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

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

#MBA #Entrepreneur #Business #Pacifica Global, LLC #Evan Epstein #Silicon Valley #Venture Capital #Corpgov #Corporate Governance #Experts #Directors #Podcasting Education #Self-Improvement #Directorate of Education #Corporate Director #Boardroom #Board #Government

1:15:36

In this episode, we welcome back David French, columnist for The New York Times , former constitutional attorney, and author of Divided We Fall . We discuss the current state of American democracy, the challenges of political division, and how we can engage in civil discourse despite deep ideological differences. David also shares a personal update on his family and reflects on the profound trials and growth that come with adversity. 📌 What We Discuss: ✔️ How David and his family navigated the challenges of a serious health crisis. ✔️ The rise of political polarization and the factors driving it. ✔️ Why distinguishing between “unwise, unethical, and unlawful” is crucial in analyzing political actions. ✔️ How consuming different perspectives (even opposing ones) helps in understanding political dynamics. ✔️ The role of Christian values in politics and how they are being redefined. ⏳ Episode Highlights 📍 [00:01:00] – David French’s background and his journey from litigation to journalism. 📍 [00:02:30] – Personal update: David shares his wife Nancy’s battle with cancer and their journey as a family. 📍 [00:06:00] – How to navigate personal trials while maintaining faith and resilience. 📍 [00:10:00] – The danger of political paranoia and the pitfalls of extreme polarization. 📍 [00:18:00] – The "friend-enemy" paradigm in American politics and its influence in Christian fundamentalism. 📍 [00:24:00] – Revisiting Divided We Fall : How America’s divisions have devolved since 2020. 📍 [00:40:00] – The categories and differences of unwise, unethical, and unlawful political actions. 📍 [00:55:00] – The balance between justice, kindness, and humility in political engagement. 📍 [01:00:00] – The After Party initiative: A Christian approach to politics focused on values rather than policy. 💬 Featured Quotes 🔹 "You don't know who you truly are until your values are tested." – David French 🔹 "If we focus on the relational, we can have better conversations even across deep differences." – Corey Nathan 🔹 "Justice, kindness, and humility—if you're missing one, you're doing it wrong." – David French 🔹 "The United States has a history of shifting without repenting. We just move on." – David French 📚 Resources Mentioned David French’s Writing: New York Times David’s Book: Divided We Fall The After Party Initiative – More Info Advisory Opinions Podcast (with Sarah Isgur & David French) – Listen Here 📣 Call to Action If you found this conversation insightful, please: ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion 🔗 Connect With Us on Social Media @coreysnathan: Bluesky LinkedIn Instagram Threads Facebook Substack David French: 🔗 Twitter | BlueSky | New York Times Our Sponsors Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com Prolux Autogroup: www.proluxautogroup.com or www.granadahillsairporttransportation.com Let’s keep talking politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️💡…

год назад 47:31

MP3•Главная эпизода

(0:00) Intro.

(1:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.

(2:02) Start of interview.

(2:37) Coco's "origin story."

(4:32) Her professional background with HR, comp and IT.

(6:32) Her time at Taos, a professional services business in IT consulting (17yrs). Ultimately acquired by IBM in 2021.

(8:35) The origin story of her founding Athena Alliance (2016) as a non-profit.

(11:00) Three core issues with board placements: 1) access to opportunities, 2) positioning for the role, and 3) how to compete to win. *They have placed ~500 women to boards.

(13:52) On the business model of Athena Alliance.

(16:50) On transitioning from a non-profit to a for-profit model.

(20:56) Distinguishing board service between companies with different capital structures (ie. public, PE, VC, ESOPs, etc).

(22:18) The landscape for independent director board opportunities (~30,000 companies). On ESOP companies and closed corporations and/or family businesses.

(28:18) On Athena's Board Readiness Course.

(32:20) On in-person vs remote work, both on an executive and board level. "How do you scale intimacy?"

(36:14) On the impact of AI in the boardroom.

(39:48) Books that have greatly influenced her life:

The Popcorn Report, by Faith Popcorn (1991)
The Science of Evil, by Simon Baron-Cohen (2011)

(43:05) Her mentors. "Different people for different things" e.g. Ivonne Wassenar and Scott Maxwell.

