Liftstream is an executive search recruitment company in the life sciences sector
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Leaders on the Front Line
UK shows multi-stakeholder approach tackles diversity
The UK has been seriously tackling the issue of diversity in the senior ranks of British business. The Davies Review, led by the charismatic but challenging Lord Mervyn Davies, pushed UK boards to get 25% of women on the boards of FTSE 100 companies. This triggered concerted action on the part of the nominated companies because they would be publicly measured, and reported.
Annual Diversity Event: The Board Meeting – Biotech Boardroom Diversity
Scope for Board Improvement Among San Diego Biotechs
Biotech clusters are big business. They attract investment, spur innovation and create economic prosperity for the local economy, let alone the bragging rights that come from market superiority. In the United States, Boston in Massachusetts and the Bay Area in California, duke it out annually for the accolade of top life science cluster. Unquestionably though, what is happening in Boston right now is nothing short of remarkable and the gravitational pull of this bioscience ecosystem is attracting companies from across the globe.
When we look at these clusters, we look for the winning formula – the template that will translate ambition into reality, in the way Boston has managed to. How can we emulate that success? Well, the truth is, the success of a bioscience cluster is driven my multiple factors, the more prominent of which are; scientific research, access to capital, investment environment, infrastructure and resources, and human capital.
So while Boston reigns superior and San Francisco tries to regain top spot, we wondered about the other pretenders to the crown. In particular, that of San Diego, a highly ranked cluster (often 3rd) which offers something different from these current ‘super-clusters’.
For this reason, we took a deeper dive into the San Diego biotech cluster and we did so from the knowledge base that we possess, which is human capital and executive leadership. We wanted to look at what public biotechnology companies (44 in total) looked like in terms of their CEO leadership and the board of directors which govern them.
Liftstream Releases Board Director and CEO Compensation and Governance 2015 Report – San Diego Biotechnology Cluster
Executive committee leadership and oversight by experienced and skilled boards will improve performance and governance of the biotechnology companies driving innovation. Understanding the landscape of corporate governance in biotech clusters will help companies evaluate their own boards’ strength.
Call for Transparency and Engagement Prevails in 2016 Proxy Season
While shareholders have a wide spectrum of views on 2016 proxy season, the main focus is always on how to achieve great accountability through transparency and engagement. In recent years, the call for corporate transparency and engagement generally take three forms: proxy access, votes on executive compensation and shareholder activism. Here we highlight how the similar trends prevail in 2016.