26 January 2026 CCLA Seminar: Independent Directors and the Rise of Specialist Directors – What Singapore Practitioners Need to Know

SYNOPSIS

Corporate governance in Singapore and across Asia is evolving. Independent directors remain central to board design, yet boards are increasingly expected to add directors with targeted expertise – for example in ESG, cybersecurity, climate, or diversity. This seminar examines how these trends intersect and what they mean for board effectiveness, disclosure, oversight duties, and litigation risk.

Professor Dan W. Puchniak (Singapore Management University) is a leading authority on the law concerning independent directors in Singapore and across Asia, and his book Independent Directors in Asia is widely regarded as the leading comparative study in the field. He will provide an update on the law and the most salient issues for independent directors in Singapore, situating local practice within Asia’s diverse governance landscape and drawing on his comparative scholarship.

Drawing on his Yale Journal on Regulation article Specialist Directors, Professor Yaron Nili (Duke University) will present his impactful, evidence-based research that breaks new ground in understanding how the global push for directors with specialised skill sets is reshaping board composition and governance. His work provides original empirical insight and a rigorous analytical framework for assessing the benefits and unintended consequences of this shift, offering important lessons for companies, regulators, and the courts.

Mr Mark Wong will bring a valuable practitioner’s perspective to the discussion, drawing on nearly two decades of transactional and advisory experience across multiple jurisdictions to connect the academic insights raised by Professors Puchniak and Nili with the realities of boardroom practice and regulatory compliance.

 

PROGRAMME

 

SPEAKERS

You may refer to the Speakers Biography here.

SILE ATTENDANCE POLICY

Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For this activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer to https://www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more information.