About
Bringing the Boardroom into the 21st Century
As the world confronts the task of rebuilding 21st century governance regimes and institutions in the wake of the most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression, the need for practices and insights that foster public confidence, contribute to the growth of prosperity and serve the needs of an increasingly complex global community has never been more important. This is a vital part in the evolution of private enterprise and public trust that no prudent legislator, policy maker, regulator or thoughtful stakeholder would wish to ignore.
The Centre for Corporate & Public Governance is North America’s first fully independent, and most consistently cited, think tank dedicated to advancing higher standards of ethics, transparency and accountability in the leadership and stewardship of major corporations and public institutions. For more than two decades, it has been regularly sought out by governments, the media and others for its prescient views and proven expertise. The Centre was created in the belief that sound governance, built upon a culture of integrity and stakeholder respect, is essential for advancing economic prosperity and public trust.
The Centre provides expert commentary for the media, scholars and the legal community, spearheads innovations to empower boards and stakeholders and advises legislators and regulators on landmark reforms. It has been quoted consistently by the world’s leading news organizations, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters, Associated Press and BusinessWeek. Major publications in Europe and South America have also prominently featured The Centre’s work and comments. BusinessWeek showcased The Centre’s research in its cover story issue, How to Fix Corporate Governance. Quoting The Centre from a speech that presaged the rise of the U.S. “Pay Czar” and a viral global backlash against out-of-control executive compensation, The Globe and Mail reported in 1997: “CEOs warned fat paychecks will bring government action.”
The Centre called for widespread reforms in boardroom practices and regulatory regimes in the early 1990s and was the first expert witness in corporate governance ever to be designated by Canada’s Senate banking committee. Many of the changes adopted by the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1994 were based on The Centre’s detailed research and recommendations. The Centre was the first to bring to light governance failures in a host of high profile corporations, including Bre-X, Enron, WorldCom, Livent, Hollinger, Countrywide Financial, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup. Many companies, such as Apple Computer and Research In Motion, addressed shortcomings in their boardroom practices that were first brought to the attention of the investing public by The Centre.
In submissions to committees of the United States Congress in 2002 following the Enron-era scandals, as well as in testimony before Canada’s Senate banking committee, The Centre called excessive CEO pay “the most corrosive force in modern business” and warned that “such lofty sums tempt CEOs to take actions that artificially push up the price of the stock in ways that cannot be sustained, and to cash out before the inevitable fall.” The Centre predicted then, as it had several years previously, that left unchecked, abuses in CEO pay would cause even more serious scandals and failures in the corporate world.
The Centre was founded by J. Richard Finlay, whose first-hand boardroom experience over three decades and pioneering work in the evolution of more accountable institutions have influenced generations of leaders, managers and thinkers. He is one of North America’s most recognized voices for sound governance, responsible capitalism and sanity in CEO pay. A long-time commentator and contributor to influential Op-Ed pages for more than 30 years, his prescient insights and forthright observations are now available on his popular weblog, Finlay ON Governance. Since coming online in 2006, it has become a must-read for boardroom luminaries, enlightened policy makers and thoughtful stakeholders from every part of the globe.
As the world confronts the task of rebuilding 21st century governance regimes and institutions in the wake of the most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression, the need for practices and insights that foster public confidence, contribute to the growth of prosperity and serve the needs of an increasingly complex global community has never been more important. This is a vital part in the evolution of private enterprise and public trust that no prudent legislator, policy maker, regulator or thoughtful stakeholder would wish to ignore.
You can learn more about The Centre’s record and what it does by clicking the links at the top or at the side.
Thank you for your interest in The Centre for Corporate & Public Governance.
