Staying Current

In my 24 years at NACD, I have had conversations with thousands of directors—from public, private, and nonprofit companies of all sizes. While no two companies are alike, one thing is constant: all directors share a commitment to staying current on the issues affecting the boards they serve.

It’s a tall order. How can we stay informed about everything we need to know in the boardroom amid the constant geopolitical, regulatory, and technological changes? As this issue of Directorship demonstrates, our world is undergoing profound changes on all these fronts.

In my experience, the key lies in collective learning. We need to read, discuss, and listen intently. We must ask questions and seek meaningful answers. Above all, we should philosophize and engage in debates, and strive to reach consensus, or at least, a deeper understanding of critical boardroom issues. Such is the dynamic nature of director education.

This issue of Directorship will be available to attendees at this year's NACD Directors Summit. It’s a great collection of articles, recruited and edited by our new editor-in-chief, Preeti Vasishtha, and her staff. It’s the perfect complement to what promises to be an exciting event aimed for directors, where they will be inspired, make meaningful connections, and gain the knowledge needed to drive positive change. For example, the opening sessions on artificial intelligence (AI)—with Vilas Dhar, AI advisor to the United Nations; Nora Denzel, lead director of Advanced Micro Devices; and David Kenny, executive chair of Nielson—will offer valuable insights on the impact of AI on our lives and businesses. Yet perhaps the most profound observations will come from the discussions among attendees following these talks.

This year marks my 25th Summit, but in many ways, it feels like a “first” for me. In the words of Greek philosopher Heraclitus, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river, and he's not the same man.”

Staying current demands that same mind-set from all of us. ■

This article is from the Fall 2024 issue of Directorship.