Becoming a High Impact Board Member

On February 14, 2012, Kelley Drye’s Chicago office and the Association of Corporate Counsel Chicago Chapter presented a panel discussion titled: ​“Becoming a High Impact Board Member.” The three guest speakers included Zaid Alsikafi, managing director at private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners; Richard Crandall, managing director of Aspen Partners LLC; and Christianna Wood, chairwoman of the board of governors of the international Corporate Governance Network.

Daniel Harper, corporate counsel of OCE North America, moderated the panel.

The panelists covered four main areas:

• the role of Chairman vs. CEO
• independent board members
• selecting board members based on skill sets
• best practices for board interaction

In addition to the above, and based on the audience being in-house counsel, the panel also discussed relevant items to in-house counsel and their interaction with the board. The panel underscored the idea that the parties should know and understand their professional relationships with other board members, keeping in mind what they need to do to fulfill their obligations to the board and shareholders.

The event was featured as the front page, cover story in the February 17, 2012 issue of The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.