May 17, 2005
Conference Spotlights Corporate Governance For Early-Stage Public and Private Companies

Event: 21st Century Governance for Early-Stage Companies Conference.

When: Thursday-Friday, June 9-10.

Where: Barton Creek Country Club, 8218 Barton Club Drive, Austin, Texas. See the conference's Web site for a schedule, maps and parking, or to register.

Who May Attend: Directors, CEOs, and senior officers of early-stage companies are encouraged to attend. Because seating is limited, early registration is encouraged.

Background: Startups and early-stage companies have pressing business matters to attend to—but good governance is crucial in any stage of a company’s life. In June, The University of Texas at Austin’s IC2 Institute, Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship and School of Law will host one of the world’s first conferences devoted totally to corporate governance for early-stage companies. The focus on early-stage companies includes pre- and post-IPO companies, as well as private companies that intend to go public, or that simply want better governance.

The conference will cover a number of topics critical to governance in the early-stage setting:

• CEO roles, selection and succession.
• Director liability.
• Director retention and compensation.
• The roles and responsibilities of audit and compensation committees.

Speakers include governance experts from industry and academia, most of whom are experienced directors themselves. Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher, for example, will discuss the role the board of directors played during Southwest’s heady early growth. And Bill Powers, dean of UT Austin’s School of Law, will discuss lessons growing companies can derive from the rise and fall of Enron.

The conference is accredited for director education by the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). According to conference organizers, the institute’s goal is to become the nationally-recognized leader in corporate governance for early-stage companies. Visit www.ic2.org for more information.

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