(44:20) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by.

(44:41) An unusual habit or absurd thing that she loves.

(45:12) The living person she most admires. Toni Townes-Whitley (CEO of SAIC)

Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a company helping to position top 10% of executive women for advancement and board opportunities.

You can follow Evan on social media at:

X: @evanepstein

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/

Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/

To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/

Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

170 эпизодов

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

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

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

21 subscribers

published год назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

(0:00) Intro.

(1:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.

(2:02) Start of interview.

(2:37) Coco's "origin story."

(4:32) Her professional background with HR, comp and IT.

(6:32) Her time at Taos, a professional services business in IT consulting (17yrs). Ultimately acquired by IBM in 2021.

(8:35) The origin story of her founding Athena Alliance (2016) as a non-profit.

(11:00) Three core issues with board placements: 1) access to opportunities, 2) positioning for the role, and 3) how to compete to win. *They have placed ~500 women to boards.

(13:52) On the business model of Athena Alliance.

(16:50) On transitioning from a non-profit to a for-profit model.

(20:56) Distinguishing board service between companies with different capital structures (ie. public, PE, VC, ESOPs, etc).

(22:18) The landscape for independent director board opportunities (~30,000 companies). On ESOP companies and closed corporations and/or family businesses.

(28:18) On Athena's Board Readiness Course.

(32:20) On in-person vs remote work, both on an executive and board level. "How do you scale intimacy?"

(36:14) On the impact of AI in the boardroom.

(39:48) Books that have greatly influenced her life:

The Popcorn Report, by Faith Popcorn (1991)
The Science of Evil, by Simon Baron-Cohen (2011)

(43:05) Her mentors. "Different people for different things" e.g. Ivonne Wassenar and Scott Maxwell.

(44:20) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by.

(44:41) An unusual habit or absurd thing that she loves.

(45:12) The living person she most admires. Toni Townes-Whitley (CEO of SAIC)

Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a company helping to position top 10% of executive women for advancement and board opportunities.

You can follow Evan on social media at:

X: @evanepstein

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/

Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/

To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/

Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

170 эпизодов

Все серии

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Emily Melton: Mechanics of Venture Investing, the Age of AI, and Implications for Boards 1:00:23

9 hours назад1:00:23

1:00:23

(0:00) Intro (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:02) Start of interview (2:45) Emily's origin story (8:27) Her start in venture capital through DFJ with Tim Draper in 2000. (11:56) About the history and evolution of VC (13:42) Investing thesis (founding principle) at her firm Threshold Ventures . (19:21) The venture mechanics of Threshold Ventures . "One of our SLAs is we'd like to be the founder's first call." (21:30) On navigating boardroom dynamics in venture-backed boards. "Building trust is critical" (26:20) On dealing with conflicts of interests at the board level in the VC context. "Decisions with an investors' hat vs board member hat" (31:35) Mention of the VC-Backed Board Academy in SF on May 14, 2025, and NYC on Oct 28, 2025. (32:31) The role of independent directors in VC-backed companies. "I love bringing in independent directors early." (38:09) On board observers . "I always try to think about [board roles] in a two-year cycle" (42:44) The state of diversity in VC. Discussion about All Raise (founded in 2018). (48:12) Navigating the AI Landscape "it's a different world" (55:10) Books that have greatly influenced her life: The Soul in the Game by Vitaliy Katsenelson (2022) (55:43) Her mentors: Heidi Roizen ( E6 , E108 and E116 ) (57:07) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by. "Happiness = Reality - Expectation" (57:56) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that she loves. (58:31) The living person she most admires. Emily Melton is a co-founder of Threshold Ventures. She is looking for entrepreneurs who are genuinely excited about being agents of change and have an almost irrational drive to make things better. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Joe Hurd: Governance in Times of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) 59:07

