The boardroom Archive

When Jessica Olich joined AXA Equitable Holdings as its vice president, senior assistant secretary and associate general counsel in September 2018, it was a different company to the one that she now works at. In the fall of 2018, the company was controlled by its French parent company, AXA. But by the end of March 2019, following three rounds of secondary offerings, AXA’s share of the company had fallen to 48 percent – meaning that AXA Equitable Holdings was no ...

Twenty-first century corporate governance is about to enter its 20s – or, phrased differently, its teenage years are about to end. Like most teenagers, it has been unpredictable and unruly, with a tendency toward melodrama. Also like most teenagers, however, it has matured almost in spite of itself and, hopefully, will enter its 20s as a more reasonable and responsible creature. With a new decade about to be upon us, I’ve been contemplating some of the highlight...

Executive officer transitions arise under a variety of circumstances. According to a report from recruitment firm Spencer Stuart, 69 percent of CEO departures in the US last year were the result of retirements or resignations. This is consistent with the expectation that most CEO appointments have historically been made through some form of succession planning. But Spencer Stuart also reports that 22 percent of CEOs resigned under some form of pressure, and when a C...

General counsel at large US public companies continue to make steady gains in compensation, according to new research, as the job evolves into a more strategic and business-focused role. A report by Equilar and search firm BarkerGilmore states that over the past five years there has been a 7.4 percent increase in general counsel median total compensation. That figure stood at $2.6 million in 2018, a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year. The study covers the 5...