Corporate governance

The record of what the company decided, who was allowed to decide it, and what happens when something goes wrong. Unglamorous until it is the only thing that matters.

The corporate record

One authoritative place holding: formation and entity documents, ownership and cap table, board and shareholder resolutions, minutes, signed agreements above the review threshold, insurance policies, and material licenses and registrations.

The failure mode is not losing a document; it is not knowing which version is current. Every record carries its effective date, and superseded versions are marked superseded rather than deleted — "what was in force in March" is a question that gets asked in exactly the circumstances where you cannot afford to guess.

Board and committee support