Home - Corporate Governance Awards

Awards categories

For our awards, individuals and companies are given the opportunity to submit written entries, free of charge, to be put forward to a panel of expert judges made up of corporate governance professionals and Corporate Secretary editorial team members.

We are no longer accepting entries

We are no longer accepting entries for the 2022 awards. Entrants will be contacted from September onwards with an update on their submission(s).

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 8004 5339.

Please note that categories are subject to change based on the final number of entries received. Some categories may be split by cap size.

View the full list of 2021 winners by clicking here

Categories
How winners are chosen

Best AGM

In this category, the judges will be looking at the work of corporate secretaries, general counsel and governance teams in preparing for and running annual meetings – either in-person, virtual or hybrid – that meet the governance needs of both the company and shareholders. Consideration will be given to fulfilling regulatory obligations, training and preparing management and board members, and ensuring shareholders have the opportunity for engagement before and during the AGM.

Best compliance and ethics program

This award will look at coordination of governance, compliance, ethics and risk management processes across the entire corporation (including all subsidiaries). The judges will consider the level of understanding and integration of good governance principles across all disciplines and a truly non-silo approach to achieving an ethical governance environment.

Best ESG reporting (large cap)

This entry should comment on the quality and robustness of ESG-related reporting. This includes exposure to environmental risk factors such as global warming, employee health and safety, foreign corrupt practices, consumer safety, social responsibility and corporate sustainability. The judges will also look at a company’s understanding of the role it plays in the community, both locally and globally. Market cap definition: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap = between US$2 bn - US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Best ESG reporting (small to mid-cap)

Nominees

Best global entity management

In this category, the judges will be looking at the work of general counsel, corporate secretaries and their teams in creating and running effective and innovative global entity management programs that ensure the organization remains in compliance with all local laws. Issues for consideration include: using technology in new ways, ensuring efficiency in the program and adapting to new circumstances, rules and conditions.

Best governance around a corporate transaction

In this category, judges will be looking for innovative and effective governance work carried out before, during and/or after a corporate transaction such as an IPO, M&A deal or restructuring. This might include, for example, overhauling a company’s governance structure, combining the best elements of two companies’ arrangements or managing the regulatory and other risks arising from a transaction.

Best proxy statement (large cap)

This award will examine the completeness of legal disclosures, effectiveness of communication elements, readability, timeliness of filing, visual design elements and overall layout. Specific elements such as compensation discussion and analysis, CD&A, director profiles and ESG challenges will be given particular consideration. Market cap definition: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap = between US$2 bn - US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Best proxy statement (mid-cap)

Best proxy statement (small cap)

Best shareholder engagement (large cap)

Engaging in dialogue with shareholders around governance issues has taken on new importance in the era of say-on-pay. This category, introduced in 2014, will focus on ways that companies are reaching out to proxy decision-makers, often outside of proxy season, to discuss their compensation strategy and other aspects of corporate governance. Formal programs, which may include governance roadshows, shareholder forums, independent director participation, surveys and other means of engagement, will be assessed for both qualitative and quantitative results such as strengthened relationships with institutional investors or a measurable increase in proxy voting support. Market cap definition: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap = between US$2 bn - US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Best shareholder engagement (small to mid-cap)

Best use of technology

The use of technology is becoming an integral part of the way corporate secretaries and other governance professionals communicate with their colleagues and with investors. Entrants should be able to show how their use of new technological tools, social media and the internet has helped to advance governance within their firm. Areas of consideration include, but are not limited to: the use of technology in board communications, shareholder engagement, company meetings, records management and information governance and the successful use of technology to facilitate transactions. The judges will also consider the accessibility of the corporate secretary, general counsel and board of directors using technology, and the quality of information distributed.

