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 2023 awards. Entrants will be contacted from September onwards with an update on their submission(s)

View the full list of 2022 winners by clicking here.

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

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 board assessment program NEW

*New category for 2023* It is important that boards are periodically assessed so that changes can be made if necessary. These assessments are in many cases becoming more detailed and sophisticated. The judges will be looking for assessment programs that are thorough, innovative and tailored to a specific board where possible. Among other things, they will also be looking at whether feedback generated by an assessment has been acted on to help improve the functioning and/or composition of the board.

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 (mid-cap)

Best ESG reporting (small cap)

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)

Outstanding work by an independent director NEW

*New category for 2023* The focus of the Corporate Governance Awards is the work general counsel, corporate secretaries and other governance professionals do in service of their board and company. In this special category, judges will be looking for governance-related achievements by a named individual, independent director. That might be in leading an initiative to enhance bylaws or the proxy statement, to engage with shareholders – perhaps around a proxy contest – or to push the company to enhance its ESG-related efforts and disclosures. Judges will be looking for an individual board member who has gone above and beyond their normal duties to support good governance.

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
SVP, deputy general counsel & corporate secretary
AIG

*Scoring selected categories

Prabha Sipi Bhandari is SVP, Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at AIG. In this role, she oversees AIG’s NYSE and SEC compliance; capital markets and M&A transactions; Cyber/Privacy; IP; IT, Procurement and Real Estate Legal support; and Innovation, among other corporate matters. In her role as Corporate Secretary, Ms. Bhandari acts as the primary liaison to the AIG Board on Board and Board Committee-related matters.

Prior to AIG in June 2022, Ms. Bhandari was SVP and Principal Deputy General Counsel at Freddie Mac, where she supervised a team of over 125 attorneys and legal professionals who advise and support the company’s business divisions, finance, the Sustainability Office and other enterprise functions and directly managed a group of attorneys and legal professionals providing corporate securities advice and support, including in capital markets, derivatives, tax and SEC compliance / financial disclosures. Ms. Bhandari supervised the full Legal Division of more than 200 colleagues and served as Executive Sponsor of the Legal Division’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including robust internship and fellowship programs.

Prior to Freddie Mac, Ms. Bhandari was Managing Director and General Counsel of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank’s US registered broker-dealer, and Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions – Legal. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 2007, Ms. Bhandari was responsible for Mergers & Acquisitions at Viacom Inc. (now Paramount Global), including for CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures and BET, among others. Prior thereto, Ms. Bhandari was a corporate associate at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable John M. Duhé, Jr. of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Bhandari received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she served as Notes and Comments Editor of the New York University Law Review. She received her B.S. from Cornell University in Industrial and Labor Relations.

Ms. Bhandari is a Member and Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Chair of the Board of Directors of Teaching Beyond the Square, a Member of the Steering Committee of the Women in M&A Network, NY chapter, and a Member of the Private Sector Steering Committee of the South Asian Bar Association of New York.
Anna Catalano
A member of the board of directors
HF Sinclair, Frontdoor, Ecovyst and Hexion

Anna C. Catalano manages an active board portfolio, serving as an independent director for public and private corporations and not-for-profit organizations. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of HF Sinclair Corporation (NYSE: DINO), Frontdoor (NASDAQ: FTDR), Ecovyst (NYSE: ECVT), and Hexion, Inc., (private). Ms. Catalano is a Director of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Corporate Directors Institute, and Chair of the NACD Texas TriCities Chapter. She is Co-Founder of The World Innovation Network and has significant experience in the not-for-profit sector having served as a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Houston Grand Opera.

With over 40 years of corporate experience including over two decades of service on public boards, Ms. Catalano is an expert on the topics of board governance and leadership, and an outspoken champion of women in business. Her extensive career spanned three continents in marketing, retail operations, and international business development at Amoco, and subsequently, BP plc. She established Amoco’s refining and marketing beachhead in China in the 1990’s, and during her tenure at BP she was Group Vice President of Marketing when the company was rebranded and was the instrumental voice behind its “beyond petroleum” marketing campaign.

Ms. Catalano is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and has been recognized on Fortune’s ranking of “The Most Powerful Women in International Business”, Directors and Boards “Directors to Watch”, Women Inc “Most Influential Board Directors”, and BoardProspects “Top 30 AAPI Directors in the US”. She is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics including board governance, leadership, innovation, and the advancement of women in business. She advises numerous organizations on leadership, strategy, and organizational effectiveness, and her thoughts on various topics can be found on her blog, www.shades-of-leadership.com. Additional information about Ms. Catalano can be found on her website, www.annaccatalano.com.
Jacqueline Condron
VP, governance & proxy voting manager
Mellon

Jacqueline (Jackie) Condron is the firm’s Governance and Proxy Voting Manager and Chair of Mellon’s Proxy Voting Committee. In this role, Jackie maintains end-to-end responsibility for Mellon’s proxy voting process in partnership with teams across BNY Mellon Investment Management Center and Middle Office.

