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Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

By: Evan Epstein
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 In-depth interview podcast with leading corporate governance experts, including world-class founders, scholars, board members, executives, investors and more. The content is structured as a long-form conversation to explore not only the latest corporate governance trends, but also to get some personal insights from some of the best and brightest minds behind America's boardrooms.2020-2025 Boardroom Governance Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Jonathan Foster: On Boards and the Playbook for Modern Governance

    Jonathan Foster: On Boards and the Playbook for Modern Governance
    Aug 25 2025
    (0:00) Intro(1:27) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:13) Start of interview(2:51) Jonathan's origin story(4:23) His Journey into Governance, initially via accounting with PwC and later with Lazard.(6:17) Types of Governance Structures(7:51) About his firm Current Capital Partners (M&A advisory, corporate management services, and PE investing).(8:31) The Inspiration Behind his book On Boards: The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance.(10:44) Interviews that Shaped the Narrative. His standout: Admiral Michael Mullen.(13:04) Target Audience for the Book(14:48) The importance of "boards [with a roster of] best athletes, not experts in a narrow area."(17:04) His personal journey into boardrooms(19:56) Experience as an Expert Witness (21:41) Evolution of Delaware's Corporate Law. *Reference to Moelis case and Tesla's Elon Musk CEO compensation case. (24:40) AI's Impact on the Boardroom. "[I]t is critical to remember that directors oversee, but management runs the company day to day."(29:50) Navigating Geopolitical Challenges(32:01) The Rise of Shareholder Activism(34:29) Insights on Corporate Restructuring *Reference to E38 on the rise of bankruptcy directors with Jared Ellias (now at HLS)(38:33) Separation of Chair and CEO is preferable(39:00) "I think term-limits are a cop-out" there should be annual individual director evaluations.(39:43) The Need for Corporate Director Licenses.(41:36) Books that have greatly influenced his life:On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors, by Patrick J. Wright (1979)The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe (1979)The House of Morgan, by Ron Chernow (1990)(42:30) His mentors(43:18) Quotes that he thinks of often or lives his life by: "You can't get a hit if you don't swing the bat" "I'm dumb enough to make a decision" "It's all about tomorrow" "Have fun, life is too short"(44:24) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves.(45:31) The living person he most admires: the Pope and Lebron James.Jonathan Foster is an experienced corporate director, investment banker, and expert witness in corporate litigation, and the author of the new book On Boards: The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance. He has served on more than 50 boards, including Fortune 500 companies, private companies and companies involved in restructurings. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License
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    47 mins
  • Larry Cunningham: From John Weinberg’s 1948 Thesis, Delaware's Challenge, to the Modern Boardroom

    Larry Cunningham: From John Weinberg’s 1948 Thesis, Delaware's Challenge, to the Modern Boardroom
    Aug 18 2025
    (0:00) Intro(1:31) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:18) Start of interview. *Reference to E36 (June 2021) for personal/professional background, and E90 (March 2023)(3:13) Celebrating 25 Years of the Weinberg Center(3:47) Uncovering John Weinberg's 1948 Thesis. Details for the Symposium at the Weinberg Center on Oct 9, 2025.(6:12) The role of boards and directors from a historical perspective. *Reference to Gilson and Gordon's article on Boards 3.0.(8:17) The contribution of the Weinbergs to corporate governance: Sydney led Goldman Sachs from 1930 to 1969, and John led GS from 1976-1990.(14:04) The Relevance of Historical Governance Debates. *Reference to the Startup Litigation Digest.(16:53) Delaware's current corporate law challenges: charter competition with Nevada, Texas, and other states (and Fed Govt).(24:35) The Impact of Delaware's SB 21 Legislation. *Reference to a16z's statement on leaving DE (and Larry's take on it). Reference to Delaware's SB 313 partially in response to the Moelis decision (on validity of stockholder agreements).(33:10) On Delaware's DExit: "I barely see a trickle, let alone a flood."(39:27) The Future of Delaware's Corporate Landscape(44:17) Remembering Charlie Munger's Influence(45:56) Warren Buffett's contribution to governance and the future of Berkshire Hathaway(48:22) Goals for the Weinberg Center's Future(49:55) The Evolving Role of Corporate Directors. "[B]oards of directors are here to oversee, not to be experts, to ask discerning questions, to press, to query, but not to micromanage or get in the way." "Nose in, fingers out" attributed to John Nash, founder of NACD.Larry Cunningham is the Director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, and a leading scholar, author, and advisor on corporate governance and board matters. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License
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    55 mins
  • Tina Rosenfeld: Independent Directors, Board Diversity, and Governance in Chile

    Tina Rosenfeld: Independent Directors, Board Diversity, and Governance in Chile
    Aug 5 2025

    (0:00) Intro

    (1:26) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel

    (2:13) Start of interview *mention of my participation in the Board Summit in Chile (Nov 2025)

    (3:40) Tina's origin story

    (6:19) From Germany to Latin America with Beiersdorf

    (10:14) Her time with D&S and Walmart Chile

    (11:38) Her start with board memberships

    (14:23) The Role of Independent Directors in Family-Owned Businesses

    (19:44) Navigating Boardroom Challenges

    (22:54) The Role of Pension Funds in Chile Nominating Independent Directors

    (29:52) Evolving Diversity on Boards

    (34:20) Teaching and Mentoring Future Leaders

    (40:11) Challenges of Startups in Latin America and Chile. Tina is an angel investor focused on backing women founders.

    (46:13) Importance of Board Evaluations. *Reference to HBR article: How Pioneering Boards Are Using AI

    (52:42) Books that have greatly influenced her life:

    1. Man's Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl (1946)
    2. Book from her father for her children

    (54:22) Her mentors

    (55:38) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by: "Look forward"

    (56:14) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that she loves.

    (57:10) The living person she most admires: Female entrepreneurs. Reference to paper Don't Pitch Like a Girl

    Tina Rosenfeld is a corporate director, advisor, and educator with deep experience in international governance and strategy.

    You can follow Evan on social media at:

    X: @evanepstein

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/

    Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/

    __

    To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/

    __

    Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License
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    59 mins
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