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All Episodes

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein — 209 episodes

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Title
1

Marie Oh Huber: Governing Through Disruption

2

Eddie Ramos: How AI Is Reshaping Investing and Boardrooms

3

Steven Lipin: Activism, M&A, and the Rising Stakes of Board Communication

4

Benjamin Means: The Principles of Family Business Law and Governance

5

Eric Ries: Incorruptible, and the Case for Long-Term Governance Reform

6

Benjamin Edwards: The Rise of Nevada in the Reincorporation Debate

7

Joelle Emerson: Why Company Culture Is a Core Governance Issue

8

Leo Strine: Delaware’s Moment, AI Guardrails, and a Call of Conscience

9

Betsy Atkins: Why Directors Must Become More Entrepreneurial and Change-Adaptive

10

Michael Ewens (Columbia Business School): What the Data Reveals About Startup Boards and Private Equity

11

Jennifer Ceran: From Treasury to CFO to the Boardroom

12

Jeff Epstein (Bessemer Venture Partners): Why Effective Boards Spend Time on Decisions Not Yet Made

13

Joe Grundfest (Stanford): 2026 Predictions and 2025 Reflections

14

David Berger: Year-End Reflections on Corporate Governance and the Road Ahead

15

Richard Blake: Key Takeaways from the 2025 Silicon Valley 150 Governance Report

16

Michelle Leder (Footnoted): Uncovering Hidden Risks in SEC Filings

17

Erik Lie: Catching Cheats, Fraud Detection, and the Board’s Evolving Role

18

Sue Siegel: Innovation, Life Sciences, and Governance in a Changing World

19

Karen Page: Venture Boards, Founder Governance, and the Path from Startup to Scale

20

Joele Frank and Anne Chapman: Strategic Communications, Activism, and Governance

21

Stephen Bainbridge (UCLA): The State of Corporate Law and Governance in the U.S.

22

Brad Feld: Startup Boards and Lessons from Four Decades in VC

23

State of the Markets and AI with Steven Wolfe Pereira

24

Teresa Briggs: Audit Committees, AI, and the Evolving Role of Corporate Directors.

25

Jonathan Foster: On Boards and the Playbook for Modern Governance

26

Larry Cunningham: From John Weinberg’s 1948 Thesis, Delaware's Challenge, to the Modern Boardroom

27

Tina Rosenfeld: Independent Directors, Board Diversity, and Governance in Chile

28

Steven Wolfe Pereira: How Can You Govern Something That You Don't Understand?

29

Erik Gerding (Freshfields): Governance, Regulation, and Risk in a Global Business Environment

30

Jack Lazar: A Silicon Valley Journey from Finance to the Boardroom

31

Walker Newell & Lenin Lopez (Woodruff & Sawyer): Navigating D&O Risk, Delaware Exit, and Boardroom Litigation

32

Celebrating 5 Years of the Boardroom Governance Podcast & Newsletter

33

Karen Hao: Author of Empire of AI on Why "Scale at All Costs" is Not Leading Us to a Good Place

34

Michal Lev-Ram: On the Intersecting Worlds of Tech, Culture, and Politics in Silicon Valley

35

Alex Edmans: How Board Members Can Challenge Bias and Think More Critically

36

Rick Horvath (Dechert): What Corporate Directors Need to Know About Delaware's SB 21

37

Roy Shapira: Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Directive and Its Impact on U.S. Board Oversight Duties

38

Robin Feldman: On the Evolution and Regulation of AI

39

Amy Rojik (BDO Center for Corporate Governance): From Audit Quality to Governance Strategy

40

Emily Melton: Mechanics of Venture Investing, the Age of AI, and Implications for Boards

41

Joe Hurd: Governance in Times of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)

42

Jorge Titinger: Leadership, Governance, and the Erosion of Trust

43

David Chun (CEO, Equilar): The Boardroom Diversity Backlash—A Shifting Pendulum

44

Rick Alexander: On the Rise of PBCs in the AI Industry and Firm-Specific vs. Diversified Investor Duties

45

Jonathan Goodman (Deloitte): Governing Strategy

46

Jeff Thomas (Nasdaq): The State of Public Markets in 2025

47

Nora Denzel: Technology Leadership in the Boardroom

48

Joe Grundfest: Reflecting on 2024 and What’s Next for Business and Governance

49

Ben Joseloff: The Board's Guide to CFIUS and Evolving National Security Reviews

50

David Berger: Ending the One-Size-Fits-All Model of Corporate Governance

51

Richard Blake: 2024 Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report

52

Tom Callahan, CEO of NPM: Unlocking Liquidity in Private Markets

53

Andrew Shagrin and David Chekroun: Co-Founders of ICG at ESCP Business School in Paris