14 дней назад59:07

59:07

(0:00) Intro (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:13) Start of interview (2:45) Joe's origin story (4:07) His early career starting in London, with law firm Linklaters . (6:43) His move to Friendster in Silicon Valley. (8:00) His time at Videoegg . (9:24) His time at the International Trade Administration in the Obama Administration. (11:30) His return to private practice with Gannett and Facebook 's emerging products. (13:10) His operating role at SOSV , a global venture capital firm (2019-present) (15:10) How he got started with his board service . First board experience: a UK public company called GoCompare . (16:50) Difference between a "good" and a "great" director. (18:34) Distinguishing the concept of overboarding between public and private VC-backed companies. Reference to VCBA (5/14/25) (21:06) Some differences between U.S. and U.K. governance practices. (24:57) On the increasing politicization of corporate governance, including ESG and DEI (plus boardroom diversity). "Let's bend it, not end it." (27:47) The origin story of the bio books that he compiles. (31:07) On the impact of AI in the boardroom . Boards need to 1) move faster on AI, and 2) focus on the transformation, not only the tech. (35:50) On navigating in VUCA times (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). "Act proactively, not reactively" (38:18) Challenges for boards in next 5-10 years: 1) time management and 2) increasing focus on director skill sets. (35:50) On navigating the regulatory landscape in VUCA times (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). (41:27) On board evaluations . (46:00) Will governance regulations harmonize internationally? Example: climate change disclosures. (49:15) The UK's approach for boards to engage with employees : workers' council, board representation, or DNEDs. (46:00) Will governance regulations harmonize internationally? Example: climate change disclosures. (51:50) Books that have greatly influenced his life: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1936) Range , by David Epstein (2019) (52:38) His mentors: Barry Williams (E153) (54:13) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" and "I never lose, I either win or learn." (56:27) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves. (57:10) The living person he most admires. Joe Hurd is a purpose-driven public company board director and strategic advisor who focuses on digital transformation, international expansion and stakeholder engagement. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Jorge Titinger: Leadership, Governance, and the Erosion of Trust 1:01:34

28 дней назад1:01:34

1:01:34

(0:00) Intro (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:02) Start of interview (2:48) Jorge's origin story (6:03) His executive career in Silicon Valley (including computer and semiconductor industries) (9:00) On his board experience (he has served in ~20 boards) (11:32) Distinctions between serving on different types of boards (public/private/non-profits/etc). On non-profits: "the board is really there for what they call the 3 W's: wisdom, work, or wealth." (12:55) On startup governance . (19:24) On the backlash on ESG/DEI and his book Differences that Make a Difference (2019). "I think the companies that embarked on DEI programs for the sake of checking a box or purely for the sake of compliance are the ones that need to change or got in trouble." (28:49) Differences between CEO coaching and board membership . "Most engineers need to get way better at EQ. When you get into leadership, it's a lot more about influence than being right." (31:26) On founder-led companies and governance. (37:00) On the impact of AI on business and boards. *Reference to E162 with Nora Denzel on NACD's BRC on tech in the boardroom. (44:30) On trend of AI companies incorporating as PBCs . (46:55) Books that have greatly influenced his life: Good to great by Jim Collins (2001) Crossing the Chasm , by Geoffrey Moore (1991) The Hard Thing About Hard Things , by Ben Horowitz (2014) Philosophy: Buddhism (48:42) His mentors: parents, Russell Redenbaugh , and his karate instructor. (51:44) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by. (52:37) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves. Sports examples and analogies with business world. (54:38) On the impact of work from home . "Trust has gone from imperative to imperiled" (58:00) The living person he most admires: Reed Hastings . *Reference to Netflix board case study Jorge Titinger is the founder and CEO of Titinger Consulting, a boutique consulting firm focused on strategy development, the cultural aspects of M&A, corporate transformations and leadership coaching. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
David Chun (CEO, Equilar): The Boardroom Diversity Backlash—A Shifting Pendulum 48:10

