Care-Informed Board Governance

Byron Loflin

Global Head of Board Engagement, Nasdaq

Byron Loflin is the Global Head of Board Engagement at Nasdaq, where he leads the Board Engagement team in providing a strategic, collaborative, and technology-based approach to support boards’ efforts in strengthening governance effectiveness.

The portfolio of governance services and products includes a variety of board, CEO, and management evaluations, streamlined Directors’ and Officers’ Questionnaire and pre-proxy disclosure processes, and the Nasdaq Boardvantage board portal.

Byron is the founder and former CEO of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE), which was acquired by Nasdaq in 2019. His experience and expertise are in the design and administration of evaluations, as well as advising boards, board chairs, CEOs, and executive management on board strategy.

Stephen W. Powell

Director, Haymaker Acquisition Corp, OneSpaWorld Holdings Ltd., Massage Envy Holdings Corp

Steve’s 35-year career spans private capital investment, investment banking, corporate operating, board governance and public accounting roles.  Steve invests in and advises emerging growth services, products and technology companies in the consumer, healthcare, and financial sectors.  He leads an investment and operating company focused on optimizing human performance in military, national security, public safety, elite athletics and corporate wellness populations. He is a member of the Haymaker Acquisition Corp. special purpose acquisition company sponsor platform.  He is an advisor to the senior management and board of Atlanta Life Financial Group.

Steve’s current board governance roles include OneSpaWorld Holdings (Nasdaq-OSW), Haymaker Acquisition Corp. III (Nasdaq-HYAC, in registration), and private equity backed Massage Envy Holdings.  His prior board governance positions include Haymaker Acquisition Corp. II (merged with ARKO Holdings, Nasdaq-ARKO), and private equity backed Atkins Nutritionals (acquired by Conyers Park Acquisition Corp. Nasdaq-SMPL), Fusionetics Sports Science, Strivectin Skincare and Cover FX Cosmetics.  His board roles include and have included the audit and compensation committees of both publicly traded and private equity backed companies.

Steve’s private equity investment and operating experience includes positions as managing director of Prospect Capital Management (a publicly traded business development company); senior advisor to private equity firms Roark Capital Group and L Catterton Partners; and founder and President of Cameron Capital, where he led the capitalization, acquisitions, operations and sale of a national consumer services, specialty retail, franchising and direct marketing business. 

Steve’s investment banking experience includes positions as managing director, head of consumer investment banking and a member of the investment banking operating and credit committees of RBC Capital Markets; managing director and head of consumer investment banking of Prudential Securities; managing director of Wheat First Securities and L.F. Rothschild & Co.; and associate in the high yield and leveraged finance group of Merrill Lynch Capital Markets.  He began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. advising middle-market and emerging growth companies.

Steve graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Commerce and MBA and received the MBA Darden School Faculty Award for Academic Excellence. He holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 investment banking registrations. He is actively involved in Business Executives for National Security and as a member of the management team and a faculty member of the Herndon Directors Institute.

David Shaw

Publishing Director, Directors & Boards

David Shaw is the publishing director of Directors & Boards and its sister publication, Family Business. With more than 30 years of experience in business-to-business and consumer media markets, he has served as an editor, publisher, publishing director, group publisher and group vice president of a variety of publications, trade shows, conferences and websites.

Prior to founding GRID Media, David served as senior vice president for Phillips Business Information Inc., where he oversaw nearly 100 discrete media properties, and helped build the business from $35 million to more than $100 million in annual revenues. He is a frequent author and speaker on issues related to business-to-business media, multi-generational family businesses and private and public company governance. He is married, with two grown children, one serving in the Navy and the other in law school.