54

Wolfe Tone & Heather Gates (Deloitte): Insights on Private Company Governance

55

Valeria Café: Leading Governance Innovation in Brazil as IBGC CEO

56

Barry Lawson Williams: Addressing Board Refreshment—"the Most Pressing Issue in Corporate Governance Today"

57

Boardroom Diversity and the Black Corporate Board Readiness Program

58

Maggie Wilderotter: Strategic Oversight and the Attributes of Great Directors

59

Peter Gleason: CEO of NACD on 2024 Board Practices and Oversight Surveys – Trends and Takeaways

60

Cedric Bru: CEO of Taulia (now part of SAP) on Boardroom Dynamics and the Value of Teamwork

61

Yvonne Wassenaar: On Boardroom Dynamics and Trends from Silicon Valley

62

Javier Saade: From Capital Formation to Governance, plus his Top of the Game

63

Carol Hansell: Insights on Modern Governance

64

Oliver Cummings: Unlocking Boardroom Excellence - Insights from Nurole's CEO

65

Thompson Paine (Anthropic): "The Potential of AI Technology is Massive"

66

Natasha Allen: Navigating AI Regulation, Exits, and Boardroom Challenges

67

Tyler Shultz: Theranos Whistleblower on Fraud and Startup Governance in Silicon Valley

68

Ilya Strebulaev: Venture Mindset Takeaways for Board Members.

69

Greg LaBlanc: "It's Really Hard to be a Good Board Member"

70

Jennifer Dulski: "To Join (Your First) Public Board, Someone Needs to Bet on You"

71

Sonita Lontoh: On Board Culture, Innovation, and Creative Tension

72

Coco Brown: Founder & CEO of Athena Alliance on Board Opportunities and Governance.

73

Greg Gretsch: On Founder and Investor Trends from Silicon Valley.

74

Patrick Gadson: Shareholder Activism in 2024 and its Evolving Dynamics.

75

Leah Solivan: The Entrepreneur's Journey to the Boardroom.

76

Jeffrey Saviano (EY): "I Feel Strongly That We Need a Hippocratic Oath for AI"

77

Amy Banse: On Board Dynamics and Listening Through Company Stages.

78

Teresa Johnson: On ESG, Boardroom Diversity, and Truth to Power.

79

Mary Inman: On Theranos, Meta and Representing High Profile Whistleblowers.

80

Katherine Henderson and Amy Simmerman: 2023 Delaware Corporate Law and Litigation Year in Review

81

Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery: Ten Years of Trados, A Discussion of Fiduciary Duties.

82

Alexandre Rangel: Institutional Investors' Engagement in Latin America.

83

Richard Blake: WSGR's 2023 Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report.

84

Scott Kupor: Navigating the VC and Startup Governance Landscape in 2024.

85

Nicolas Darveau-Garneau: "The Greatest AI Risk is Inaction."

86

Joe Grundfest: "The Biggest Governance Trend for 2024 is the Corporation as a Piñata."

87

Elizabeth Pollman and Yifat Aran: Ousted, Startup Failure and Equity Compensation in the Unicorn Era.

88

Larry Clinton: "The Essence of Cybersecurity is that All the Incentives Favor the Bad Guys."

89

Joe Nocera and Kate O'Leary: Unpacking HBO's Succession (Season 4).

90

Ker Gibbs: On Geopolitics and US-China Relations.

91

John Coates: The Problem of Twelve, Index Funds and Private Equity.

92

Abby Adlerman: On Board Oversight, Accountability, Risk Mitigation and Strategy (OARS).

93

Private Companies and Startup Governance: with Evan Epstein, Heidi Roizen and Dan Siciliano.

94

Julie Daum: "The Aging of U.S. Boards and Lack of Turnover is a Real Issue."

95

Mauro Cunha: Governance and Board Experience from Brazil.

96

Brian Stafford, CEO of Diligent: "Companies That Do ESG The Right Way, Tie It Back To Their Strategy."

97

Joyce Cacho: "ESG Provides An Opportunity To Do Some Hard Work."

98

Suzanne Brown: The NYSE Board Diversity Initiative.

99

Victor Arias: "Boards Are Looking For Strong Core Values: Integrity, Ethics, Leadership and Judgment."

100

HBO’s Succession with Sean Berkowitz and Kate O’Leary (Season 3)

101

Heidi Roizen: On Startup Governance and The Startup Solution.

102

David Larcker and Brian Tayan on "The Art and Practice of Corporate Governance."

103

Lisa Shalett: "We Are in a High Velocity Environment of Tremendous Change."

104

Benjamin Means and Douglas Moll: Governance in Closely Held Corporations.

105

Cynthia Jamison: "In this Downturn Boards Should Focus on Liquidity and Incentive Plans."