5 weeks назад48:10

48:10

(0:00) Intro (1:38) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:25) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Dave ( E25 from Dec 2020 ) (3:30) Equilar 's current focus. New: Equilar Research Intelligence Copilot ERIC (7:49) The current status of boardroom diversity . Latest (Q3 2024) Equilar Gender Diversity Index (10:05) On boardroom refreshment (11:25) On digital/technology/AI directors (13:15) Executive (and Director) Compensation trends. (17:36) On the current ESG/DEI backlash ("at the end of the day you have to do what's best for the business") (20:13) On the boom and bust of SPACs ("incentives were misaligned") (23:05) On the governance of private equity and VC backed companies. Reference to VCBA in SF 5/14 and NYC on 10/28 (28:15) AI' s impact on governance and new corporate structures (PBCs) (32:36) On the growing influence—and disruption—of Silicon Valley in Washington, D.C. ("this feels like Uber") (37:27) The evolving dynamics of California’s business landscape ("if it wasn't for the AI boom, I think we'd be in a pretty hurting spot") (41:21) On the current backlash against Delaware and Elon Musk's pay package at Tesla *Reference to Delaware's SB21 (44:43) Looking Forward: the importance of AI in the boardroom ("the genie is out of the bottle") David Chun is the Founder & CEO of Equilar, a leading provider of executive intelligence solutions for board and executive recruitment, compensation, and governance strategies. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Rick Alexander: On the Rise of PBCs in the AI Industry and Firm-Specific vs. Diversified Investor Duties 55:08

6 weeks назад55:08

55:08

(0:00) Intro. (1:33) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:20) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Rick ( E14 from Aug 2020 ) (3:32) Update on Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) from prior episode (2020) (6:00) Surge of VC investments in PBCs driven by AI startups. *Reference to E159 with David Berger on Anthropic's structure (9:48) The OpenAI Controversy (conversion from non-profit to PBC) (13:25) On Dual-Class Share Structures in tech companies (17:10) On Danone and BP as examples of shareholder activism from hedge funds. (18:57) On " Stay private vs Go Public " debate. *Reference to E157 with Tom Callahan , CEO of Nasdaq Private Market (27:17) On the current ESG/DEI backlash ("I think it's an anti-shareholder backlash") (30:52) On the current backlash against Delaware as the favored corporate home (35:26) The McRitchie v. Zuckerberg Case (firm-specific vs diversified equity investors' fiduciary duties) (46:54) On the concentration of power by institutional investors *Reference to E118 with John Coates , from Harvard Law School. Reference to Freshfield's report A Legal Framework for Impact (2021) (52:03) Looking Forward: US boards under the EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence . Rick Alexander is the CEO of Shareholder Commons. He is also a leading expert in public benefit corporations. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Jonathan Goodman (Deloitte): Governing Strategy 59:01

7 weeks назад59:01

59:01

(0:00) Intro (1:35) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:21) Start of interview (3:00) Jonathan's origin story (5:10) His start in journalism (7:05) Founding Monitor Canada with Roger Martin (1987) (9:43) Transitioning to Deloitte Monitor (2013) (12:18) About Deloitte Canada’s Podium Club for Directors that he leads. (13:38) How Trump's tariffs may impact Canada (note: this podcast was recorded on 1/24, before tariffs went into place) (17:57) What is strategy? "I think of strategy as choice" (20:20) The role of the board in strategy. "The best CEOs seek advice from their boards, not a grade" (25:39) The questions board members ask matter. "The question is the asset" "Ask questions and question the answers" (30:40) Rethinking Board Information Approaches *Reference to Netflix board case study (33:30) Embracing Uncertainty and Risk (37:55) Private vs. Public Strategy Dynamics (42:10) The Role of Culture and Talent in Strategy (scope of company founders) (46:55) Key Strategic Priorities for Directors (beyond idiosyncrasies of each company): 1) Geopolitics; 2) Technological Shifts (AI, Cyber, etc); and 3) Talent (Workforce and People). (53:10) Books that have greatly influenced his life: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957) The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (1976) On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers (1961) (55:58) His mentors . (56:41) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by. Jonathan Goodman is a vice Chair and member of the board of Deloitte Canada, where he leads the firm’s CEO and Boardroom programs, including Deloitte Canada’s Podium Club for Directors. He is also Global Chair and former global Managing Partner of Monitor Deloitte. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Jeff Thomas (Nasdaq): The State of Public Markets in 2025 44:29

