The Changing Role of the Chairman: Impact of Corporate Governance Reform in the UK 1995 - 2005 on Role, Board Composition and Appointment
European Business Organization Law Review (EBOR), Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 187-213, June 2008
53 Pages Posted: 29 Aug 2006 Last revised: 21 Jul 2008
Abstract
While the corporate governance reforms of the past decade have improved the quality of UK boards - greater professionalism on the part of outside directors, more focus on strategy issues, greater awareness of risk - the role of the chairman has in some respects become more challenging. The chairman who is not also chief executive - and the division of these two roles is now well established in most quoted companies - has to balance and manage two potentially awkward relationships, with the chief executive and with the other non-executive directors. At the same time, he or she has to ensure that the board contains an appropriate mix of skills, personalities and experience, and that it works together as a team.
Parts of this paper appear in: European Business Organization Law Review (EBOR), Vol. 9, No. 2, June 2008).
Keywords: Chairman, Board, UK
JEL Classification: G30, G34, G38, M10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation