No Social Ties: How Independent Boards Improve Firm Performance

Research led by Ronald Masulis, the Macquarie Group Chair in Financial Services at the Australian School of Business, demonstrates a strong causal link between board independence and increased value for shareholders. But there is a potential pitfall in the way board members are chosen. Masulis and co-author Lixiong Guo find that social connections between CEOs and non-executive directors can undermine board independence. “I would encourage corporate boards to voluntarily adopt a fully independent nominating committee, and if they are lacking a nominating committee, to establish one,” says Masulis.