HIGH PERFORMANCE BOARDS

2nd EDITION

During a time of increasing levels of personal liability for directors and board members and increasing ambiguity about the responsibilities and obligations of those same individuals—many of those tasked with shepherding contemporary organizations have meaningful and fair questions: What is the purpose of a board? What impact can a board have on an organization? How can I help assess the performance of our board?

Discover High Performance Boards

In the newly revised second edition of High Performance Boards: A Practical Guide to Improving & Energizing Your Governance, pioneering governance leader Didier Cossin delivers a comprehensive and insightful guide to best-in-class governance that remains accessible to professionals from a variety of backgrounds. This fully updated version contains brand-new chapters, like Is the Board a Team?, Becoming the Chair, Boards and Oversight of KPIs, ESG Oversight in the Boardroom, Board Oversight of Geopolitics, Human Capital Evolution for Boards and Assessing & Benchmarking Governance Performance. It also offers revisions to existing chapters, including The Four Areas of Failures, Cyber, Managing Stakeholders, Fraud, and Boards and Investors. The book provides you with access to a companion website that hosts board assessment and practice tools, as well as best-practices in how to oversee key performance indicators and how to supervise organizational culture.

You’ll find new engagement processes for managing stakeholders, a discussion of the risks of greenwashing, and insights into new forms of activism by boards and investors, all based on the author’s many years of experience working with boards from around the world. You’ll also discover material relevant to participation in boards of all types, including for-profit firms, non-profits, and government agencies.

Perfect for any professional or individual interested in board governance, including commercial, non-profit, administration, and investment house board members, High Performance Boards is also a can’t-miss resource for senior managers, investors, family business members, lawyers, board secretaries, directors, and students of corporate governance.

Didier Cossin’s High Performance Boards covers aspects of culture and organisational design that are foundational to any successful institution. This comprehensive study captures real-world insights on quality governance and effective leadership. It connects his four- pillar methodology for gauging and improving board effectiveness, learning from both failure and success and boardroom best practice. It is a valuable tool for present and future directors.

- Mark Tucker

Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc

Recent developments in the financial services industry dramatically illustrate the intimate link between good governance and a company’s success or failure, particularly in times of crisis. In his latest book, Didier Cossin sheds light on the design principles and practice that underpin good governance. A catchy and comprehensive textbook for those in charge!

Sergio Ermotti

Group CEO and President of the Executive Board of UBS AG

It is a reasonable assumption that successful Boards will share some common characteristics, as will failing boards. The challenge is to identify these factors before success or failure occur. This book, evidently based on Didier Cossin’s years of experience with boards around the world, goes a long way in doing so. The Four Pillars of Board Effectiveness will be an inspiration for many boards and their directors, as they consider how they can further strengthen their governance, enhance their effectiveness and ensure their success.

Paul Bulcke

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nestlé S.A.; Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors, L’Oréal (FR); Chairman, Community of Chairpersons, World Economic Forum

Professor Cossin has got it spot on. His four-pillared ‘temple’ of board effectiveness is brought to life with the boardroom adventures of Joanne Marker. Indeed his construct has two outer buttresses that centre around people. Their quality, focus, dedication and also how they interact with each other dynamically to produce a governance culture of excellence. One hopes that right-minded and passionate directors or would-be directors will read this book and say ‘I want to be a John or Joanne Marker when I grow up!’

Teo Swee Lian

Chairwoman, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust Management Limited; Independent Non-executive Director of HSBC Holdings; Board Member of Singtel; former Deputy Managing Director Monetary Authority of Singapore

Didier is one of the true leaders in academia on governance, with extensive practical experience from his engagement with many management teams and boards across the world. His Four Pillars of Board Effectiveness offers a simple yet practical approach to making the most out of the boardroom.

Robert Maersk Uggla

Chairman of A.P. Møller-Maersk, AP Moller Capital; CEO of A.P Møller Holding

This is the bedside book any board member should read and reread. Building on his extensive and deep experience, Didier pragmatically helps us to challenge our ways of interacting around the board table and establish a multi-dimensional frame in order to foster the best decision making. Every page calls into question one’s practice and pushes each of us to avoid biases and revisit his/her ways of thinking for the ultimate benefit of the company.

Barbara Dalibard

Chair of the Supervisory Board of Michelin Group; Board Member of Rexel

Didier Cossin’s book explains how Governance can be a key factor for companies’ success. It’s a must-read for all Board members!

Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

Chairman, Société Générale

The book is a comprehensive and practical guide to key issues relevant for all boards aiming to improve their decision-making processes. There are many useful takeaways on how to increase the dynamics in the boardroom.

Olaug Svarva

Chairwoman, DNB ASA (Norway); Chairwoman, Norfund; Board Member of Investinor and Institute of International Finance (IIF)

Inside Look

Perfect for any professional or individual interested in board governance, including commercial, non-profit, administration, and investment house board members, High Performance Boards is also a can’t-miss resource for senior managers, investors, family business members, lawyers, board secretaries, directors, and students of corporate governance.

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Author

DIDIER COSSIN is Founder and Director of the IMD Global Board Center and the creator of the Four Pillars of Board Effectiveness methodology. Professor Cossin enhances organizational performance through strategy involvement, best-in-class decision-making, enhancing board culture, and general governance. He is an advisor and executive teacher to sovereign wealth funds, corporations, central banks, and ministries.