Delphos is excited and honored to announce its partnership with Impact Boards Emerging Markets (IBEM) a partnership-funded, not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to equipping company boards across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia with corporate governance best practices.

The old adage “where you stand depends on where you sit” applies in spades to emerging market corporate governance. Factors from bureaucracy to lack of transparency, insufficient diversity and inadequate sustainability practices can impact long-term company performance. Through a collaboration that centers on privately held joint Delphos-IBEM events with emerging market corporate boards, we hope to equip board members with the tools necessary to navigate these and other challenges and drive sustainable growth.

Our latest event took place on June 27 in London, where we gathered to dine and discuss topics from AI to the geopolitical landscape. “Our dinner series, in partnership with Delphos, allows us to spur debate among corporate governance leaders,” said IBEM CEO, Gregorio Saichin. “Our London event set the benchmark for this sort of intellectual exchange.”

A particular focus of the collaboration will be the empowerment of women, who remain largely underrepresented on emerging market boards. In India, where women’s board representation has tripled since 2013, women make up just 17% of all board seats. That figure is 7.8% in Mexico, and 12% across sub-Saharan Africa.

“Leadership is critical to sustainable growth,” commented Delphos Chairman and CEO, Bart Turtelboom. “We are thrilled to embark on this partnership to help engender best practices across emerging markets for not only today, but tomorrow.”

Events earlier in 2023 spanned Samarkand, Uzbekistan and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Events being held later this year will take us to Turkey, Mexico, and South Africa.