Boards Appoint Asset Management Experts to Boost Bench Strength

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Agenda Week – Boards Appoint Asset Management Experts to Boost Bench Strength

The recent spate of M&As and the “incredible state of affairs with activism” in recent years has prompted boards to appoint directors with a background in asset and investment management, says Kim Van Der Zon, leader of Egon Zehnder’s U.S. board consulting practice. Such directors can help oversee mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, initial public offerings and help boards proactively mitigate the risk of being targeted by an activist who criticizes board composition, reports the Financial Times. In many cases, notes Van Der Zon, boards recruit sitting or retired chief financial officers who serve as financial experts and typically make strong audit committee members and chairs. “Sometimes, what boards are seeking are executives who literally have been through this and are already a proven quantity in that regard,” she adds.

Full story: Amanda Gerut: “Boards Cover Asset Management Vets to head Off Activists” in Agenda Week (29 June 2015).