Morgan Stanley's Ken Bertsch to lead the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals
The Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals has appointed a new CEO. Ken Bertsch, currently executive director, corporate governance at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, will take up the new position December 6. He replaces David Smith who served as president for almost 20 years.
‘We’re delighted to bring a recognized thought leader in corporate governance issues and trends to lead the Society,’ said Katherine Combs, chair of the Society’s board of directors. ‘Ken shares our members’ strategic priorities, including a deep commitment to strengthening corporate governance in board rooms, expanding the Society’s educational programs and supporting corporate secretaries and governance professionals. He also brings a wealth of knowledge, practical ideas and perspective to assist regulators, legislators, corporations and investors in developing effective governance reforms.’
At Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Bertsch leads global corporate governance policy development and proxy voting for its mutual funds and institutional clients. He engages issuers on governance issues, interacts with investors and represents Morgan Stanley Investment Management in corporate governance forums and through the news media. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Bertsch served as Managing Director for Moody’s Investors Service, where he developed Moody’s qualitative method of incorporating corporate governance into fundamental credit analyses. He also served in senior corporate governance leadership and policy development positions at TIAA-CREF and the Investor Responsibility Research Center.
The search for a new CEO started in the early spring when David Smith announced his departure. The Society formed an eight-person search committee, which was led by Katherine Combs and also comprised four former Society chairs. They committee considered 75 applications from a broad range of industries and backgrounds
Bertsch will be formerly introduced as the Society chair at the Issues Update webinar on November 18 and will take a leadership role at the annual Essentials conference on January 26-29.
‘The Board is delighted that we have been able to attract a leader with such significant experience and capabilities to lead the Society at this critical time in its history. We are confident that, with Ken’s leadership, the Society will be the indispensable source of information, education and professional development opportunities for our members for many years to come.’
