Gala event in New York in November celebrates excellence in the governance, risk and compliance industry
We spend a lot of time championing the IR profession here at IR Impact: between interviews with top executives, open discussions with practitioners and our annual awards recognizing the top performers, we think it’s crucial to highlight the hard work done by IR folk around the world.
But there is another contingent of unsung heroes in place at listed companies: the corporate governance teams who ensure that all the legal gears keep turning and that their organizations’ compliance mechanisms remain in good working order.
So I thought I’d issue a quick reminder to all of our IR professional readers that their corporate governance colleagues are also eligible for recognition at the Corporate Governance Awards, which are run by our sister publication Governance Intelligence. This year’s edition, taking place on Thursday, November 5, will bring together more than 400 professionals from across the GRC space to celebrate their achievements.
But time is running short: you only have until the end of next week (that’s Friday, August 7) to submit your nominations, so make sure you get them in as soon as you can.
For anyone who wants some inspiration for this year’s entry process, I’d recommend looking at our winners’ report from last year, where my colleague Natalie Bannerman has collected together all the key themes from across our award entries, including comments from our judging panel about what makes for a particularly strong entry.
And speaking of judges, the Corporate Governance Awards has added several new, expert faces to its panel for the 2026 event. Joining this year are Hope Mehlman, chief legal, corporate affairs officer and corporate secretary at Ally Financial, Patricia McLeod, board chair at Cavvy Energy and FutEra Power, and Michael Benedict Yamoah, stewardship director at EOS at Federated Hermes.
Speaking to Governance Intelligence last month, each of our three new judges agreed that entries must be specific, credible and easy to assess. For governance teams preparing submissions, that means explaining the challenge, the response and the outcome without relying on broad claims or generic language.
The wider panel also includes returning judges Joan Conley, board member at Tigo Energy, Matt Geekie, senior vice president, secretary and general counsel at Graybar, and Eileen Kamerick, non-executive director at ACV Auctions, Legg Mason Closed End Funds, AIG Funds, Associated Banc-Corp and Hochschild Mining.
For Mehlman – who received the Governance Intelligence lifetime achievement award last year for her storied governance career – recognition of governance excellence is particularly important in an environment defined by rapid change and heightened expectations from stakeholders.
‘In today’s fast-changing environment, strong corporate governance is essential to sustaining trust and long-term value,’ she says. ‘Recognizing excellence reinforces the accountability and integrity that enable organizations to lead with purpose.’
So, what are you waiting for? Why not bolster your company’s reputation in the capital markets with a Corporate Governance Award to sit alongside any IR Impact trophies you may have received.
Follow this link to submit your award entry today: https://events.irmagazine.com/cga/entry-form/
Full details of the awards process are available here: https://events.irmagazine.com/cga/