106

Alicia Syrett: "The Chair Should Focus the Agenda Primarily on Strategic Discussions."

107

HBO’s Succession “The Dumpster Fire Pirate Death Ship” (Season 2)

108

Georgia Stewart: On Stewardship, Pass-Through Voting and Shareholder Democracy.

109

Leo E. Strine, Jr.: Good Corporate Citizenship We Can All Get Behind?

110

Barrett Cohn: "Companies Now Stay Private Long."

111

Kate O'Leary: HBO's Succession from the Perspective of an Experienced In-House Lawyer (Season 1).

112

Dan Siciliano: The Banking Crisis and Governance Implications.

113

Bethany Mayer: On Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Strategy.

114

Karen Francis: "An Effective Lead Director Needs to Have Excellent EQ (Emotional Quotient)."

115

Alan Jagolinzer: "Having a Holistic Approach to Information is Critical."

116

Penny Herscher: "The Chair of the Board has to Exercise Leadership by Listening rather than by Speaking."

117

Paul Washington: "The Roles of the Board in the Era of ESG and Stakeholder Capitalism."

118

Stephen Bainbridge: "The Profit Motive: Defending Shareholder Value Maximization."

119

Lawrence Cunningham: "Amid Heightened Uncertainty, Directors Should Expect To Be Second Guessed."

120

Jan Van Eck: "Some Index Fund Companies Have Become Too Large To Be Left Unchecked."

121

George Dallas and Mike Lubrano: Governance, Stewardship & Sustainability.

122

Ann Lipton: "The Twitter v. Musk Case is both a Vindication and a Condemnation of Corporate Law."

123

Stephen Davis: On the Rise of Investor Stewardship.

124

Mario Mancuso: Geopolitics, National Security and Strategy in the Boardroom.

125

Joe Grundfest: 2022 in Review and Governance Trends for 2023.

126

Peter Gleason: "We Look at Board Directorships as a Profession with Accountability and Expectations."

127

Lydia Beebe: On Corporate Secretaries and the Evolution of Corporate Governance.

128

Bob Zukis, CEO of the Digital Directors Network: On Cybersecurity in the Boardroom.

129

Mary Cranston: "A Good Strategic Lawyer Should Be a Requirement on Every Board."

130

Insights from Silicon Valley: Who’s Up, What’s Down & Why it Matters.

131

Bill McNabb: Talent, Strategy and Risk. How Investors and Boards Are Redefining TSR.

132

Susan Angele and Stephen Brown: Insights from the KPMG Board Leadership Center.

133

Henry Sanderson: Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green.

134

Alison Davis: "U.S. Boards Could Benefit From More Listening Sessions With Key Stakeholders."

135

Nora Denzel: On the Future of the American Board.

136

Louis Lehot: "It All Happens Outside of the Boardroom."

137

Claudia Fan Munce: "The Board's Role is to Challenge Management to Think Outside of the Box."

138

Beatriz Infante: "There Is A Very Clear Bright-Line Between Management And Governance."

139

Kris Pederson and Jamie Smith: Takeaways from the 2022 Proxy Season.

140

Adam Sterling: The Independent Director Initiative.

141

Santiago Siri: Crypto Governance, DAOs, Digital Identity and Voting.

142

Sandra Guerra: "The G in ESG is the Driver of Everything."

143

Derek Zaba: Partner and Co-Chair of Sidley’s Shareholder Activism Practice.

144

Francine McKenna: "You Cannot Restrain The Heartless Except Via Enforcement."

145

Keir Gumbs: "Governance Directly and Unequivocally Impacts Value."

146

Ana Dutra: "Think of Your Board Journey As Any Career."

147

Annemarie Tierney: On Secondary Markets for Private Company Stock, and Crypto.

148

Dan Siciliano: "Employees Are At The Heart of the Success of Modern Unicorns, More So Than Ever Before."

149

Marian Macindoe, New Head of ESG Stewardship at Parnassus Investments.

150

Anne Sheehan: "The Advent of Say-on-Pay Forced the Engagement between Investors and Companies."

151

Lisa Edwards: President & COO of Diligent Corporation, a Leading GRC & ESG SaaS Provider

152

Anat Alon-Beck: Private Markets and Waivers of Stockholder Inspection Rights

153

Joel Friedlander: On the Evolution of Stockholder Litigation

154

Stilpon Nestor, Chairman of Nestor Advisors: The Outsider.

155

Christa Steele: "SWIFT is so antiquated it needs to go"

156

David Bell: Fenwick's 2021 Corporate Governance Survey

157

Matt Blumberg: Startup Boards.

158

Margaret O'Mara: "Silicon Valley is a Truly Distinctive American Story."

159

David Larcker and Brian Tayan: Seven Myths of ESG.

160

Daniel Green: "2021 was an Absolutely Buoyant Year for Latin American Venture-Backed Startups."

