It makes for a great cartoon -- a classic boardroom, with a dozen old guys suffering through a presentation on cybersecurity, big data, AI and digital strategy from a young techie. But with all the acronyms, tech shorthand and numbers, their eyes glaze over.
The boardroom reality is less amusing. Global companies are plunging into the deep end of a digital technology pool, and boards of directors must suddenly come up to speed. Boards are working to improve their digital oversight for the company – huge cyberhacking losses and penalties assure that. But how do they get a handle on AI, cybersecurity, data, and the explosion in tech they now have a duty to monitor?
Boards of directors must assure that their corporations safeguard company data and servers, use AI and other tools responsibly, and make the best use of new tech for their own boardwork. Our program give boards and staff a solid work plan for this new digital oversight.
Ralph Ward is an internationally-recognized speaker, writer, and advisor on the role of boards of directors, how “benchmark” boards excel, setting personal boardroom goals, and the future of governance worldwide.
Ward is publisher of the online newsletter Boardroom INSIDER, the worldwide source for practical, first-hand tips for better boards and directors (www.boardroominsider.com). He also edits The Corporate Board magazine (www.corporateboard.com) the nation's leading corporate governance journal, with subscribers who are directors and senior officers across the U.S. and in 27 foreign countries.
He is author of six acclaimed books on board and governance for today’s corporate boards, the challenges they face, and the answers they need to excel: • Board Seeker Guidebook (2018) • Boardroom Q&A (2011) • The New Boardroom Leaders (2008) • Saving the Corporate Board (2003) • Improving Corporate Boards (2000) • 21st Century Corporate Board (1997)