Yale Governance Forum to Examine Global Capital Markets

New Haven, Conn., May 19, 2008 – The Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management will host the third annual Yale Governance Forum June 9-10, 2008 at the Yale Law School, 127 Wall Street.

The Yale Governance Forum convenes leading practitioners, academics, and policymakers to explore key topics in corporate governance. This year’s event, sponsored by Deloitte, will closely examine changes in the global capital markets. Issues pertaining to the capital markets are at the top of policy agendas worldwide and are a cornerstone of the Millstein’s Center current research agenda.

On Monday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m., a pre-forum workshop, “Technology for Boards & Shareowners,” presented by Michael Schrage, senior advisor at MIT, and Robert Thomas, executive director of Accenture’s Institute for High Performance Business, will explore new information technology tools available to directors. Andy Eggers, a graduate student at Harvard University, will review new online dashboards giving grassroots investors first-ever access to information allowing more control over their savings.

A full day of conference sessions is scheduled on Tuesday, June 10 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Four plenary sessions will address: “Should boards and shareowners talk to each other?” “What’s the state of the capital markets?” “How do investors and their agents make voting decisions? Do we need a code of conduct?” and “Is regulation, litigation and lack of shareholder rights placing U.S. capital markets in a position of competitive disadvantage?” Between plenary sessions, seven “focused sessions” will allow smaller groups of participants to delve more deeply into topics including independent board leadership, the objectives of equity investors, and private equity’s accountability to the beneficiaries of pension funds.

The conference sessions will be led by a distinguished group of current and former CEOs, board chairman, corporate governance officers, members of the investment and legal communities, and academics from organizations including: AFSCME; The Carlyle Group; Cartica Capital; Deloitte & Touche LLC; Director’s Council; Directorship; First American Funds; General Electric; General Motors; ING Funds; International Corporate Governance Network; Liz Claiborne; MGI Funds; Mutual Fund Directors Forum; Morgan Stanley; National Association of Directors; Nierenberg Investment Management; OECD; Office Depot; Paradigm Capital; Pfizer; Putnam Funds; Sinclair Capital; Spencer Stuart; Standard & Poor’s; TIAA-CREF; Washington State Pension Fund; Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, among many others.

Ira M. Millstein, senior associate dean for corporate governance at the Yale School of Management, will moderate the “Is regulation, litigation and lack of shareholder rights placing U.S. capital markets in a position of competitive disadvantage?” plenary session and will lead the Noon overview of the new OECD publication “Applying the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance – A Boardroom Perspective,” which will be publicly launched at the Forum.

“This year’s Forum promises to be really great,” said Millstein.
“Between the topics and the list of speakers, there will be much fuel for interaction with the attendees. There are too many outstanding speakers and panelists to risk offense by mentioning a handful. Please check the website.”

During the Forum dinner, the Millstein Center will announce the first ever list of global “Rising Stars of Corporate Governance” recognizing outstanding corporate governance professionals under the age of 40.

The Center also plans to release three policy reports, including “Voting Standards,” “Talking Governance: Board-Shareowner Communications,” and “Rating Corporate Governance." Additionally, the Center will, with its partner the Mutual Fund Directors Forum, release the mission statement for the newly created “Conference of Fund Leaders,” composed of independent board chairs and lead independent directors of mutual funds in the United States.

For the full schedule of events, list of presenters, and registration, please visit: http://millstein.som.yale.edu/Forum2008.

The Yale Governance Forum is open to members of the media. For press registration, please contact Tabitha Wilde, Director of Media Relations at the Yale School of Management, at 203-432-6010 or tabitha.wilde@yale.edu.