161

Jackie Cook: On the "Investor Stewardship Movement"

162

Aaron Wright: On The Rise of DAOs and Blockchain Governance.

163

Jeff Thomas: "Private Companies Have Never Had More Options and Better Access to Capital and Liquidity."

164

Manny Alvarez: On Regulatory Challenges in Fintech, Crypto and Boardroom Diversity

165

Kendrick Nguyen: "There is No Question in my Mind that Retail Capital is Coming to the Private Markets."

166

Abe Friedman: "Investors Don't Care As Much About The Messenger As They Do About The Message."

167

Priya Cherian Huskins: On SPACs, D&O Insurance and Federal Forum Charter Provisions.

168

Maureen Farrell: "The Cult of We", WeWork, and Startup Governance Shortcomings.

169

Robin Ferracone: "The U.S. Lags Other Regions In Terms of Using Stakeholder Measures in Executive Compensation"

170

Christopher Young: "After the Exxon Proxy Fight, Directors Realize That They May Be Taken Out By Sub 1% Shareholders."

171

Jared Ellias: "The Elevation of the Board is an Important Trend in the Bankruptcy Process"

172

Donna Anderson, Head of Corporate Governance at T. Rowe Price: "This Has Been A Very Surprising Proxy Season"

173

Lawrence Cunningham: Quality Shareholders, Governance and Warren Buffett.

174

Joe Grundfest: On Capital Markets, Crypto Regulations, Board Diversity & Corporate Electoral Innovation.

175

Nell Minow: "You Can Get 90% of Governance by Looking at CEO Pay"

176

Jon Lukomnik: Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory and the Evolution of Corporate Governance.

177

Janine Yancey: "Boards Have To Address Social Issues"

178

David Curran: "ESG Is A Moving Target Even For The Best Companies"

179

Amy Borrus: The Council of Institutional Investors' Voice of Corporate Governance.

180

Nichol Garzon-Mitchell: Glass Lewis and the Proxy Advisory Landscape.

181

Aeisha Mastagni: CalSTRS Corporate Governance Principles and Activist Stewardship.

182

Peggy Foran: "Corporate Directors Have To Be Their Own Activists"

183

Sukhinder Singh Cassidy: "People Want The Experience They Don't Have In Their Day Job."

184

David Chun: "The Demand For New Directors Will Increase Exponentially Over the Next 12-24 Months."

185

David Berger: On Purpose, Dual-Class Stock, LTSE, Board Diversity, SPACs, Shareholder Activism and More.

186

Yumi Narita: Promoting Good Governance from the Comptroller's Office of NYC.

187

Mason Morfit: We Can Bring Peripheral Vision to the Boardroom.

188

Ilya Strebulaev: Focusing on the Finance and Governance of Venture-Backed Companies.

189

Kerrie Waring: "All Stakeholders Are Important, But Only Shareholders Can Effectively Hold Boards to Account"

190

Ahmad Thomas: "We Made a Decision to Stand on the Side of Progress by Supporting AB-979"

191

Esther Aguilera: "Latinos Are The Most Underrepresented Minorities on U.S. Corporate Boards"

192

Dr. Roger Barker: Corporate Governance in the U.K. and Europe.

193

Mark Molumphy: "Boards of Directors Routinely Fail to React Properly in Times of Crisis"

194

James McRitchie: The Gadfly Seeking Corporate Change Via Shareholder Proposals

195

Frederick Alexander: Benefit Corporations, B-Corps and the Shareholder Commons.

196

Marta Viegas: Focusing on Corporate Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean with IDB Invest.

197

Dr. Linda Maxwell: "The Lack of Inclusion in Healthcare is Present at All Levels, including on Boards of Directors"

198

Nicholas Benes: "We Need to Redesign the Corporation to Provide Better Incentives"

199

Miriam Rivera: "If You Invest In Diverse Teams, It Will Lead to Financial Outperformance"

200

Suzanne Vautrinot: From the Military to the Corporate Boardroom, with a Focus on Cybersecurity.

201

Mervyn King: "Integrated Thinking and Reporting is Critical for Corporate Directors"

202

Anat Admati: "I Don't Want CEOs to Solve Society's Problems, I Want the Government to Solve Them"

203

Heidi Roizen: "A Good Board Member Has to Be Willing to Speak Truth, Even When It Is Unpopular"

204

Scott Kupor: The Secrets of Sand Hill Road.

205

Kate Mitchell: Applying a Growth Mindset to Boards.

206

Elizabeth Pollman: Startup Governance & Regulatory Entrepreneurship

207

David Beatty: "Boards Should Invest More Time on Foresight"

208

Joe Grundfest: "Without Luck, Nothing Good Happens."

209

Introducing Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein