The Savvy Director Blog

Would you rather have a Nobel laureate who won’t engage, or a curious newcomer who asks the right questions?

This isn’t just hypothetical — it’s a real dilemma many boards face. As governance challenges grow more complex and stakeholder expectations rise, the composition of the boardroom has never mattered more. But when evaluating potential directors, one question often lingers: Is it more important to have the right skills — or the right mindset?

In this edition of The Savvy Director, we e...

If you’ve served on a board for a year or more, you’ve probably lived through an external audit. It’s one of those governance fundamentals that you need to have a handle on to fulfill your director responsibilities.

Failing to exercise proper oversight over external audit has caused a lot of grief for boards in the past. You can help make sure your board doesn’t become one of them.

In a nutshell, an external audit involves an independent auditor reviewing an organization's financial statem...

In the first Savvy Director post of 2025, we’ll take a look at some of the challenges and opportunities our boards may be facing as the year unfolds.

Of course, the impact of external pressures and governance trends varies considerably based on factors like your industry sector, type of organization, and geographic location. That means that some of the items we cover here will apply to your situation, and others won’t — at least not directly.

Still, it’s a good idea for all directors — rega...

Over the course of a year, a board of directors must review key information, approve important documents, hold vital discussions, and make critical decisions. How do they stay on track?

The annual board calendar is a valuable tool to ensure that all these events happen at the right time. It’s more than just a list of dates and times. It’s a document that needs to be well thought out and carefully considered.

Think of the board calendar as a planning tool to help the board govern effectively....

With increasing demands on governance professionals’ time, they’re always looking for  innovative solutions to help them support their boards more effectively. Could artificial intelligence (AI) be the answer?

“AI will have a significant impact on boardroom operations and governance. It’s an opportunity and a challenge that directors need to address proactively.” — Chris Ridd, BoardPro Chair

AI tools designed for board management can streamline processes, enhance accuracy, and provide i...

 

An effective corporate secretary or other governance professional is a great resource for any board of directors. They provide support and guidance to the board in carrying out its fiduciary duties, making sure that it operates within legal and ethical boundaries.

Among their many duties, they’re responsible for maintaining accurate records of board meetings, managing board communications, and ensuring compliance with governance policies and regulations. They help ensure the board has the i...

As a board director, you’re probably familiar with the principles of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). ESG has become increasingly important in the world, and at home, as organizations strive to align their values and practices with those of their stakeholders. Over the last while, ESG has evolved into the longer view of sustainability. It's important to understand what this evolution means for your company or non-profit.

“Sustainability” means meeting the needs of the present wi...

The board governance landscape continues to evolve around us, making the role of internal audit more important than ever. As a board director, whether the organization you serve is a large for-profit corporation or a local non-profit, internal audit’s insight and assurance is an indispensable resource to help you fulfill your role.

Essentially, internal audit serves as the board’s eyes and ears. It answers the key oversight question, “How do we know?” by providing an independent, objective as...

Last week’s blog dealt with board succession. If you read that post (A Better Way to Fill Board Seats), then you know I’m an advocate of treating board succession as an ongoing process of planned renewal.

Maybe you also noticed that we glossed over the whole topic of actually selecting the right director for your board – a process that is complicated enough to merit its own separate blog post.

So, let’s delve into the topic of board recruitment now.

Pinpointing What Your Board Needs Righ...

Does this sound familiar?

A long-standing, knowledgeable and well-respected director will soon be stepping off your board. This will create a vacant board seat.

Once the board becomes aware of this impending departure, a board committee is tasked with finding a good candidate to fill the seat. The committee scrambles to interview a few candidates and recommend one of them to the board.

The board rubber stamps the committee recommendation and – bingo! – there’s a new board member at the table....