Private companies

Related content

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  Private company board practices survey

  The KPMG Board Leadership Center is conducting a survey focused on board practices at private companies. Share your views.

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  Insight

  Directors Quarterly: April 2022

  Board considerations related to the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in climate reporting and oversight, and the global supply chain environment.

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  Insight

  Directors Quarterly: April 2022

  Board considerations related to the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in climate reporting and oversight, and the global supply chain environment.

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  Insight

  ESG and the portfolio company board

  The shifting business environment will require portfolio company directors to consider how ESG risks and opportunities are overseen in their boardrooms.

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  Insight

  On the 2022 private company board agenda

  Eight issues for private company boards to keep in mind as they consider and carry out their 2022 agendas.

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  Insight

  Portfolio company ESG board oversight survey

  Directors and executives of private companies controlled by private equity, venture capital, families and entrepreneurs are invited to take our ESG oversight survey.

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  Insight

  On the 2021 private company board agenda

  Drawing on insights from our work and interactions with public and private company directors and business leaders, we’ve highlighted nine items for private company boards to consider as they focus their 2021 agendas.

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  Insight

  Questions for the board with a SPAC in sight

  Directors and management of private companies considering a sale to a special purpose acquisition company should be aware of the opportunities as well as the oversight-related challenges and tradeoffs a transaction may present.

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  Insight

  Looking to the future of long-term investing

  Harvard Business School professor Victoria Ivashina discusses the outlook for private equity investing and the impact on governance and oversight.

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  Insight

  Private company director resources for COVID-19

  Resources and insights for private company owners and corporate directors amid the challenges presented by COVID-19.

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  Insight

  Closing the gaps in portfolio company board effectiveness

  Investors’ ability to assess strategy and operations at their portfolio companies is largely dependent upon the effectiveness of their portfolio company boards.

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  Insight

  Closing the gaps in portfolio company board effectiveness

  Investors’ ability to assess strategy and operations at their portfolio companies is largely dependent upon the effectiveness of their portfolio company boards.

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  Insight

  On the 2020 private company board agenda

  Drawing on insights from our work and interactions with public and private company directors and business leaders, we’ve highlighted seven items for private company boards to consider as they focus their 2020 agendas on the critical challenges at han

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  Insight

  Defining ESG metrics that matter for private equity portfolio companies

  While the impact on private company boards, management, operations, and disclosure varies—and largely dependent on ownership—a shift is apparent in how institutional investors are directing capital and increasing expectations for private company reporting on ESG.

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  Insight

  The portfolio company lead director

  The private equity portfolio company lead director can be key to building board agendas, serving as a mentor to the CEO, and leading oversight of strategy development and execution.

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  Insight

  On the 2019 private company board agenda

  Drawing on insights from our work and interactions with directors and business leaders over the past 12 months, we’ve highlighted seven items for boards of private companies to consider as they focus their 2019 agendas on the critical challenges at hand and on the road ahead.

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  Insight

  Directors Quarterly: October 2018

  In this edition, we looked at trends in board leadership, two emerging areas of focus for lead directors, how young and growing companies may benefit from using a matrix for board building, and more.

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  Insight

  Matrix thinking

  For young and growing companies, particularly those backed by venture capital funds, board building is often more informal and less strategic. Yet a long-term approach to building a strong board as the company grows can make a difference.

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  Insight

  Getting ahead of sexual harassment risk

  Discussion about board oversight of sexual harassment issues often comes up only after public allegations have thrown the company into crisis.

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  Insight

  Getting a start-up CFO up to speed

  For a CFO of a new start-up company, this is a time of tremendous opportunity. Roles and responsibilities are being formalized, processes and controls are being implemented, and cultures and capabilities are being transformed.

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  Insight

  Accounting for growth

  As an increasing number of firms are driven by intangible, knowledge-based assets and are more frequently funded through private investors, accounting choices are expected to play a more significant role in a company’s success.

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  Insight

  On the 2018 private company board agenda

  Board agendas should continue to evolve in 2018 as the game-changing implications of technology/digital innovation, scrutiny of corporate culture and leadership.

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  Insight

  Expediting the CEO assessment

  Given the expected five- to seven-year holding period for portfolio companies, boards may be able to avoid having to make a switch in two years by being more proactive in assessing the CEO early in the ownership period.

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  Insight

  Diversifying portfolio company boards

  Diversifying the composition of private-equity portfolio company boards is a significant challenge, yet opportunties to change are just as abundant for these firms as they are public company boards.

