The governance capsule collection #6: the secrets of board evaluations

Board evaluations are a vital way to gauge the health of a company.

Few issues have grabbed the attention of investors in recent years quite like human capital management.

In episode no. 5 of our governance capsule collection, Pamela Marcogliese, Leza Bieber and Maj Vaseghi discuss why you should be engaging with stakeholders now rather than waiting for proxy season, the role of the board in managing human capital – and whether HCM should be a metric when setting executive compensation.

As more employees are paid in stock – and social media gives everyone a voice - employee activism is on the rise.

In the third instalment of our governance capsule collection, Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber are joined by Lori Goodman to discuss the ins and outs of succession planning. Why is it such a hot issue right now? What does good planning look like? And how should you communicate your progress?

In the second episode of our governance mini-series, Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber explore what we’ve learnt – and ask whether the traditional in-person model will ever return.

In the first of a new mini-series on governance, partner Pamela Marcogliese and counsel Leza Bieber explain how companies can get on the front foot, from working out what’s material to creating processes that keep everyone on message.

Explore AI's ESG impact, climate transition planning uncertainty, evolving supply chain obligations, and complex environmental regulations in 2026 with Freshfields experts.

Explore how geopolitical divergence and regulatory shifts are reshaping ESG litigation in 2026, from attribution science to greenwashing claims.

As international competition and antitrust laws continue to evolve, companies are concerned with ensuring that their sustainability collaborations do not fall foul of the law.

In this first episode of our new EUnpacked podcast series that will look to dive into key hot topics being tackled in Brussels, podcast host Natalie Pettinger Kearney is joined by Léa Bareil (Brussels) and Marlen Vesper-Gräske (Hamburg) to talk about how the EU’s sustainability agenda continues to evolve and how the new proposed due diligence rules are crucial for business.

In 2023 antitrust enforcement will continue to respond to calls for it to do more to address a range of global crises and social concerns. Authorities are being given enhanced powers and new tools, and are tackling novel kinds of cases, which is significantly increasing unpredictability.

In this episode of our Great (stakeholder) expectations series, Freshfields’ Elizabeth Bieber and Pamela Marcogliese and FTI Consulting’s Patrick Tucker and Garrett Muzikowski discuss the shareholder activism developments coming out of the past proxy season, expectations for future activism levels, new vulnerability points for companies, the potential impact of universal proxy, and ESG activism.

In this episode of our Great (stakeholder) expectations series, Freshfields’ Elizabeth Bieber and Pamela Marcogliese and FTI Consulting’s Patrick Tucker and Garrett Muzikowski unpack the status of climate disclosure, predictions for upcoming SEC rulemaking, and how to prepare for potentially significant changes on the horizon. 

In this episode of our Great (stakeholder) expectations series, Freshfields’ Elizabeth Bieber and Pamela Marcogliese and FTI Consulting’s Patrick Tucker and Garrett Muzikowski discuss ESG trends coming out of the past proxy season, the so-called “anti-ESG” movement, implications for the engagement season, the root causes behind them, and where companies should really be focusing their attention in the short-term.

ESG has risen up the corporate agenda, driven by investors, employees, NGOs, government regulation, climate change, other environmental challenges, and societal issues, among others.

Many stakeholders have applauded the European Commission for its European Green Deal programme. But a key question remains: who will pay for green transformation of the EU’s economy? Most businesses will not be able to finance the transition themselves and entire industries are calling for more public funding.

In this podcast, Anthea Bowater, David Livshiz, Tim Mak, Simon Orton and Anne-Laure Vincent revisit the topic of ESG disputes in the context of the financial services sector following their webinar and blog post in December.

2020 has demonstrated that governments and policymakers are seeking to implement ambitious sustainability goals.

Board evaluations are a vital way to gauge the health of a company.

Few issues have grabbed the attention of investors in recent years quite like human capital management.

In episode no. 5 of our governance capsule collection, Pamela Marcogliese, Leza Bieber and Maj Vaseghi discuss why you should be engaging with stakeholders now rather than waiting for proxy season, the role of the board in managing human capital – and whether HCM should be a metric when setting executive compensation.

As more employees are paid in stock – and social media gives everyone a voice - employee activism is on the rise.

In the third instalment of our governance capsule collection, Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber are joined by Lori Goodman to discuss the ins and outs of succession planning. Why is it such a hot issue right now? What does good planning look like? And how should you communicate your progress?

In the second episode of our governance mini-series, Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber explore what we’ve learnt – and ask whether the traditional in-person model will ever return.

In the first of a new mini-series on governance, partner Pamela Marcogliese and counsel Leza Bieber explain how companies can get on the front foot, from working out what’s material to creating processes that keep everyone on message.

Supply-chain risk has been rising up the boardroom agenda in recent years, with trade wars driving moves to ‘reshore’ production and the development of digital technologies such as AI enabling huge efficiency gains through process optimisation.

In this podcast, partner Will Thomas in London, and senior associates Natalie Sheehan in London and Amanda Neil in Vienna, outline the applicable legal landscape and examine how ESG issues are being dealt with by arbitral tribunals, legislators and policy makers.

Employee activism has been making headlines since 2018, when the employees of a large tech company in the US staged a walkout from their employer in a protest at claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and racism.

In this session, Ben Morgan, Caroline Stroud, Holly Insley and Olivia Radin consider how companies are approaching their compliance and oversight arrangements and the impact of the new working environment on whistleblowing. They also discuss the possible approach of regulators when it comes to evaluating oversight standards, as well as the challenges that the new working environment holds for in-house lawyers and compliance officers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented change in the way we work.

Apps that show the number of commuters on trains, passenger control systems that make offices look like airports, travelers put in military quarantine camps…