Ensuring the board of directors possess the skills, knowledge, experience, and processes to effectively advise the organization and meet new expectations of corporate behavior is a key role for general counsel (GC) and corporate secretaries. Gartner recently surveyed 125 organizations to better understand the trends in this area.

In 2022, top board and governance issues include ESG guidance, talent management and organizational growth amid the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical uncertainty. Broadly speaking, a GC need to ensure their board is ready to meet these challenges by ensuring corporate ESG governance and board oversight practices continue to advance, by strengthening risk governance as organizations change their risk profile in response to inflation and a looming recession, and by taking a close look at how to improve overall board effectiveness through activities such as agenda planning, board presentations and director management.