Jonathan F. Foster

Jonathan F. Foster’s Selected Publications, Presentations and Comments

  • Guest on “Inside America’s Boardrooms” discussing Director Evaluations, June 2022.
  • Panelist in “View from the Top: Trends in Finance and Accounting” at Masonite Corporation, May 10, 2022.
  • Presentation on “Current Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions and Investment Banking” at the Tompkins Entrepreneurial Growth Forum (on line), February 15, 2022.
  • Comments in “Activists Deploying ‘Firepower’ in 2022” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, January 7, 2022.
  • Comments in “Exec Pay Rising on Activist Agenda” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, August 30, 2021.
  • Comments in “SEC Charges CFO, EY in ‘Egregious’ Bidding Process Violations” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, August 6, 2021.
  • Comments in “After Big Four Scandals, When Should Audit Committees Cut Ties?” by Jennifer Williams-Alvarez in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, June 7, 2021.
  • “Featured Notable Member” on Board Prospects, Inc., Week of May 27, 2021.
  • Comments in “What to Know Before Joining a SPAC Board” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, May 24, 2021.
  • Comments in “Activists Have Money to Burn After “Quick Pause” Last Year” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, January 25, 2021.
  • Comments in “Attack of the SPACs” by Russ Banham in Corporate Board Member, First Quarter 2021.
  • “The Board’s Role in Crisis Response” in CFO Magazine, January 19, 2021.
  • Co-Leader of Workshop on Governance Committee Issues at the Corporate Board Member Boardroom Summit Digital Conference, November 20, 2020.
  • Panelist on “Shareholder Activism in the Covid-19 Era” at the Financial Tines Outstanding Directors Exchange Digital Conference, October 20, 2020.
  • Comments in “Who is Stopping Corporate Fraud” by Jennifer Williams-Alvarez in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, October 5, 2020.
  • Co-Host of “Cross Currents” and an Interview with Kenny Dichter, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WheelsUp on Nantucket NPR 89.5 and iHeart Radio, July 25, 2020.
  • Co-Host of “Cross Currents” and an Interview with Canadian Ambassador Paul Frazer on Nantucket NPR 89.5 and iHeart Radio, July 18, 2020.
  • Comments in “EY Problems a ‘Nightmare’ for Directors” by Jennifer Williams-Alvarez in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, July 13, 2020.
  • “Will Virtual Annual Meetings Become the Norm for Public Companies?” on Business 2 Community, June 17, 2020.
  • Co-Host of “Cross Currents” and an Interview with Award Winning Business Journalist William Cohan on Nantucket NPR 89.5 and iHeart Radio, June 6, 2020.
  • Comment in “It’s a Good Time to Think About What Really Matters,” a Perspectives Blog Post by Scott Widmeyer, Founding Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, on FinnPartners.com, April 15, 2020.
  • “Corporate Directors Oversee the World’s Largest Companies – Why Aren’t They Licensed?” in Ceoworld Magazine, March 31, 2020.
  • “Executive Compensation Speakers Series” Webinar for Diligent Corporation, CGLytics and Inside America’s Boardrooms on “How to Avoid Compensation Being Scrutinized and an Activist Attack,” March 25, 2020.
  • Comments in “Companies Wary of In-Person Board Meetings” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, March 13, 2020.
  • Moderator of Panel on “Hot Topics in Governance” at a Current Capital Partners Executive Network Event, Naples, Florida, February 4, 2020.
  • Panelist on Board Member Issues at Diligent Corporation 2020 Kick-Off Conference, Orlando, Florida, January 16, 2020.
  • Comments in “Us Versus Them – Activist Directors Claim Biased Evaluations” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, November 18, 2019.
  • “Should the Chairman and CEO Roles Be Held Separately?” on CFO.com, October 8, 2019.
  • Comments in “Activism Lulls as Boards Grow Savier” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, August 5, 2019.
  • “Should We Eliminate the In-Person Annual Meeting” on AlleyWatch.com, May 9. 2019.
  • Comments in “As Protests Mount, Directors Debate How to Respond” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, May 3, 2019.
  • “What Good Can A Board Evaluation Do?” on BoardMember.com, April 9, 2019.
  • Panelist on M&A Rules of Engagement for the Board” at the Corporate Boardroom Summit, New York City, April 2, 2019.
  • Comments in “Wave of Companies Shedding Assets – Why?” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, March 4, 2019.
  • “Can a Strategic CFO Be an Effective CEO? Yes!” on CFO. com, January 28, 2019.
  • Comments in “Forecasts Slashed Amid China Uncertainty” by Lindsay Frost in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, January 22, 2019.
