Mayree Clark and Linda Riefler join the Boardroom Governance Podcast to discuss Leading-Edge Stewardship, board effectiveness, long-term value creation, crisis decision-making, CEO relationships, founder power, private equity boards, underperforming directors, cross-border governance, and what it takes to be a great steward in the boardroom.
(0:00) About the Boardroom Governance Summit (Aug 26-27, 2026)
(0:55) Intro
(2:37) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.
(3:24) Start of interview.
(4:23) Origin story Mayree Clark
(6:08) Origin story Linda Riefler
(8:23) About their Leading-Edge Stewardship framework and personal road-map.
(11:38) Teamwork and Long-Term Value Creation
(16:03) On board diversity and pace of change
(19:02) Boards in distress: Mayree joining Ally Financial in financial crisis (2009)
(21:39) MSCI Culture and CEO Relations
(26:02) Tough calls on CEO transitions (example of CSX CEO transition)
(32:39) Private Equity Board Lessons (flexibility on decision-making and talent pools)
(36:22) Handling under-performing directors
(43:11) German Governance Across Borders (Mayree's experience serving on Deutsche Bank's board)
(48:06) Purpose, Adversity, and Stewardship
(50:42) What are the 1-3 books that have greatly influenced your life:
(53:36) Who were their mentors, and what they learned from them.
(56:37) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that they love.
(1:00:16) The living person they most admire.
Mayree Clark is a longtime corporate director, founder and Managing Partner of Eachwin Capital, and former senior executive at Morgan Stanley. She currently serves on the boards of Ally Financial and Deutsche Bank AG.
Linda Riefler is an experienced corporate director and former senior executive at Morgan Stanley. She currently serves on the boards of CSX Corporation, MSCI Inc., and North American Partners in Anesthesia, and is chair of Pencils of Promise.