Governance professional of the year (large cap)

The judges will be looking for the most outstanding individual in a governance, compliance or legal function. Entrants should be able to show exceptional performance in advancing governance and compliance activities at their company. Areas of consideration include, but are not limited to: board structure, shareholder communications, regulatory filing, annual reports and all other areas of the company’s governance operations. Market cap definition: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap = between US$2 bn - US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Governance professional of the year (small to mid-cap)

Governance team of the year (large cap)

The size and scope of teams involved in achieving sound governance are growing. Some companies have dozens of people working solely on compliance and governance. This award will look at the best overall governance team in the country, and what it has achieved in the past 12 months. How does the size of the team compare with the size of the company? How have team numbers changed in recent years? Who is involved and what training do they get? Market cap definition: Small cap = below US$2 bn / Mid-cap = between US$2 bn - US$20 bn / Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Governance team of the year (small to mid-cap)

Rising star

The judges will be looking for the best newcomer to a governance or compliance role. This person will have been in the profession less than 10 years and have less than 15 years of professional experience, achieving demonstrable success in driving good governance or implementing change at his or her company, advancing academic thinking or making a significant contribution to the governance community at large.

Lifetime achievement

The judging process consists of three simple phases:

Phase one: Once the entry deadline has passed, the Corporate Secretary editorial team reviews all submissions and produces the short list

Phase two: The short-listed entries are shared with an independent judging panel made up of industry experts. The judges review each short-listed entry and select their top two picks per category

Phase three: The judges come together to discuss, debate and select the final list of winners who will go on to win an award

The judges’ votes are not made public, but their comments may be published in articles or reports after the event. Judges are not required to make comments against every submission.

Market cap definition

Small cap = below US$2 bn
Mid-cap = between US$2 bn – US$20 bn
Large cap = US$20 bn and over

Meet the judges

Prabha Sipi Bhandari
Deputy general counsel & corporate secretary
American International Group

*Scoring selected categories

Biography to follow.
Joan Conley
Board member
EJF Acquisition Corp and Tigo Energy

Ms. Conley has served as a Senior Advisor on Corporate Governance & ESG Programs at Nasdaq, Inc., since December 2020. In December 2020, Ms. Conley retired from her role as the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary following nineteen years at Nasdaq, Inc., responsible for Corporate Governance Global Ethics and Corporate Compliance, and the Nasdaq Educational Foundation. Ms. Conley also served a founding Board Member of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center ( 2014 to 2020). Prior to joining Nasdaq, Inc. in 2001, Ms. Conley was the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary) (1994 to 2001) and the Director of Human Resources (1986-1994) at NASD (now FINRA).

In 2021, Ms. Conley was elected to the Board of EJF Acquisition Corp. (Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Governance Committee) and Tigo Energy.

Ms. Conley is a member of the Society of Corporate Governance Professionals, Extraordinary Women on Boards the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Forum and the Economic Club of Washington D.C. Ms. Conley received a BA in Economics from Dominican University and an MS in Industrial & Labor Relations from Loyola University of Chicago. Ms. Conley studied Economics at London School of Economics.
Lucy Fato
Executive vice president, general counsel and global head of communications and government affairs
American International Group

*Scoring selected categories

Lucy oversees AIG’s global legal, compliance and regulatory groups. She is also global head of communications and government affairs.

Prior to joining AIG, Ms Fato was managing director, head of the Americas and general counsel of Nardello & Co, a global private investigative firm, where she remains on the advisory board.

Previously, Ms Fato was executive vice president and general counsel of S&P Global. Prior to that, Ms Fato was deputy general counsel and corporate secretary at Marsh & McLennan Companies. Ms Fato began her legal career at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell where she spent 14 years, including five as a partner in the capital markets group.

Ms Fato is a member of the Department of Financial Services state insurance advisory board and a member of the Life Insurance Council of NY board of directors.

From 2018-2021, Ms Fato was included in NACD Directorship magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the boardroom community. In 2015 and 2017, she was named by Ethisphere magazine as one of the ‘Attorneys Who Matter’ for her dedication to furthering corporate ethics.

Ms Fato serves on the board of directors of Advocates for Children of New York, a non-profit organization that works to ensure a high-quality education for children who are at risk for school-based discrimination or academic failure. She also serves on the board of directors of the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation, the board of trustees of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance and is as a member of the board of the Coalition for the Homeless, the nation’s oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children.
Matthew Geekie
Senior vice president, secretary and general counsel
Graybar

Matt Geekie is senior vice president, secretary and general counsel for Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical and communications products and related supply chain management and logistics services. Graybar celebrated in 2019 150 years as a company and 90 years of employee ownership. A member of Graybar’s board of directors, Geekie is responsible for corporate governance and the legal and risk management functions of the company. He also serves as Chairman of Graybar’s Canadian subsidiary.

