Ready For Their Close-Up: Corporate Secretaries and "The Shape of Things to Come"

The TakeAway: The recent annual conference of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals focused on “The Shape of Things to Come”—that is, key issues and trends affecting corporate accountability and sustainable prosperity. In so doing, it provided further evidence of the importance of these underappreciated (and under-resourced) governance professionals, who are pivotal intermediaries in the restoration of trust in business enterprise and capital markets. Part One looks at how and why corporate secretaries matter. Part Two briefly summarizes what the conference covered. Part Three examines more closely the interrelated themes of psychology / behavioral science; education and learning; and moral reflection and judgment that undergirded conference proceedings—with ongoing implications for professional practice.

Okay, I know it’s vacation time, but here’s a pop quiz: Who’s the most underrated influence on promoting sustainable, accountable, and just business enterprise?

(A) Dissident shareholders;

(B) Prosecuting attorneys;

(C) Consumer activists;

(D) Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert;

(E) Corporate secretaries;

(F) Whistleblowers.

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