filed a lawsuit against the state of California seeking to block the state’s new landmark climate disclosure laws.

ESG Is Over — As We Know It
For proponents of ESG (environmental, social & governance), 2023 might have felt like a big setback. Asset management giants scaled back their climate commitments and supported fewer ESG-centered shareholder proposals. As corporate sustainability continues to evolve, and keeping pace in 2024 means confronting five big questions. Read more here.

People, Processes, Technology: Fostering a Culture of Innovation
In this edition of V&E+, Chief Innovation Officer Aubrey Bishai shares her approach to work, the invaluable role of people, and thinking about Generative AI — Every. Single. Day.

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIC SPONSOR

Private Markets Monthly, January 2024: How S&P Global Provides Transparency, Benchmarks, And Data To Power Private Capital
As private markets expand and evolve, business models and sectors are fundamentally transforming. New dynamics and disruptions demand new strategies for investors and companies to make decisions with conviction. Read more from S&P Global here.

Investment-Grade Credit Check: Walking The Walk
Global investment-grade credit continues to “walk the walk” despite a slight deterioration in Q4 as slower growth and higher interest rates bite. Read more here.

Global Financing Conditions: Cautious Optimism After Peak Rates
S&P Global shares their “Credit Trends.” Read the findings here.

Key 2024 sustainability trends driving the year ahead
As the physical risks from climate change increase, we expect 2024 to bring a heightened focus on adaptation and resilience planning alongside rising understanding of the impacts of climate change — including on human health. Read more here.

GLOBAL SUPPORTING SPONSOR

The Highest-Paid Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs)
According to an Equilar study, the prevalence of marketing executives publicly disclosed among the top five highest-paid named executive officers (NEOs) at their respective companies increased by more than two-and-a-half times from 2018 to 2022.

Director Pay Trends
In this study, Equilar examines key trends in director compensation at companies within the Equilar 500—the 500 largest U.S. public companies by revenue—over the last three years.

Marketplace Webinar – From Data to Dealmaking
Click here to gain access to the on-demand webinar showcasing how Equilar is partnering with Snowflake to break down data silos that result in real-time customer relationship intelligence with data collaboration via native applications.

Corporate Governance Outlook: The Top Issues of 2024
The corporate governance landscape continues to evolve each year, and it’s the responsibility of companies to ensure they adhere to best practices and establish a strong governance blueprint. View the replay from Equilar, DFIN, and the KPMG Board Leadership Center, as they explore the most pressing issues of 2024 and insights into governance topics that may emerge in the new year and beyond.

Check out January 2024’s thought leadership here.