“Professor Leblanc's Handbook comes forth at an integral moment in the evolution of corporate governance. In the midst of increasing global demand for corporations to be responsible to employees, civil society, and the environment, the role of directors and shareholders in the creation of sustainable long-term value sits at center stage. The EU Directive, COP21, and laws requiring quotas for women on boards are only the latest examples of citizenry demanding corporate sustainability and inclusion. Intolerance for the role corporations played in the financial crises of 2002 and 2008 now requires boards to go beyond consideration of strategy and C-suite succession planning and rise to the outcry for integration of nonfinancial impacts into the stewardship of long-term capital and value creation. Dr. Leblanc has assembled a first-rate list of global authors to explain why this movement is here to stay.”

—Christianna Wood, Chairman, Global Reporting Initiative; Institutional Investor; Nonexecutive Director; and Former Chair, International Corporate Governance Network

“The board of directors sits at the center of the governance framework in a wide range of organizations. This new Handbook will be an invaluable reference for both board members and academics seeking to deepen their understanding of boardroom functioning. The breadth and depth of the volume's coverage is both impressive and indicative of the challenges and risks faced by the modern director.”

—Lady Barbara Judge, Chairman, Institute of Directors

“This Handbook is a truly comprehensive and invaluable compendium of governance best practices and insights. I have worked with Dr. Richard Leblanc for close to 20 years and have had the privilege to see him develop into a foremost mover and an informer of key governance practices and trends in Canada and internationally. He proves this again with the publication of his Handbook of Board Governance, which is a brilliant piece of work by contributors who span the who's who in the world of governance subject matter expertise. I think it should be on every director's and corporate secretary's desk.”

—Lynn Beauregard, President, Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries

“The Handbook of Board Governance is an invaluable resource for board directors and corporate governance professionals. A collection of governance experts from around the globe has created a guide that's unparalleled in scope, exploring not only corporate governance as it stands today, but where it's headed. As the corporate governance field continues to experience dramatic change, this handbook offers readers an invaluable set of best practices to implement with their own boards.”

—Darla Stuckey, President and CEO, Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals

“Richard Leblanc has pulled together a who's who of global corporate governance and investor activism thinkers for this book. In a field where too much of the information we see is general, self-serving, or narrowly academic, The Handbook of Board Governance manages to cover all the bases with intelligent insight.”

—Ralph Ward, Publisher, Boardroom INSIDER

“This book provides not only insights but guidance about how to ensure governance is appropriate and effective. With such authors as Bob Monks and Y1lmaz ArgÜden how could anyone miss reading and digesting? Corporate governance is an essential part of a future capital market system that has financial stability and results in sustainable development. When aligned with effective stewardship codes and an information architecture of integrated reporting, I cannot emphasize enough how critical board governance is to the new inclusive and longer term system that the world needs.”

—Paul Druckman, CEO, International Integrated Reporting Council

“The Handbook of Board Governance is the most comprehensive and up-to-date document on the range and complexity of tasks today's boards are expected to perform. This is a must-read for every director serving on boards today and the ones who aspire to do so in the future. Dr. Leblanc is to be complimented for undertaking this challenge and doing an outstanding job of pulling together in one place the views of practitioners and thought leaders on this important topic.”

—Raj L Gupta, Chairman, Delphi Automotive PLC; Executive Chair, Avantor Materials Inc; Board Member HP, The Vanguard Group, IRI, and Tyco International

“I am pleased to endorse and welcome this much-needed book and the work of Dr. Richard Leblanc. I am particularly pleased to see an entire Part devoted to ‘The Rise of Shareholder Accountability.’ Director—Shareholder engagement and accountability is vitally important, and arguably essential, to a well-functioning corporate governance system. This book, and the work by all authors, make a significant contribution.”

—Catherine McCall, Director of Policy Development, Canadian Coalition for Good Governance

“The Directors College, the Gold Standard in Governance Education, enthusiastically welcomes The Handbook of Board Governance to the international marketplace. Fifty global experts cover, in-depth, all topics of relevance to practicing directors. Under the watchful eyes of Dr Richard Leblanc, he has assembled a who's who gallery of authors and of best governance practices. This book is a must-read resource for any director or advisor to boards. I highly recommend it!”

—Paul Forgues, Managing Director, The Directors College

“Via Rail is committed to effective corporate governance. Having worked with Dr. Leblanc, I am confident this comprehensive handbook will provide practical guidance to all who share our commitment.”

—Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Via Rail Canada

“A major strength of this handbook is its international perspective, with subject matter experts from across the globe, including Australia. There are also divergent points of view, which contribute to healthy debate and dialogue. It is a very noteworthy contribution, and I highly recommend this book for any director or student of good governance.”

—Rob Elliott, Adjunct Professor, Macquarie Graduate School of Management; Former Executive Director, Governance Leadership Centre, Australian Institute of Company Directors; Former Chair, Policy Committee, Global Network of Director Institutes

“Professor Leblanc has put together a very impressive array of authors for this Handbook, including Michael Useem, Dennis Carey, and Ram Charan, among many others. The field of governance is constantly changing, and wise directors should keep abreast of changes and their responsibilities. This Handbook is highly recommended to directors who wish to do that!”

—John A. Krol, Former CEO of DuPont; Former Chairman of Delphi Automotive, Dupont and Pacolet Milliken; Former Lead Director of MeadWestvaco and Tyco International; Former Director of Ace Insurance, Armstrong Flooring, JPMorgan, and Milliken Company; and Former Director of Bechtel Corp., and Teijen Ltd. Advisory Boards

“The Handbook of Board Governance is a must-read for any director keeping abreast of constant corporate governance change. It is well written, by directors for directors, and covers the entire field of corporate governance in one handy manual.”

—Larraine Segil, CEO, Little Farm Company; Board Member, Frontier Communications; Board Member and Chair of Nominating Committee, National Association of Corporate Directors Southern California

“I have guest lectured for Professor Leblanc during his summer corporate governance classes at Harvard University, on ‘lessons learned,’ and I am pleased to endorse this book. I remain committed to speaking and educating on mistakes made and what has been learned. I am pleased to review and endorse this book and the work that Professor Leblanc has done in the field.”

—Andrew Fastow, Former CFO, Enron Corp.

“The governance landscape is littered with theoretical discussions about what ought to be important in the boardroom, and much of what has been written ignores the role of the board in working not only to protect, but also to generate sustainable value. In this volume, an impressive group of contributors offers valuable insights about the issues that high-functioning boards will want and need to address.”

—Frank M. Placenti, Leader of Corporate Governance Practice of Squire Patton Boggs, LLP, and Founding President, American College of Governance Counsel

“This work contains an extraordinary breadth and depth of coverage, with thoughtful analysis, of the rapidly evolving field of corporate governance. It addresses both long-standing issues in the field (such as CEO succession) and newer areas (such as shareholder engagement and cybersecurity). In addition to the governance topics common to all boards, there are separate chapters on the particular issues that are faced by boards with unique roles, such as start-up company boards and nonprofits. This will become a must-read for board members looking to improve their board today, and for serious students of corporate governance.”

—Nancy E. Hopkins, Q.C., (Hon) CPA, ICD.D Partner, McDougall Gauley LLP

“The Handbook of Board Governance put together by Richard Leblanc will open new frontiers in the literature for directors of all types of companies. I especially like that there is information on private company governance as that is an emerging area that cries out for good governance. The authors represented in this handbook are industry experts, and the topics are not only relevant but necessary for any board member to fulfill his/her duty to the shareholders, and where appropriate, other stakeholders as well. Reading this book should be required of anyone who even thinks of being in the C-Suite or serving on boards.”

—Dennis McCuistion, Executive Director Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance, University of Texas at Dallas

“A board of directors consists of a group of individuals having differing backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. That diversity brings challenges and opportunities. This comprehensive handbook provides the framework to help board practitioners identify those challenges and transform them into opportunities. Filled with cutting-edge insights from many of today's leading experts, Dr. Leblanc's collection is a must have for anyone working in the corporate governance arena.”

—James E. Nevels, Lead Independent Director,The Hershey Company

“Rome was not built in a day, nor can good corporate governance be mastered in a minute. In an era of instant access to overnight ‘expertise’ in 140 characters or less, this comprehensive, indexed reference book stands as towering proof that excellence takes time, and experience counts. Professor Leblanc has identified tomorrow's most critical boardroom topics and has recruited domain leaders to teach each one. The result is an indispensable companion for each board's long but rewarding journey to good governance.”

—Alexandra Lajoux, Chief Knowledge Officer Emeritus, National Association of Corporate Directors (USA)