The role of the Board of Directors (Board) in shaping the development of a corporation is multifaceted and covers among others governance, business, and the culture in the organisation. For listed companies in India, there is regulatory requirement on what is the desired composition of the Board, which includes among [...]
A brief history of corporate governance over the last five hundred years can be concisely encapsulated in three key developments: independent directors as the epitome of fiduciary responsibilities, disclose or abstain principle to eradicate insider trading, and dishonesty being filtered out through stringent approval processes and disclosures of related party [...]
It would not be wrong to say it is raining IPOs. Not just in India, but globally too, IPOs are at a record level, both in terms of numbers and value. Globally 2021 has seen 739 IPOs, which is almost ten times its number in 2009, the year that saw [...]
Shareholder meetings evoke two extreme views among corporate professionals. One is that of necessary pain to be tolerated and endured and to get through with least discomfort, as quickly as possible and the other view is to anticipate and prepare for Annual General Meetings (AGMs) as an opportunity to take [...]
Effective board meetings depend on timely, predictable, and smooth information flow. While this is true for all meetings where decisions are taken, in board meetings this assumes critical importance as there is a statutory duty cast on the members for specified decisions and in addition, many of the members could have [...]
The last one year has seen a spate of one-off compliance relaxations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. It ranges from reduced TDS rates on business income to dispensing with the need to hold a separate meeting of independent directors. This brings us to the moot question, should companies blindly use [...]
COVID-19 pandemic has made us realize the value of having strong immunity to prevent health mishaps due to infections. Strong immunity is required not only for good human health but also for good corporate governance. Corporates in chasing steep and ambitious goals need to avoid the pitfalls of taking shortcuts [...]
Companies, especially listed companies, are required to adopt and display on their websites about a dozen policies covering different elements of corporate governance like Policy on Directors Induction and Training Program, Insider Trading, Related Party Transactions, Materiality, Whistle-blowers, and Ombudsman, among others. While these policies are mandated by SEBI regulations or [...]
Independent Directors play a vital role in the current corporate governance setup, by being the conscience keepers of the company. Disconnected from monetary gains, they are expected to do what is right and not be swayed by personal material benefits. Further, with an assured tenure as independent director they cannot [...]
Related Party Transactions (RPT) are an integral part of the corporate world today. In the early stages of corporate history, RPTs were illegal and could not even be approved or ratified by unanimous shareholder resolutions. Due to practical difficulties faced by companies, at the beginning of the 20th century RPTs [...]