  • Comments in “Auto supplier Chassix hires new CEO” by Kurt Nagl in Crain’s Detroit Business, January 11, 2019.
  • Internal Memorandum to Chassix Employees welcoming Andreas Weller as the new President and Chief Executive Officer, January 11, 2019.
  • Panelist on “The Board’s Critical Role in a Frothy M&A Market” at FT-ODX Outstanding Directors Exchange, New York City, November 13, 2018.
  • Panelist on “Retail Industry and Independent Director Topics” in Finance 391 / 891 – Law 908, Corporate Restructuring, at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 12, 2018.
  • Comments in “Michael Beyer Appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of Chassix” PR Newswire, September 13, 2018.
  • “How and When to Support Directors in Contested Elections” in NACD Directorship – Boardroom Intelligence, the Official Magazine of the National Association of Corporate Directors, July/August 2018.
  • Comments in “Why Don’t Public Companies Maximize Value Like Private Equity?” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, July 31, 2018.
  • Speaker on “Key Drivers of Value for Automotive Suppliers” at Chassix Global Leadership Meeting, Novi, Michigan, June 14, 2018.
  • Comments in “What Directors Consider During Takeover Talks” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, January 22, 2018.
  • Interviewed at the Morgan Stanley Investment Banking Division Meeting on a Director’s Perspective on Investment Bankers, September 18, 2017, New York City.
  • Speaker at Rimstock pls Employees Day, July 13, 2017, West Browich, U.K.
  • Presentation to Shearman & Sterling Mergers & Acquisitions Group on “Governance Issues and Expert Witness Issues,” New York City, June 7, 2017.
  • Comments in Rimstock plc Employee Newsletter, June 2017.
  • Speaker on Board Evaluations at Equilar Board Forum, May 16, 2017, Dallas, Texas.
  • Comments in Rimstock plc Employee Newsletter, April 2017.
  • Comments in Rimstock plc Employee Newsletter, February 2017.
  • Speaker on Panel on Private Company Mergers & Acquisitions at National Association of Corporate Directors Beyond Borders Global Leaders Convergence Conference, September 18, 2016, Washington, D.C.
  • Moderator of Panel on Board Dynamics and Culture at National Association of Corporate Directors Beyond Borders Global Leaders Convergence Conference, September 18, 2016, Washington, D.C.
  • Quote in “Chassix’s Return to Profitability: Plant That Sent Company Spiraling Getting Refurbished” by Dustin Walsh in Crain’s Detroit Business, March 13, 2016.
  • Member: National Association of Corporate Directors 2015 – 2016 Nominating and Governance Committee Chairmen Advisory Council.
  • “Is the In-Person Meeting a Relic of the Past?” in NACD Directorship – Boardroom Intelligence, the Official Magazine of the National Association of Corporate Directors, November/December 2015. 1
  • Profiled in “2014 NACD Directorship 100, a Pantheon of Power and Influence,” in NACD Directorship – Boardroom Intelligence, the Official Magazine of the National Association of Corporate Directors, November/December 2015.
  • Speaker on Activism Panel at 12th Annual Boardroom Summit & Peer Exchange, a NYSE Governance Services Conference, October 13, 2015, New York City.
  • Member: 2015 Financial Times Outstanding Directors Advisory Board. • Comments in “M&A Misinformation: Rare but Attention Grabbing” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, September 21, 2015.
  • Guest on “Inside America’s Boardrooms,” a web show presented by Boardroom Resources filmed at the Nasdaq Marketsite on “The Risk Oversight Challenge: Who Should Own Cyber Risk? (Part 2), August 5, 2015.
  • Guest on “Inside America’s Boardrooms,” a web show presented by Boardroom Resources filmed at the Nasdaq Marketsite on “The Risk Oversight Challenge: Who Should Own Cyber Risk? (Part 1), July 29, 2015.
  • Trustee Profile on newyorkpowerauthority.wordpress.com, April 9, 2015.
  • Member – National Association of Corporate Directors 2015 Blue Ribbon Commission on Long-Term Value Creation and “Report of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on the Board and Long-Term Value Creation.”
  • Panelist for “The Who, What, Why & How of Establishing Peer Groups” at Compensation Strategies to Build Shareholder Value, a NYSE Governance Services Conference, March 31, 2015, New York City.
  • “The Risks Of Investing In A College Education — A College Education Is Part of the American Dream, But In Today’s Economy It Is Important To Rethink That Idea” on Fortune.com, March 25, 2015.
  • Comments in “An Atypical Board: Governance Insights From Buffett’s Berkshire” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, March 16, 2015.
