Our comments about Citigroup’s hapless board of directors made their way into the New York Post today in a piece by business journalist Paul Tharp. Some of the observations first made here at Finlay ON Governance were reflected in the Post’s editorial, as well.
The Post’s story got quite a lift, appearing in the headline of the newspaper which was much discussed on CNBC this morning. Here is part of what was quoted:
Citigroup’s board of directors increasingly resembles a first-class sleeping car on a train wreck that just keeps happening,” said J. Richard Finlay, head of the Centre for Corporate & Public Governance.
“Almost whatever it does, it is too slow and too late.
“It can take months for Citigroup’s directors to clue into what others in the real world have known for some time.
Noting that Citi’s stock has lost more than $133 billion this year alone, Finlay said, “Citigroup’s board has demonstrated that it has not been on top of any major issue in more than a decade, much less ahead of it.”
You’ll be seeing some significant changes in Citi’s boardroom in the not-too-distant future. It’s one thing for directors to be portrayed as sleeping on the job. It drives them crazy when they are presented as clowns.