Conference explores preventing financial crisis

The International Corporate Governance Society (ICGS) held its fifth annual conference at Essex Business School to discuss how effective corporate governance systems can prevent future financial crises.

The conference, which took place over three days, attracted over 150 delegates from 25 countries, with some delegates travelling from as far as New Zealand and Chile.

The objective for the event was to bring together researchers to look at the challenges that institutional and political factors pose for the development of effective and sustainable corporate governance systems. It also provided a forum to reflect on the effectiveness of recent regulatory reforms, as well as the importance of business integrity and ethics in generating long-term, stable economic growth.

Experts communicated their research findings through over 100 presentations, with a focus on key areas such as politics and the impact on organisations, role of risk and culture, innovation, diversity and corporate social responsibility.

The keynote speech was delivered by Dame Inga Beale, British businesswoman and former CEO for insurance company, Lloyds of London. Dame Inga, who is currently the Board Director of London First, gave a talk titled Putting theory into practice: Boardroom governance for real.

She said: "Inclusion is the way to build prosperity for all. We can drive this from the top of organisations and have a broader positive impact on society. Let’s see what we can all do in a small or large way to embrace inclusion and reverse the trust deficit we have in society through thoughtful and considerate corporate governance."

The programme included a pre-conference doctoral colloquium coordinated by Dr Silvia Gaia from Essex Business School and two high profile panels: one organised in partnership with the British Academy of Management Corporate Governance Special Interest Group; and the other sponsored by the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.

The event was co-organised by Professor Claudia Girardone from Essex Business School and Professor Geoff Wood from Western University Ontario Canada. It was sponsored by Bentley University, Harold S Geneen Institute of Corporate Governance.

Professor Girardone said: "The annual ICGS conference was a great success. We are very proud at Essex Business School to have had the opportunity to host such a high-profile event. The clear message from the conference was that sustainable and responsible corporate governance is a priority for our society and that inclusion is key to the change."

For information, including the full programme and Dame Inga’s speech, please visit the event page.