Geekie’s broad-based legal experience includes corporate law, corporate governance, cybersecurity, commercial and securities law, ethics, intellectual property, product liability, export/import law and risk management. Under his leadership, Graybar achieved national recognition for excellence in corporate governance in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Geekie currently serves as a Member of the Board of the St. Louis Community Foundation, as Chair of its Executive and Gift Acceptance Committees, and as a Member of its Finance and Audit and Strategic Planning Committees; as a Member of the Saint Louis Zoo Association Government Relations, Investment, and Long-Range Plan Implementation Committees; as a Member of the Saint Louis Zoo’s Marlin Perkins
Society; and as a Member of the Board of The Oasis Institute and on its Executive and Finance Committees. He is also a Member of the Board of CK Power, a Member of the St. Louis/Chicago Regional FM Global Advisory Board and a Member of the Board of the Missouri Law Institute.
Stephen Giove
Co-Founder at Ebullience & Retired Partner at Shearman & Sterling

Stephen Giove was a senior partner in the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP for over 25 years. He advised boards and senior management teams on a wide range of governance, finance, public company and strategic matters. He co-founded the firm’s corporate governance advisory group and was the driving force behind its annual corporate governance practices survey.

His governance experience included advice with respect to board practices and structures, fiduciary duties, proxy access, anti-takeover defenses, shareholder proposals, dealing with activists, crisis management, annual board self-evaluations, and dealing with external constituencies, including shareholders, ESG-focused organizations, proxy advisory firms and regulators.

Steve ran the firm’s global corporate finance practice and served as the firm’s hiring partner. He retired from the firm in 2020. He represented nearly 100 public companies, including CVS Health, Citigroup, Viacom/CBS, Apple, Con Edison, Raytheon, Corning, Quest Diagnostics, Boston Scientific and WebMD.

After his retirement from Shearman & Sterling, Steve co-founded Ebullience Inc., a corporate governance data analytics company and Jupiter Governance Consulting, a corporate governance consulting firm.

Steve received his J.D. from the Cornell Law School and his M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He also received a B.S. in Accounting from S.U.N.Y. Binghamton.
Eileen Kamerick
Non-executive director
Associated Banc-corp, ACV Auctions, Hochschild Mining, Legg Mason Closed End Funds

Ms. Kamerick consults and lectures on corporate governance and compliance matters and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow and has completed the NACD Director Certification exam. She previously served as CFO of such leading companies as BP Amoco Americas, Leo Burnett, Heidrick & Struggles, and Houlihan Lokey.

She began her career as a lawyer at the law firm of Skadden Arps and she holds a JD and an MBA, with honors, in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago. She holds a BA from Boston College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was valedictorian. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Associated Banc-Corp, ACV Auctions, Hochschild Mining, plc, and 23 closed end Legg Mason mutual funds. She served on the Board of Directors for ServiceMaster and IRI before both companies were purchased by private equity firms. She qualifies as an SEC financial expert and chairs three audit committees and one corporate governance and social responsibility committee.

She was profiled as a Director to Watch in 2016 by Directors and Boards magazine and in The Board Game: How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors. She was named among the Most Influential Corporate Directors for 2019 by Women Inc magazine. She also serves on the National Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association.

She is a lecturer at University of Chicago Law School, Georgetown Law Center, and University of Iowa College of Law and for the NACD Battlefield to Boardroom board readiness program.
Ben Maiden
Editor-at-large
Corporate Secretary

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Corporate Secretary, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. He had previously been managing editor of Compliance Reporter since January 2007, covering regulatory and compliance issues affecting broker-dealers and asset management firms. Before that, Ben was editor of International Financial Law Review and IFLR’s Americas editor, working in London and New York.

What our attendees say

"As was said by many, compliance is a critical function in today’s corporate world. Yet, those engaged in that effort receive insufficient attention. Corporate Secretary, generally, and this event in particular, shine appropriate light on not only the substance of ethics, compliance and good governance, but also put faces to the names who lead in this field."

Graybar Electric Company

"The flow and format of the event were excellent!"

Robert Half International

"I enjoyed the Corporate Governance Awards very much. Thank you for the invitation. It was a lot of fun and very well organized. Congratulations!"

Quanta Services

"It is important that the good work done by many members of the corporate governance community be highlighted, and I particularly appreciate the opportunity for recognition offered to smaller companies and rising stars."

