The Global Voice of Governance Professionals

In the third quarter of 2020, CSIA and PwC conducted a survey to investigate how organisations are addressing climate change from a governance perspective, and particularly its impact on the role of the Corporate Secretary. CSIA member bodies were
requested to distribute an electronic survey to their member company representatives.

As global pressure around climate change action increases, it has become imperative for boards to integrate climate change into their strategic and oversight responsibilities. Climate change and its impact on business and society at large have received increasing attention from regulators, investors and other interested stakeholders, and there is a growing expectation that organisations need to adopt a more integrated strategic approach to addressing climate change risks.

CSIA welcomed 2 new members to the Council on 17 February 2021. Ms Loretta Chan, a Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd (PwC) Ms Chan is currently a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (“HKICS”) a Member of the Hong Kong Law Society and The Chartered Governance Institute (formerly The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators), a Council Member of HKICS and the Chairman of its Professional Development Committee. Mr Taona Munzvadi is a Fellow and current President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe and a Chartered Governance and Accounting Professional (Zimbabwe and UK). Ms Chan and Mr Munzvadi brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the CSIA Council and we look forward to their contribution to building the CSIA and the global governance community.

The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS) has published a review report entitled, ‘Missing Opportunities? A Review of Gender Diversity on Hong Kong Boards’ on 9 February 2021. The report illustrates the inadequate representation of women on Hong Kong boards of listed companies and calls for the regulatory imposition of a 30% target for women on boards (WOBs) over a six-year period. To coincide with International Women’s Day, and to accompany the issue of “Missing Opportunities? A Review of Gender diversity on Hong Kong Boards”, the Institute will be hosting a seminar to discuss : the status of board gender diversity in HK, the implications of HK’s performance in this area, the options to achieve better diversity, the actions needed to bring those options to reality

On January 27th 2021, Convene, a leading software provider for the Global Governance industry, and CSIA hosted a webinar, "Going Digital In The Boardroom" on corporate governance and regulatory compliance while digitising the boardroom