8 weeks назад44:29

44:29

(0:00) Intro. (1:52) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:39) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Jeff ( E46 from Oct 2021 ) (3:42) On Nasdaq's IPOs in 2024 (180 IPOs raising $23B). Looking ahead in 2025. (6:23) What to expect facing new Administration. Reference to Nasdaq's IPO Pulse Index . (8:59) The three priorities for boards considering an IPO: strategic quality, risk management, and succession planning (people). (11:14) On the ruling striking down the Nasdaq Diversity Rule (14:27) On the political backlash against ESG and DEI in the US (18:00) On global markets and the new geopolitical landscape. Nasdaq as "the trusted fabric of the financial markets". Reference to article by Nelson Griggs , Nasdaq President. (22:32) On the " stay private vs go public " debate, and arguments for public listings: 1) access to capital, 2) liquidity, 3) creating an acquisition currency, and 4) having the brand and the trust of a public company. (27:00) Private Equity backed companies going public. (29:50) On the influence of AI in public markets and in governance. Boardvantage's AI solutions for directors. (35:30) Outlook for 2025 . (39:55) On direct listings and SPACs (50 SPACs on Nasdaq in 2024) (40:36) On board education . Reference to the 3rd VC-Backed Board Academy (VCBA) on May 14, 2025, at Cooley in SF. Jeff Thomas serves as EVP, Chief Revenue Officer, and Global Head of Listings at Nasdaq. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Nora Denzel: Technology Leadership in the Boardroom 58:12

9 weeks назад58:12

58:12

(0:00) Intro. (1:47) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:34) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Nora ( E74 from Oct 2022 ) (3:42) About the 2024 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on Technology Leadership in the Boardroom: Driving Trust and Value (7:29) On the evolving role of the board overseeing technology and cybersecurity (10:41) On the surge of AI technology and its underlying infrastructure (13:15) The role of trust in the age of AI (17:22) How to think about ROI in technology from the boardroom (20:12) Board composition and technology expertise (27:19) Recommendations or takeaways from the BRC Report. (31:00) On AI regulation "It's really important to self-regulate" (34:13) Technology strategy and board committee structures (38:38) Tech aptitude in directors : 1) digital outsiders, 2) digital immigrants, 3) digital early adopters and 4) digital natives (41:52) On board education "needs to be more like Call of Duty" "directors should be learn-it-all's, not know-it-all's" (43:25) Best practices for board evaluations "you can only operate at the speed of trust" "the chair sets the tone" (46:42) On " Zero-based agenda setting " (49:14) Priority items for boards in 2025: talent in the boardroom/company, and having "THE meeting to govern Tech/AI" (52:02) On being "courageously optimistic" and how to address AI doomsayers (56:22) Nora's Top 6 Recommendations for Board Members to Become more Familiar with AI Nora Denzel is a Silicon Valley technology executive. She serves as the Lead Independent Director and Chair of the NomGov Committee at AMD. She also serves on the Gen Digital (NASDAQ: GEN), SUSE S.A. and NACD boards. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Joe Grundfest: Reflecting on 2024 and What’s Next for Business and Governance 45:18

10 weeks назад45:18

45:18

(0:00) Intro (2:06) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:53) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episodes with Joe ( E1 from '20 , E35 from '21 , E84 from '23 , E123 from '24 ) (4:53) The future of the SEC with Chairman Paul Atkins (6:30) New approach to crypto by SEC (9:40) On the politicization of corporate governance (10:48) On the future of ESG ("Extremely Subjective Guessing") and DEI ("Decrease Emphasis Immediately") (14:18) On DOGE , and how it plays out (17:13) On the influence of Silicon Valley in the new Trump Administration (21:40) On Delaware’s Corporate Landscape (two canaries in the coalmine: pre-IPO incorporations and re-domestications) (25:01) On the Tornetta v Musk case, and challenging the award of $345 million in attorneys' fees to the plaintiffs (28:54) AI and the malpractice insurance system. "How AI eats the world" (32:52) On OpenAI's structure and PBCs . On "exit tax" from converting from non-profit to for-profit. (36:49) How do corporations relate to (an increasingly polarized) society: big theme for 2025. (38:05) Biggest winner and loser in business in 2024 (40:38) Biggest business surprise in 2024 (42:46) Best and worst corporate governance trend from 2024 (43:05) What’s the biggest corporate governance trend to watch out for in 2025 Joe Grundfest is the William A. Franke Professor of Law and Business Emeritus at Stanford Law School and Senior Faculty at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Ben Joseloff: The Board's Guide to CFIUS and Evolving National Security Reviews 57:35

