Independent Director Of The Year: Ellen Kullman
“Focus on the things you can control,” says Ellen Kullman, who, as lead director of United Technologies, helped guide the company during a tumultuous transformation.
Corporate Board Member magazine announces the third annual Board Leadership Awards, honoring exemplary companies and individuals who go beyond the basic requirements of governance, regulation and compliance and serve as models for other companies and individuals to emulate.
The Awards underscore the role that corporate governance and effective board leadership plays in driving a company’s success and a board’s contribution to long-term value.
After a year of unprecedented challenges, the Awards seek to shine a light on those boards who are making a positive impact serving all of their stakeholders—shareholders, employees, customers, partners and communities.
The Awards will recognize individuals or groups of individuals in three categories:
Recognizing a non-executive chairman or lead director who has demonstrated a passion for advancing the principles of good governance.
Recognizing a board that has demonstrated exemplary leadership in overcoming a significant challenge with a well-constructed response to a major incident, took a big risk or made a bold transformative change in response to business conditions.
Open to boards, investors, regulators (past and current) and other corporate governance leaders recognizing the recipient’s actions that have significantly influenced how all public company boards think about an emerging issue.
The award recipients will be selected by an independent panel of public company directors and former honorees.
Corporate Board Member’s Board Leadership Awards will recognize outstanding individuals and boards who go beyond the basic requirements of governance, regulation, and compliance, aiming for and obtaining excellence and serving as models for other companies and individuals to emulate. The awards underscore the role that corporate governance and effective board leadership play in driving a company’s success and a board’s contribution to long-term value.
After a year of unprecedented challenges, the Awards seek to shine a light on those boards who are making a positive impact serving all of their stakeholders—shareholders, employees, customers, partners and communities.
Independent Director of the Year
This award will recognize a non-executive chairman or lead director who has demonstrated a passion for advancing the principles of good governance. The honoree has the ability to objectively solve the most difficult boardroom challenges, as well as the proven experience to offer independent, sound guidance when the company faces hurdles and opportunities. The honoree effectively leads the board in its interactions with the CEO/management to create a collaborative culture.
Courage in the Boardroom
This award will recognize an individual director or full board that has demonstrated exemplary leadership in overcoming a significant challenge or a making a bold strategic change for the business. The award recipient will exemplify a well-constructed response to a major incident, took a big risk or made a transformative decision in response to business conditions. Examples could include, but are not limited to, an unexpected CEO departure, proxy battle, reputational crisis, a customer crisis, financial turnaround, or how the organization responded to Covid-19, social unrest or other major societal disruptions of 2020 in a positive way. The individual director or full board may have executed a difficult decision in the face of differing opinions within the board or between the board and management.
Through the response, the award recipient sets an example for other boards to follow when faced with unforeseen challenges. Throughout the challenge, the company will have demonstrated uninterrupted business operations in the midst of an adverse or crisis situation.
Greatest Impact On Corporate Boards
This award is open to boards, investors, regulators (past and current), and other corporate governance leaders. The award recipient’s actions will have significantly influenced how all public company boards think about an emerging issue.
Examples could include, but are not limited to:
Independent Director of the Year:
Non-executive Chairmen and Lead Directors of publicly traded companies
Courage in the Boardroom:
Public Company Board
Greatest Impact on Corporate Boards:
Individual director of public company; investor, activist, regulator, academic, corporate governance adviser, or other influencer in corporate governance
Entries may be self-nominated or submitted on behalf of an individual or corporation by those who work with them, or by outside vendors and service providers.
Materials submitted in support of nominations should relate to qualifications and activities from January 1, 20202 through December 31, 2020. All entries must be received by May 1, 2021 to be eligible for consideration. Eligible entries will consist of an entry form and executive summary. The judges panel will reach out for any necessary supplemental information.
The award recipients will be selected by an independent panel of public company directors.
All award finalists will be provided a complimentary registration to attend Corporate Board Member’s 17th annual Boardroom Summit in September 2021 at the Grand Hyatt in New York. The winners in each of the 3 categories will be invited to participate in a panel discussion shining a light on their achievements and learnings for other directors. A gala reception will be held in honor of the winners during the Summit. Each award recipient will be profiled in the Q4 2021 issue of Corporate Board Member magazine.
Recognizing a non-executive chairman or lead director who has demonstrated a passion for advancing the principles of good governance.
“Focus on the things you can control,” says Ellen Kullman, who, as lead director of United Technologies, helped guide the company during a tumultuous transformation.
Open to boards, investors, regulators (past and current), and other corporate governance leaders, recognizing the recipient’s actions that have significantly influenced how all public company boards think about an emerging issue.
“You have to lead from in front,” says the chairman of Esteé Lauder, whose board both exemplifies and helps cultivate the company’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.
Recognizing a chairman who has had significant influence and impact on corporate governance and the public board community over the past several decades.
Known as a defender of choice for companies under attack, Martin Lipton has also been arguing against short-termism for more than three decades.
Recognizing a full board that has demonstrated exemplary leadership in overcoming a significant challenge in the boardroom with a well-constructed response to a major incident.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.