One-size-fits-all not necessarily improvement for boards

It is not really an improvement that commissioners may now serve on a maximum of five supervisory boards, says Professor of Corporate Governance Mijntje Lückerath in aninterview with Nieuwsuur, a news program on Dutch national television.

Nieuwsuur asked three commissioners, including Lückerath, which lessons they draw from a court judgment which named mismanagement and lack of supervision as factors that led to the bankruptcy of the health care institution Meavita.

Lückerath: "I do not think it's an improvement because it is a one-size-fits-all approach. It assumes that all commissioner posts have the same weight and that everyone's schedule has the same number of hours for attending a board. But in reality the differences are considerable. Some people have a full time job and sit on a board in addition to that, others are professional supervisors and are available all week long."

Read more