Robert H. Rock is chairman and publisher of Directors & Boards. He can be contacted at rrock@directorsandboards.com.

Allan Grafman is president of All Media Ventures, which monetizes brands and content for investors and companies. He can be contacted at allangrafman@allmediaventures.com.

Idalene ‘Idie’ Kesner is dean of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and holds the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. She can be contacted and ikesner@indiana.edu.

Both authors serve on several public and private company boards.

This article originally appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2014 edition of Directors & Boards.

Jim Kristie is the editor and associate publisher of Directors & Boards.

Kim Van Der Zon, based in New York, leads Egon Zehnder’s US Board Consulting Practice, advising across all industries, from Fortune 500 through to private equity. She provides counsel in regard to board composition, board succession planning, and board assessments, and is frequently engaged by boards for CEO searches. Kim also advises companies on forming new boards in preparation for IPOs and spin-outs, and advises in activist situations.  Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Kim held senior management roles with Procter & Gamble, The Bank of Montreal, and Labatt Breweries (now AB InBev).  Kim earned an Honors Bachelor of Business from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and an MBA from the University of Toronto.

Nancy Calderon (at left) is a global lead partner at KPMG LLP and a senior advisor to the KPMG Audit Committee Institute. Susan Stautberg is the CEO, co-founder and co-chair of WomenCorporateDirectors (www.womencorporatedirectors.com). This article is an excerpt from their new book, Women on Board: Insider Secrets to Getting on a Board and Succeeding as a Director, copyright ©2014 KPMG LLP and Susan Stautberg.

Women on Board is available in both electronic and print format. For information contact Temin and Company at news@teminandco.com or Bridget Carroll of KPMG at bccarroll@kpmg.com. 

John T. Thompson is a vice chairman with Heidrick & Struggles (www.heidrick.com) and is recognized as one of the most respected advisers to boards and CEOs in the nation. Michael Nieset is a partner with Heidrick & Struggles and a member of the CEO & Board Services and the Global Technology practices. Natalia Rodriguez, an associate with the firm, assisted in the preparation of this article. 

The authors can be contacted at jthompson@heidrick.com and mnieset@heidrick.com.

Paula Anderson and Claudius Sokenu are partners in the Litigation Group of law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP (www.shearman.com). Anderson’s practice includes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, cross-border disputes, and M&A-related litigation. She regularly advises boards on compliance and corporate governance matters. Sokenu, a former Senior Counsel with the SEC’s Enforcement Division, has extensive experience handling matters requiring concurrent representation in the civil, criminal and political spheres. Jeremy Fancher, an associate with the firm, assisted in the development of this article.

The authors can be contacted at paula.anderson@shearman.com and claudius.sokenu@shearman.com.