The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:32:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png Separation of Chair and CEO Roles – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 Separation of Chair and CEO Roles https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2011/09/01/separation-of-chair-and-ceo-roles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=separation-of-chair-and-ceo-roles https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2011/09/01/separation-of-chair-and-ceo-roles/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:06:24 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/corpgov/?p=20649?d=20150106094745EST Posted by Matteo Tonello, The Conference Board, on Thursday, September 1, 2011
Editor's Note:

Matteo Tonello is Director of Corporate Governance for The Conference Board, Inc. This post is based on a Conference Board Director Note by Richard Leblanc of York University and Katharina Pick of Claremont Graduate University.

In light of required disclosure about board leadership structure, the decision of whether or not to separate the chairman and chief executive roles remains a hot governance topic for public companies, boards, and shareholders. This report examines some of the academic literature surrounding the debate and proposes that board effectiveness is affected by the chairman’s industry knowledge, leadership skills, and influence on board process rather than by the particular leadership structure chosen.

Since the early 1980s, much attention has been paid to corporate boards of directors and how their structures improve (or undermine) organizational performance. Among the most hotly debated structural features of the board is the combination (or separation) of the chair and CEO roles. As of February 2010, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules require listed companies to disclose their board leadership structure and explain why they have determined that such a leadership structure is appropriate, given their specific characteristics or circumstances. [1]

(more…)

]]> https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2011/09/01/separation-of-chair-and-ceo-roles/feed/ 1