12 weeks назад57:35

57:35

(0:00) Intro (1:43) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (2:29) Start of interview (3:11) Ben's origin story (9:39) His start at Cravath in 2010 (10:54) His time at the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House. (15:04) About CFIUS. Reforms from FIRRMA (2018) . Control transactions and minority investments in critical technologies, critical infrastructure, or sensitive personal data. (24:45) Trends in transaction reviews. CFIUS Annual Report to Congress – CY 2023 (30:00) Presidential prohibitions under CFIUS. (32:23) CFIUS and crypto. (34:02) The TikTok case . (36:14) Restrictions on outbound investments in China : AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing. (42:13) De-risking vs de-coupling from China. Geopolitics and the boardroom . (44:40) Industrial policies. (47:21) Advice for corporate directors on national security matters. (49:30) Books that have greatly influenced his life: Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1939) Elements of Style by Strunk and White (1918) (51:46) His mentors . (53:04) Quote that he thinks of often or lives his life by. The " Spirit of Liberty " Speech Judge Learned Hand (1944) (54:34) An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves. (55:42) The person he most admires. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
David Berger: Ending the One-Size-Fits-All Model of Corporate Governance 1:02:08

13 weeks назад1:02:08

1:02:08

(0:00) Intro. (2:14) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (3:01) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with David ( E24 from Nov 2020 ) (4:22) David's description of the ACGC (7:56) Post-Election Governance Changes (SEC, FTC, etc). ESG and DEI considerations. Federal vs state regulatory matters. (13:06) On crypto and digital assets in the new Trump administration. (14:51) On DOGE led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (18:46) Delaware's challenge as the Favored Corporate Home (26:54) Elon Musk's Rescinded Compensation in Tornetta v Musk, the plaintiff attorneys' fees. (31:04) On the Rome Conference on AI, Ethics, and the Future of Corporate Governance (April 2024). (35:18) Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) in the AI industry. On Anthropic's LTBT. On corporate purpose. (46:56) ServiceTitan's compounding IPO ratchet (reference to my article about it ). IPO market. (52:06) Biggest winner and loser in business in 2024 (53:54) Biggest business surprise in 2024 (55:10) Best and worst corporate governance trend from 2024 (57:41) Charter competition among states, and Federal vs. State Corporate Governance (1:00:04) What’s the biggest corporate governance trend to watch out for in 2025 David Berger is a partner at Wilson Sonsini and serves as the President of the American College of Governance Counsel. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Richard Blake: 2024 Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report 1:01:32

14 weeks назад1:01:32

1:01:32

(0:00) Intro. (2:09) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:56) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Richard ( E126 from Feb 2024 ). (3:46) About his firm's 2024 SV150 Corporate Governance Report . (9:04) On Virtual (Stockholder) Meetings (89% of SV150). (11:23) Board Committee Structures . Audit, Comp, NomGov, and Others. (14:02) On SV150's approach to ESG , impact of new SEC. (18:53) On the evolution of boardroom diversity , impact of CA laws and Nasdaq Diversity Rule. (21:40) Why private ordering will become more important in corporate governance. (22:28) On dual or multi class share structures (-30% of SV150, and of those, 91% have sunset provisions). (25:25) On ServiceTitan's compounding IPO ratchet (reference to my article about it ). "Governance is a spectrum" (31:29) On evolution of shareholder proposals in SV150. *Reference to E15 with Jim McRitchie . (36:30) On shareholder activism (7.4%) in SV150. (41:41) On the clawback policies of SV150 companies (48:27) On the backlash to Delaware incorporations and SV moving out of CA . Reference to WSGR's DE's Status as the Favored Corporate Home . (51:49) Biggest winner in business in 2024 (53:27) Biggest loser in business in 2024 (54:27) Biggest business surprise in 2024 (56:53) Best and worst corporate governance trend from 2024 (58:28) What’s the biggest corporate governance trend to watch out for in 2025 Richard Blake is a partner at Wilson Sonsini and the leader of the firm's public companies’ practice. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Tom Callahan, CEO of NPM: Unlocking Liquidity in Private Markets 1:00:52