Argyle

"The awards are external validation for the work being done by the governance groups within companies whose work might go unseen by the average employee. Having a physical trophy is a good representation of the hard work of those teams"

Lockheed Martin Corporation

"A great production!"

Broadridge

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

Our awards provide a unique opportunity to get in front of some of the most influential people in the GRC community. As a partner, you will gain an extensive amount of exposure through a wide range of print and digital marketing materials, both pre and post event, as well as on the day itself. Additionally, you can use the event to align yourself with GRC excellence and network with key decision makers from across the region – the ones pushing the profession forward through innovation.

Partnering with the event will provide:

A chance to network with qualified, senior decision-makers in the IR community
Increased awareness and credibility through association with the region’s leading awards
New business opportunities through higher-brand presence among current and potential clients
The chance to entertain clients at the most respected event of the year
Exposure as the market leader in your chosen area by sponsoring the awards category that best reflects your area of expertise

All our partnerships are created using a mix of branding, thought leadership, lead generation and meetings with your target audience. You tell us your objectives and we will work with you to create you a package that’s makes sense for your company and will help you achieve those objectives. To find out more get in touch with Ian Richman or call on +1 212 430 6865.

Inquire about partnership

Partners

AIG

AIG

Corporate Partners

American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement solutions and other financial services to customers in approximately 70 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com.
Chesapeake Utilities

Chesapeake Utilities

Corporate Partners

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy delivery company engaged in the distribution of natural gas, electricity and propane; the transmission of natural gas; the generation of electricity and steam, and in providing related services to our customers. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation and the Chesapeake family of businesses is available at www.chpk.com and on the Annual Report Microsite at cpkannualreport.com/2020/.
Graybar

Graybar

Corporate Partners

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 260 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency.

For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR.
Marsh McLennan

Marsh McLennan

Corporate Partners

Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC) is the world’s leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. The company’s 83,000 colleagues advise clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of nearly $20 billion, Marsh McLennan helps corporate and public sector leaders navigate an increasingly dynamic environment through four market-leading businesses. Marsh provides data-driven risk advisory services and insurance solutions to commercial and consumer clients. Guy Carpenter develops advanced risk, reinsurance and capital strategies that help clients grow profitably and pursue emerging opportunities. Mercer delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organizations redefine the world of work, reshape retirement and investment outcomes, and unlock health and wellbeing for a changing workforce. Oliver Wyman serves as a critical strategic, economic and brand advisor to private sector and governmental clients.

For more information, visit mmc.com, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter or subscribe to BRINK.

Job title	Company	Job title	Company
CCO	MMA Securities	SVP, associate GC & assistant secretary	Bank of America
CEO	Ethisphere	SVP, chief compliance officer	Visa
CEO	Everest	SVP, corporate governance	Columbia Bank
Chief corporate counsel	MMC	SVP, corporate secretary & deputy GC	AIG
Chief legal officer & corporate secretary	Dawn Foods	SVP, deputy GC & corporate secretary	Verizon Communications
COO	International Elite Capital	SVP, GC & corporate secretary	Clearway Energy
Director	Evergy	VP & assistant corporate secretary	BlackRock
Director, global ESG reporting & insights	AT&T	VP & associate GC	Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Director, corporate securities	HP	VP & chief ethics & compliance officer	3M
Director, governance and securities	Owens Corning	VP, assistant GC & secretary	IBM
Director, legal entity services	Mastercard	VP, corporate secretary	MVC Capital
EVP & chief legal officer	Nuance Communications	VP, associate GC	At Home
EVP & GC	MF Global Holdings	VP, corporate development, GC & CHRO	Columbus McKinnon
EVP, GC, secretary & CCO	B&G Foods	VP, corporate secretary	TD Bank Group
Senior director, global sustainability	Clarivate	VP, governance	Prudential
SVP & corporate secretary	Discovery	VP, assistant GC & assistant secretary	Coeur Mining
SVP	PepsiCo	VP, associate GC, corporate	Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings
SVP, deputy GC	Healthpeak Properties	VP, chief sustainability officer & group GC	The Travelers Companies
SVP, GC & corporate secretary	Avangrid	VP, learning & development	Change Healthcare

Corporate Governance AwardsCelebrating excellence

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

About the awards

Timings

What to expect

Awards categories