Description

The rise of the independent director in Asia is an issue of global consequence that has been largely overlooked until recently. Less than two decades ago, independent directors were oddities in Asia’s boardrooms. Today, they are ubiquitous. Independent Directors in Asia undertakes the first detailed analysis of this phenomenon. It provides in-depth historical, contextual and comparative perspectives on the law and practice of independent directors in seven core Asian jurisdictions (China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan) and Australia. These case studies reveal the varieties of independent directors in Asia, none of which conform to its original American concept. The authors develop a taxonomy of these varieties, which provides a powerful analytical tool for more accurately understanding and effectively researching independent directors in Asia. This new approach challenges foundational aspects of comparative corporate governance practice and suggests a new path for comparative corporate governance scholarship and reform.

This seminar will explore the main comparative findings from the book and then drill down into the intriguing story of the rise and impact of the independent director in Singapore.

About The Speakers

Dan W. Puchniak is the Director of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS), the Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law (AsJCL) and an Associate Professor at NUS Law. Dan has received numerous domestic and international awards for his academic research and teaching. Dan specializes in corporate law with an emphasis on comparative corporate law in Asia and is regularly invited to present his scholarship and teach at leading law schools around the world. Dan has been placed on the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award Honour Roll until 2018 as recognition for receiving the university-wide NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award three times. Prior to entering academia, Dan worked as a corporate commercial litigator at one of Canada’s leading corporate law firms.

Lan Luh Luh holds a joint position as an Associate Professor at the Business School and Law School of the National University of Singapore. She is also the Academic Director of the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA Programme. She has a PhD in Business Policy, and LLB from NUS and a LLM (First Class) from the University of Cambridge. Luh Luh lectures and researches in corporate finance law, company law and corporate governance. She is effectively bilingual and teaches in both English and Mandarin to the undergraduates and the senior executives. She has won numerous teaching awards: NUS Business School Best Educator Award (2001), top 100 Best NUS teachers (2001/02 and 2002/03) and Best Teachers’ Award in the Chinese NUS Asia-Pacific MBA Program (2008). Luh Luh is actively involved in the various regulatory reform activities relating to company law and corporate governance in Singapore and internationally. She currently sits on the Charity Council Board which advises the Singapore Commissioner of Charities.