0:00 -- Intro. 1:38 -- Start of interview. 3:23 -- Kate's origin story and her professional background. 4:54 -- About the ESG & Law Institute led by David Curran from Paul Weiss (Kate serves as an advisory board member). 7:08 -- Premise of HBO's Succession show. "It's a show about power dynamics. But it's also a show about governance, and how power is or not constrained in the corporate world, the political world and within a family." "It is also a show about governance, which should operate as a constraint on abuse of power, if it’s working effectively." "The show does a very good job in ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:25) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:11) Start of interview.  (2:56) Zain Oke's origin story. (5:08) Dianna Jones's origin story. (8:25) Dennis Lanham's origin story. (12:00) How executive education works (as opposed to degree conferring programs) (14:22) On the origin and mission of the Black Corporate Board Readiness (BCBR) program at Santa Clara University. (17:41) On the role of community and mentorship at BCBR. (22:11) On lawyers serving on corporate boards. (30:50) On the legal challenges to SB-826 and AB-979 in California (b ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:30) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:15) Start of interview.  (3:05) Maggie's origin story. (7:08) Maggie's board career. Reference to HBS case study on her. On staying on boards between 8-12 years to remain independent. (10:19) On distinctions between serving on public and private company boards. The role of directors in each. *Reference to VC-Backed Board Academy (VCBA) on Oct 29, 2024 at Nasdaq in NYC. (13:37) On PE-backed company governance. (14:58) Debate on staying private vs going public. (18:07) On creating her own board bo ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:23) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:10) Start of interview. *Reference to prior episode with Peter (E83 from Jan 2023). (3:00) NACD Surveys on Board Practices and Oversight: Private Company Results and Public Company Results. (3:44) 1/ On Technology Oversight: "We are seeing boards go after technology, not necessarily expertise, but experience." (11:16) 2/ On CEO Succession Planning. "Succession is always a challenge at companies, especially with founder CEOs." (14:37) 3/ On Board Leadership Succession Planning. "Governance is more art ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:03) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (1:50) Start of interview.  (2:24) Cedric's origin story. (4:30) U.S. talent management insights (cultural differences with other countries): current merit. (6:00) On his management career with HP, Visa, and Syncada from Visa (a joint venture between Visa and U.S. Bank). (8:13) His transition to Taulia, a venture-backed company, in 2013. (11:04) On managing board dynamics as CEO and Chair of Taulia as a venture-backed company. *Reference to VC-Backed Board Academy (VCBA) on Oct 29, 2024 at Nasdaq i ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:02) Start of interview.  (2:49) Javier's origin story. (4:31) The blurring lines between VC and PE. Cross-over investors, growth equity investors, and other "alternative" financing. (9:01) On the capital formation cycle. Impact of interest-rates in capital allocation. The VC power law. New VC vehicles. (16:00) On the rise of cross-over investors ("starting somewhere between 2013 and 2016: rise of strategic capital") (19:34) On the rise of AI (boom and bubble): 1) algorithmic capability, 2) compu ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:10) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (1:57) Start of interview.  (2:30) Carol's origin story. (4:34) Evolution of corporate governance in Canada since the late 1980s.  (5:51) The origin and focus of her firm Hansell McLaughlin Advisory Group, based in Canada. (10:13) On her personal board career and the benefits of lawyers serving on boards. (14:20) Best practices for board evaluations and distinctions between board education in Canada and the U.S. (18:57) The rise and influence of large institutional investors in corporate gover ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:07) Start of interview.  (2:58) Oliver's origin story. (7:00) His experience in private equity with PE-backed boards. (9:57) About the mission and focus of Nurole, the UK-based board search firm where he serves as CEO.  (12:27) On Nurole's network of 65,000+ board leaders (two parts: free and paid offerings). (20:16) Demystifying the board search process, four key stages: Briefing stage Sourcing process Assessment phase Onboarding (ongoing support) (25:19) From a board candidate perspecti ..read more

(0:00) Intro. (1:05) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (1:52) Start of interview.  (2:28) Thompson's origin story. (3:42) His startup work at Quizlet (joined a 5 person team) and Stripe (from 2k to 8k employees). Joined Anthropic in early 2023. (6:25) On China-US relations, and the course he teaches at Vanderbilt Law School: Emerging Technologies, Law, and U.S.-China Competition. (11:04) On startup incorporations, Delaware, and other thoughts for entrepreneurs. Reference to Stripe Atlas. (14:18) Unveiling the AI investment landscape. Increase in capita ..read more

(0:00) Intro (1:20) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:06) Start of interview. (2:37) Natasha's "origin story."  (6:25) On the risks and opportunities for AI. (8:39) On the regulatory landscape of AI in the US. Reference to President Biden's Executive Order. (11:40) On California's regulation of AI (SB 1047). (15:24) On the international AI regulatory landscape, including the EU AI legislation. (20:35) On the state of startups and venture capital in Silicon Valley. (25:34) On the 'stay private or go public' debate. (28:50) On the increased antitrust ..read more