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  Insight

  Building a foundation for growth: Governance in investor-owned private companies

  In collaboration with the KPMG Board Leadership Center, the National Association of Corporate Directors has produced Building a Foundation for Growth: Governance in Investor-Owned Private Companies.

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  Insight

  Culture as a blindspot: transparency in the private company boardroom

  For all its focus on the business and the marketplace, the board itself can be vulnerable to its own blind spot: boardroom culture.

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  Insight

  Why good governance attracts investors

  In a start-up climate that is becoming more attuned to company culture, many venture investors we work with say that a working knowledge of corporate governance for early-stage company founders is a critical factor for funding negotiations

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  Insight

  Taking off the jobs act training wheels

  Nearly 90 percent of U.S. companies that have gone public since the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was passed have taken advantage of the Act’s reduced disclosure provisions.

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  Insight

  The challenge of managing investors and time horizons at a private company

  Conflicting views aren't always counterproductive and, in fact, can contribute to an engaging and robust discussion.

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  Insight

  After the jobs act: The impact on private companies

  Three years after the JOBS Act was signed into law, we talk with Kate Mitchell, partner and cofounder at Scale Venture Partners, about the impact on private companies and their governance.developments.

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  Insight

  Exceptional private boards get the basics right

  Without a regulator or stock exchange to impose oversight guidelines, private companies often “write their own rules” when it comes to governance.

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  Insight

  A stakeholder-centric approach to private equity investment

  Sunny Vanderbeck, a managing partner and co-founder of Dallas-based Satori Capital, is trying to prove that a stakeholder-centric approach to private equity investing can generate returns at or above market expectations.

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  Insight

  Building and maintaining the 'right' board

  Getting board composition right is a challenge no matter the company size or ownership structure. Many private companies, however, face a different set of challenges than those encountered by their public company counterparts.

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  Insight

  Sustaining a successful family business

  How does a director successfully govern a family business as both the family and the business evolve? It’s a critical question and an ongoing challenge for every family-run company, and one that Joseph Kanfer, the chair and CEO of GOJO Industries, and his daughter Marcella Kanfer Rolnick, who serves as vice chair, are intensely focused on.

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  Insight

  A delicate balancing act for private equity portfolio company directors

  For former executives, the transition from managing a company on a day-to-day basis to serving on a board can be difficult. This is especially challenging at private equity (PE) portfolio companies where the dividing line between C-suite and boardroom is often porous by design.

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  Insight

  To avoid the spotlight, focus on controls

  If a startup fails, it ought to be for business reasons and not on regulatory issues or internal control weaknesses.

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  Insight

  2016 WCD/Spencer Stuart/HBS global board of directors survey

  The findings—based on responses from more than 4,000 directors from 60 countries—offer a snapshot of what they think about the economy, risk, board strengths and weaknesses, and diversity in the boardroom.

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  Insight

  New law creates new risks for partnership investments

  On November 2, 2015, Congress enacted legislation that fundamentally changes the landscape of partnership audits.

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  Insight

  Private company governance survey

  Getting beyond the so-called private company discount requires a hard look at governance structures and processes, financial controls, and conflicts of interest. Read the survey report from Forbes Insights and KPMG Private Markets Group.

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  Insight

  The key to succession planning for family business

  Strong governance is key to succession planning for family-owned businesses.

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  Insight

  Governance considerations in alternative financing

  Finding an optimal transaction requires coordination on the part of directors, managers, and shareholders to design a transaction that facilitates the best possible outcome for the company.

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  Insight

  How boards drive value in family-owned businesses

  Family businesses represent a significant portion of total businesses globally – yet very few of these businesses survive into the third generation and beyond.

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  Insight

  Anticipating governance catalysts in a family-owned business

  Family-owned companies can be greatly enhanced by self-imposed professional governance standards.

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  Insight

  Closing the gaps: Challenge for private company boards

  Often dominated by founders, families, business partners and direct investors, private company boards tend to have deep knowledge of and passion for the business, but may lack the independence, expertise, and objectivity required to clearly see and effectively respond to new risks and opportunities.

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  Insight

  Keeping private company growth and governance in sync

  Key elements of a governance structure will vary depending on the size, complexity and maturity of the company -- and where it is in its life cycle.

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  Insight

  A private company focus on governance

  As experienced private company directors and executives recognize, good corporate governance is critical to any company's growth and success -- it adds real value, preparing the company for short-term challenges and long-term opportunities.