  • Speaker on “Cornell and Philanthropy” at Provost’s Dinner for Cornell University Family Fellows, Ithaca, N.Y., February 28, 2015.
  • Quote in “Wall Street Wasn’t Ready For Another Mitt Romney Campaign” by MJ Lee om CNN.com, January 30, 2015.
  • Comments in “Going ‘Global’: Selling U.S. Products Overseas” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Services, January 20, 2015.
  • Comments in “Boards Trimming Down to Core Businesses” by Tony Chapelle in Agenda – A Financial Times Service, August 18, 2014.
  • Commentary on “As a Result of Increased Shareholder Engagements, Have you Seen Boards Change the Definition of Performance Metrics?” in C-Suite Insight, June 23, 2014.
  • Chairman, Capital Roundtable’s Private Equity Investing in Automotive Supplier Companies Conference, June 19, 2014, New York City.
  • Panelist for Corporate Member Initial Public Offering Board Forum, New York, City, April 22, 2014.
  • Guest Lecturer at the Johnson School, Cornell University, MBA Governance Course, Spring 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
  • Quote in “No Customers for (New York Power) Authority’s Power” by James Odato in Albany Times Union, April 5, 2014. 2
  • Quote in “Private Equity and Washington: A Love Story” by MJ Lee in Politico, January 12, 2014.
  • Presentation to Cornerstone Research on “Confidentiality Agreements – Ubiquitous Deal Agreements That Can Have Significant Implications,” New York City, November 26, 2013.
  • Panelist for Overcoming a Best-Practices Mentality: Selling Shareholders on the Right Pay Program for Your Company at the NYSE Governance Services Corporate Board Member 10th Annual Summit, October 4, 2013, New York City.
  • Comments in “What Do Investors Want?” in Corporate Board Member, A NYSE Euronext Publication, Third Quarter 2013.
  • Interview: “On The Hot Seat in Delaware: Insights From an Expert Witness and Director” in “M&A Litigation Alert” from Analysis Group, Inc., July 2013.
  • Presentation on the Selected Topics in Confidentiality Agreements to the Global Securities and Finance Practice at NERA Economic Consulting, New York City, July 2013, New York City.
  • Quote in The Everything Store – Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone, Little, Brown and Company, 2013.
  • Panelist for Shareholder Relations: Defining the New Normal at the Corporate Board Member Board-Shareholder Forum: Relations & Expectations, June 18, 2013 at the New York Stock Exchange.
  • “The Importance of Director Evaluations” with Steven A. Rosenblum in BoardroomIQ’s First Quarter 2013 Newsletter, March 2013 and on Boardroomiq.com, February 2013.
  • Panelist – “Setting CEO Pay: Short-Term Incentives” at the Corporate Board Member Equilar Compensation Committee Boot Camp, January 2013, Miami, Florida.
  • Presentation on a London Court of Arbitration Matter to the Global Securities and Finance Practice of NERA Economic Consulting, New York City, January 2013.
  • Guest on “This Week in the Boardroom – Building a Best in Class Compensation Program,” A Webinar, December 2012.
  • Panelist –“KPMG’s Spring 2012 Audit Committee Roundtable Series,” June 2012, New York City.
  • “Selected Key Governance Issues & Observations on Two Important Industrial Sectors and the Broader Market” at Columbia University Business School, April 2012.
  • “Case: Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation” with Yaniv Grinstein, Associate Professor of Finance, Johnson School of Management, Cornell University, April 2012.
  • “Another View: Let’s License Corporate Directors” in The New York Times Deal Book, September 2011.
  • Interview Regarding the New York Power Authority and Alternative Energy Efforts on NY1 Television, August 2011.
  • Panelist – “Compensation Roundtable,” August 2011, New York City.
  • “The Separation of Board and Company Leadership” on Boardroomiq.com, May 2011.
  • “What Directors Think: Changes You’d Like to See” in Corporate Board Member, Fourth Quarter 2010.
  • “Another View: Improving Corporate Governance” in The New York Times Deal Book, June 2010. 3
  • “Albany’s Dysfunction Continues to Hamper Growth” in The Buffalo News, May 2010.
  • “Another View: It’s Time to Rebuild the Dow” in The New York Times Deal Book, April 2009.
  • Recommendations and Action Plan for the Establishment of a Stock Market in Yemen – Report to The Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Volunteer Corps Mission and Report, April 2009.
  • “Another View: Taking a Page from Private Equity” in The New York Times Deal Book, December 2008.
  • “Mapping the Right Routes After the Decision to Sell” in Mergers & Acquisitions, July – August 1994.