The Corporate Director Podcast
Diligent
On The Corporate Director Podcast, we discuss the experiences and ideas behind what's working in corporate board governance in out digital-tech-fuled world. You'll hear interviews with corporate leaders who have compelling stories to share, governance researchers with new insights, and conversations with "governance geeks" who are passionate about finding the best ideas out there to help board directors do their work better. Episodes will feature topics such as: corporate governance, strategy, board culture, risk management, ESG, secure communication, digital transformation through boardroom technology, board meeting management, director recruiting and succession planning, board refreshment, boardroom meeting minutes and other good governance best practices.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 25min
Why Executive Compensation Disclosure Is Poised for a Major Overhaul
Josh Black, editor at Diligent Market Intelligence who tracks shareholder activism and proxy trends, and Caroline Montalbano, partner at Meridian Compensation Partners advising boards on pay and disclosure. They unpack why the SEC is reworking pay disclosures. They discuss likely simplifications to narratives and tables. They outline what boards and comp committees should prepare now.
Mar 25, 2026 • 35min
Culture by design: Building resilient organizations in the age of AI
In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, Meghan Day is joined by James White, former chair, president and CEO of Jamba and current chair of The Honest Company, to unpack why culture is the defining factor in whether organizations successfully navigate disruption. White explains his core thesis that companies have culture either “by design or by default,” and argues that the best organizations are relentlessly intentional about the cultures they build. He shares his three-pillar framework—knowing what matters, doing what matters and measuring what matters—and how boards and executives can use it to guide transformation.
Mar 18, 2026 • 24min
AI, geopolitics, and the boardroom: The new geotech landscape
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, host Meghan Day sits down with Claudia Allen, Senior Advisor at KPMG’s Board Leadership Center, to explore how the rapid advance of AI, rising geopolitical tensions, and shifting industrial policies are reshaping corporate strategy and board oversight. Claudia brings her deep governance expertise and legal background to unpack the emerging “geotech” landscape—where technology, national security, and economic policy collide.
Mar 11, 2026 • 45min
From reactive to predictive: Board governance in the AI age
Caitlin Betancourt, Partner at Goodwin focused on data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI governance. Elena Hara, Partner at Goodwin advising public companies on governance and ESG. Nithya Das, Diligent GM and Chief Legal Officer who steers governance conversations. They discuss what reasonably informed oversight looks like. They outline AI governance frameworks, committee roles, records and legal risks, and how AI changes board tempo.
Feb 24, 2026 • 46min
Understanding sovereign AI: What boards need to know now
In this episode of The Corporate Director Podcast, host Dottie Schindlinger sits down with board member, CEO and strategist Josh Klein to unpack what evolutions in AI technology will mean for entire countries, companies and corporate boards. He shares lessons from advising governments like Iceland and Zanzibar on national AI strategies, and explains why AI is both critical infrastructure and powerful “soft power” shaping how citizens think and behave.
Feb 11, 2026 • 40min
Bringing a technologist mindset into the boardroom
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, host Dottie Schindlinger sits down with Earl Newsome, Chief Information Officer at Cummins Inc. and board member at First Independence Bank, to explore how directors can bring a technologist mindset into the boardroom without being “siloed” as the tech person. Together, they dig into what boards often misunderstand about technology, how AI and digital disruption are reshaping strategy and risk oversight, and what it will take for directors to stay literate in an era of 90‑day technology decision cycles.
Jan 28, 2026 • 40min
What Directors Think 2026: AI, M&A and the next era of board oversight
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Diligent Institute’s Kira Ciccarelli sits down with Melanie Nolen, Head of Research at Chief Executive Group, to unpack the latest findings from the long running What Directors Think survey of U.S. public company directors. Since 2002, this benchmark study has tracked how board priorities, risks and composition are evolving and the 2026 edition shows a striking shift toward growth through M&A, enterprise‑wide AI deployment and a new urgency around board effectiveness and meeting design.
Jan 14, 2026 • 26min
Governance as a competitive advantage
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, host Dottie Schindlinger welcomes returning guest Anddria Varnado, board member at Pattern Beauty, Red Robin and Columbia Bank, to explore how the director’s role has evolved from guarding stability to governing continuous transformation. Together they unpack how boards can sharpen their oversight of AI, M&A-driven growth, and capital allocation, redesign agendas to prioritize strategic discussion, and embed learning, curiosity and real-time data into governance. Anddria shares practical steps for building more dynamic, stakeholder-aware boards—and explains why governance quality itself is becoming a key source of competitive advantage heading into 2026.
Dec 17, 2025 • 40min
From AI oversight to algorithmic accountability: 2025 governance year in review
In this special year- end edition of the Corporate Director Podcast, Dottie Schindlinger and Meghan Day sit down with TK Kerstetter to grade their 2025 governance predictions. Headlines included OpenAI’s nonprofit-to-for-profit pivot (likely paving the way to an IPO), boards elevating AI oversight to a priority, and Elon Musk–related governance flashpoints spanning compensation, jurisdiction, and multi-company leadership pressures. For 2026, our hosts expect rising complexity in the director role as AI, cyber, policy shifts, supply chains, and macro risks stack up, demanding sharper risk planning and adaptability.
Dec 10, 2025 • 36min
Why culture belongs in the boardroom
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, host Dottie Schindlinger talks with workplace culture expert Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously). Bree makes the case that valuing “human days” is a strategic lever for performance, retention, and risk oversight, and why directors should care. She shares early warning signs like the disappearance of “orange flags”—and practical first moves for boards and CEOs: acknowledge the problem openly, use human language, and target daily “reverse pet peeves” to lift culture.