Jackie is an industry expert in the proxy space with in-depth knowledge of proxy processes, SEC regulated proxy voting issues and compliance. Previously, she served as a director of ESG & Governance Consulting, part of the Human Capital Solutions team at Aon, plc where she helped lead a team of consultants responsible for researching, assessing and advising US and international companies and boards on ESG strategy, executive compensation, human capital management, and shareholder rights. Jackie also held positions of increasing responsibility within BNY Mellon’s Proxy Voting & Governance Research team where she helped design and manage the firm’s proxy voting guidelines and voting process. Prior to that, she held corporate governance roles with State Street Bank and Fidelity International Limited.

Jackie earned a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law, a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs, cum laude, from Northeastern University, and she attended the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin, Ireland.
Joan Conley
Board member
EJF Acquisition Corp and Tigo Energy

*Scoring selected categories

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.
Matthew Geekie
SVP, 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, mergers and acquisitions, commercial and securities law, ethics, risk management, intellectual property, product liability and export/import law. 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; as a Member of the Board of The Oasis Institute and on its Executive and Finance Committees; and as a Member of the Greater St. Louis Inc. Government
Relations Council. 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.
Eileen Kamerick
Non-executive director
Associated Banc-corp, ACV Auctions, Valic Company and 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. 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. Ms. Kamerick is a member of the Board of Directors for Associated Banc-Corp, ACV Auctions, Valic Company I, and 18 closed end Legg Mason mutual funds where she serves as Lead Independent Director. 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 one audit committee 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 was named as a top 100 Director by NACD in 2022, a peer nominated award recognizing leaders in board service and corporate governance.

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.

Highlights

View the highlights from the 2022 awards ceremony

Who attends our events

Attendees at our awards are leading practitioners from across the US. Each participant is someone with an established track record and a strategic GRC role within their company. Some of this year’s attendees include:

Job title	Company	Job title	Company
Associate general counsel	ManpowerGroup	Manager, corporate governance and securities	Bunge
Attorney	The Williams Companies	Partner	K&L Gates
Chief corporate governance officer	Huntington National Bank	Partner	Vistra
Company secretary	Willis Towers Watson	Senior counsel	The Williams Companies
Corporate paralegal	Splunk	Senior director, corporate legal	Splunk
Corporate sustainability officer, Americas	JLL	Senior legal specialist	Kyndryl Holdings
Deputy general counsel	JLL	SVP and general counsel	The Williams Companies
Director, corporate governance	Prudential Financial	SVP, deputy general counsel & corporate secretary	AIG
Director, environmental data analytics & reporting	Phillips 66 Company	SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary	Avangrid
Director, ESG	AT&T	SVP, general counsel and secretary	Gentherm Incorporated
Director, ESG program & strategy	IBM	VP & assistant corporate secretary	Kyndryl Holdings
Director, investor relations	IBM	VP & deputy general counsel	Microsoft
General counsel	Willis Towers Watson	VP, assistant general counsel & secretary	IBM
General counsel and corporate secretary	JLL	VP, assistant general counsel, corporate secretary	The Williams Companies
General counsel and secretary	ManpowerGroup	VP, compensation	Voya Financial
General manager, ESG & sustainability	Phillips 66 Company	VP, corporate counsel and ESG	Healthpeak Properties
Global chief sustainability officer & head of ESG	Cognizant Technology Solutions	VP, corporate governance	Prudential Financial
Head, ESG	First Horizon Corporation	VP, deputy general counsel	Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Request full attendee list

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 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 partnerships

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 Corporation

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation

Corporate Partners

Headquartered in Dover, Delaware, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation offers sustainable energy solutions through its natural gas transmission and distribution, electricity generation and distribution, propane gas distribution, mobile compressed natural gas utility services and solutions, and other businesses. Across our operating footprint, we provide energy to approximately 310,000 distribution customers and for thousands of commercial and industrial applications in nine states across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation and its family of businesses is available at chpk.com, in our Annual Report, and Sustainability Report.
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.

	Standard rate
VIP table of 10	$8,905
Standard table of 10	$7,105
Individual tickets	$795

Corporate Governance AwardsCelebrating excellence in governance

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Part of Governance LIVE 2023

About the awards

Awards categories