News & Events

A joint Simpson Thacher and Nasdaq memo on optimizing board evaluations, co-authored by Corporate Partner A.J. Kess and Corporate Associate Yafit Cohn, was profiled in Agenda, a Financial Times news service. In an article titled “How to Design Effective Board Evaluations,” Agenda quotes the memo, indicating that “[b]ecause board evaluations can help foster long-term value creation and enhance the sustainability of the company of the long term, it is in the best interest of each company and its shareholders to devise thoughtful and comprehensive assessments designed to optimize the board’s performance and to implement any necessary changes arising from these assessments.” The article also quotes Corporate Associate Yafit Cohn, who explained that top-performing boards have been increasingly focused on board evaluations given the “heightened awareness in recent years that, if conducted properly, a periodic board evaluation can be a valuable tool to increase board effectiveness.”  Citing the memo and quoting Cohn, the article further discusses various topics to be addressed in board evaluations, such as board composition, board and leadership structure, controls and compliance, board oversight, committee effectiveness, and shareholder engagement.

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