15 weeks назад1:00:52

1:00:52

(0:00) Intro. (2:05) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (2:52) Start of interview. (3:36) Tom's origin story . (5:37) The start of his career with Merrill Lynch (1991-2008). (7:00) The financial crisis and his transition to the NYSE (2009-2013). (10:53) His time at BlackRock (2013-2022). (15:14) Defining private markets: "VC-backed pre-IPO private companies typically worth $1b ie. unicorns." Comparing public and private markets. Impact of the JOBS Act (2012). (18:47) About the Nasdaq Private Market (NPM) . Why companies do tender offers in private companies. Managing secondary liquidity . (26:31) Distinguishing liquidity for employees, founders, and investors (cap table cleanup). Function of IPO . (32:40) On regulation of private markets ("private markets are under regulated"). Difference between public and private markets: information asymmetry. (41:23) Current private market dynamics (2021-2024). "We're optimistic that 2025 will be a great year" (45:32) On the role of AI : "it has been the story of the public markets and private markets in 2024." (50:26) Books that have greatly influenced his life. How to Win Friends and Influence People , by Dale Carnegie (1936) Never Split the Difference , by Chris Voss (2016) "Tactical empathy" (52:52) His mentors . (54:47) Quote that he thinks of often or lives his life by: "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you're right," (Henry Ford) (57:05) Cultural differences in venture between NY and Silicon Valley . (58:19) An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves: he's a volunteer pilot for Dogs for Good . (59:38) The person he most admires. Tom Callahan is the CEO and Manager of the board of managers of Nasdaq Private Market (NPM). You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Andrew Shagrin and David Chekroun: Co-Founders of ICG at ESCP Business School in Paris 1:11:00

18 weeks назад1:11:00

1:11:00

(0:00) Intro (3:27) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel . (4: 14) Start of interview. (4:56) Drew Shagrin 's origin story. (8:12) David Chekroun 's origin story. (14:15) About the Institute of Corporate Governance at ESCP Business School, based in Paris. (19:13) The focus of ICG between students, alumni, execs, directors, investors, state representatives, judiciary, and regulators. (24:57) Corporate purpose under French law: changed in 2019 to explicitly take into consideration E&S issues . (27:53) Comparing ESG trends from France & EU. The G is rooted in each member state, but E&S falls under the EU green deal. (33:50) On board diversity : differences between US, France & EU. Sources: Copé Zimmermann Law (2011), Gender Equality Index (2018): on gender pay gaps, and Rixain Act (2021). (41:32) On State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and the role of the state in corporate governance. (45:46) On the role of the state in promoting tech industry (startups and scale ups). BPI . (48:55) On employee representation in the boardroom. In France, since 2013 . (54:19) On Entreprise à Mission structures and PBCs, balancing profit with social responsibility (in AI). The Danone case . (58:24) Challenges of corporate governance in France: share value, board composition, and stewardship. AFEP and MEDEF . (50:38) What are the 1-3 books that have greatly influenced your life: David: The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig (1942) Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman (1989) The Anatomy of Corporate Law by Reiner Kraakman (2004) Drew: How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen (2012) (1:03:48) Who were their mentors, and what they learned from them. (1:06:11) Quotes they think of often or live their life by. (1:07:22) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that they love. (1:08:20) The living person they most admire. You can follow Evan on social media at: X: @evanepstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/ __ Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive ): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License…

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

1
Wolfe Tone & Heather Gates (Deloitte): Insights on Private Company Governance 56:38

22 weeks назад56:38