Students Participate in International Forum on Corporate Governance and Leadership

Event focuses on ways governance and leadership can better serve society.

A Tuck student attending the Council on Business and Society’s Annual International Forum 2012 in Paris November 16-17 says she’s been inspired by her research into the role of women on boards of large multinational corporations, as well as the influence those boards have on society.

“I find the intersection between business and society very interesting,” said Katharine Bante T’13. “When the opportunity to participate in the forum came up, it seemed like the perfect way to dive into that a little more closely.”

The theme of the inaugural forum is “Corporate Governance and Leadership in a Global World.” Bante is attending along with T’13s Kelsey Ayres, Marret Arfsten, and Kevin Tay. To prepare, the students have been working with Espen Eckbo, Tuck Centennial Professor of Finance, and Pino Audia, professor of management and organizations, who will also attend. Tuck’s role in the forum is supported by the Dean’s Office, Tuck Communications, and Tuck's Center for Business and Society.

“It’s been exciting for us to learn how board members think about their effectiveness and influence with firms, and how more and more boards are valuing the experience and perspective of women,” added Bante.

The Council on Business and Society, an international partnership between five of the world’s leading business schools—Tuck, Essec Business School, Keio Business School, University of Mannheim Business School, and Fudan University’s School of Management—is based upon the recognition of the role that businesses can play in helping solve large-scale problems. The forum will bring together expertise and research around the fundamental questions of how companies are governed and how they are led, and how that governance and leadership can better serve society, today and in the future.

With experience designing and managing development programs overseas, Bante expects to draw on experiences like the forum in her career after Tuck. “Publicly traded firms have a bigger role in the intersection between business and society, simply because they’re so large. People look to these larger companies to set an example. Experiences like the forum are a valuable opportunity to start thinking about these issues now.”

To learn more about the Council on Business and Society Forum, follow the blog at councilforum2012.wordpress.com.