The Case and Call for Action

The Case for Action

“There is something unique about this moment,” one Commissioner said at the outset of the discussions for the 2024 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission. A quarter of the way through the twenty-first century, corporate value enabled by technology and data has become central to economic growth. The World Economic Forum’s May 2024 Chief Economists Outlook notes, “Chief economists are unambiguous in expecting technological transformation, AI, and the green and energy transition to be growth drivers in high-income economies over the next five years.”

The promise of technology and data may never have been greater. However, the speed of technological change has accelerated at such a pace that many enterprises across industries feel a loss of control: they are too slow to capitalize on new disruptive opportunities, fear the onslaught of new tech-first competitors, and may be unaware and unprepared for the many new, sometimes devastating, technology-driven risks.