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All Episodes

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein — 219 episodes

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Title
1

Shannon Nash: Boards, AI Agents, and Human Judgment

2

Sandra Gobert: European Governance in a Changing World

3

Karen Francis and Penny Herscher: The Chairs' View of a Changing World

4

Mayree Clark and Linda Riefler: Leading-Edge Stewardship in the Boardroom

5

AI in the Boardroom: What Directors Need to Know Now

6

Terry Johnson: Sports, Gaming, and Family Business Governance

7

Keith Giarman and Tony Abate: Private Equity Boards and the Turnaround Playbook

8

Emily Liggett: Informed Oversight Without Operational Interference

9

Greg Gretsch: Venture Capital in the AI Supercycle

10

Laurie Yoler: Boards at the Edge of Innovation

11

Marie Oh Huber: Governing Through Disruption

12

Eddie Ramos: How AI Is Reshaping Investing and Boardrooms

13

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

14

Benjamin Means: The Principles of Family Business Law and Governance

15

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

16

Benjamin Edwards: The Rise of Nevada in the Reincorporation Debate

17

Joelle Emerson: Why Company Culture Is a Core Governance Issue

18

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

19

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

20

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

21

Jennifer Ceran: From Treasury to CFO to the Boardroom

22

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

23

Joe Grundfest (Stanford): 2026 Predictions and 2025 Reflections

24

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

25

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

26

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

27

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

28

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

29

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

30

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

31

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

32

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

33

State of the Markets and AI with Steven Wolfe Pereira

34

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

35

Jonathan Foster: On Boards and the Playbook for Modern Governance

36

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

37

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

38

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

39

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

40

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

41

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

42

Celebrating 5 Years of the Boardroom Governance Podcast & Newsletter

43

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

44

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

45

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

46

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

47

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

48

Robin Feldman: On the Evolution and Regulation of AI

49

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

50

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

51

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

52

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

53

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

54

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

55

Jonathan Goodman (Deloitte): Governing Strategy

56

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

57

Nora Denzel: Technology Leadership in the Boardroom

58

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

59

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

60

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

61

Richard Blake: 2024 Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report

62

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

63

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

64

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

65

Valeria Café: Leading Governance Innovation in Brazil as IBGC CEO

66

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

67

Boardroom Diversity and the Black Corporate Board Readiness Program

68

Maggie Wilderotter: Strategic Oversight and the Attributes of Great Directors

69

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

70

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

71

Yvonne Wassenaar: On Boardroom Dynamics and Trends from Silicon Valley

72

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

73

Carol Hansell: Insights on Modern Governance

74

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

75

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

76

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

77

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

78

Ilya Strebulaev: Venture Mindset Takeaways for Board Members.

79

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

80

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

81

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

82

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

83

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

84

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

85

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

86

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

87

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

88

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

89

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

90

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

91

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

92

Alexandre Rangel: Institutional Investors' Engagement in Latin America.

93

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

94

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

95

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

96

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

97

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

98

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

99

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

100

Ker Gibbs: On Geopolitics and US-China Relations.

101

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

102

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

103

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

104

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

105

Mauro Cunha: Governance and Board Experience from Brazil.

106

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

107

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

108

Suzanne Brown: The NYSE Board Diversity Initiative.

109

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

110

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

111

Heidi Roizen: On Startup Governance and The Startup Solution.

112

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

113

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

114

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

115

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

116

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

117

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

118

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

119

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

120

Barrett Cohn: "Companies Now Stay Private Long."

121

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

122

Dan Siciliano: The Banking Crisis and Governance Implications.

123

Bethany Mayer: On Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Strategy.

124

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

125

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

126

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

127

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

128

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

129

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

130

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

131

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

132

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

133

Stephen Davis: On the Rise of Investor Stewardship.

134

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

135

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

136

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

137

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

138

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

139

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

140

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

141

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

142

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

143

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

144

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

145

Nora Denzel: On the Future of the American Board.

146

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

147

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

148

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

149

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

150

Adam Sterling: The Independent Director Initiative.

151

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

152

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

153

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

154

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

155

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

156

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

157

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

158

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

159

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

160

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

161

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

162

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

163

Joel Friedlander: On the Evolution of Stockholder Litigation

164

Stilpon Nestor, Chairman of Nestor Advisors: The Outsider.

165

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

166

David Bell: Fenwick's 2021 Corporate Governance Survey

167

Matt Blumberg: Startup Boards.

168

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

169

David Larcker and Brian Tayan: Seven Myths of ESG.

170

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

171

Jackie Cook: On the "Investor Stewardship Movement"

172

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

173

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

174

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

175

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

176

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

177

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

178

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

179

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

180

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

181

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

182

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

183

Lawrence Cunningham: Quality Shareholders, Governance and Warren Buffett.

184

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

185

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

186

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

187

Janine Yancey: "Boards Have To Address Social Issues"

188

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

189

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

190

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

191

Aeisha Mastagni: CalSTRS Corporate Governance Principles and Activist Stewardship.

192

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

193

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

194

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

195

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

196

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

197

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

198

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

199

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

200

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

201

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

202

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

203

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

204

James McRitchie: The Gadfly Seeking Corporate Change Via Shareholder Proposals

205

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

206

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

207

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

208

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

209

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

210

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

211

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

212

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

213

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

214

Scott Kupor: The Secrets of Sand Hill Road.

215

Kate Mitchell: Applying a Growth Mindset to Boards.

216

Elizabeth Pollman: Startup Governance & Regulatory Entrepreneurship

217

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

218

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

219

Introducing Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein