Board Stewardship Webinar Highlights Rising Importance Of Cyber Governance And Board Minutes
Board Stewardship hosted another impactful edition of its Boardroom Insights Monthly Live Webinar Series on 8 May 2025, bringing together Board leaders, governance professionals, cybersecurity experts, legal advisors and company secretaries to deliberate on two critical themes shaping modern Boardrooms — Cyber(In)Security for Boardrooms and the Significance & Importance of the Minutes of Board and Committee Meetings.
Welcoming participants from across India and overseas, Vikesh Wallia, Managing Director and Editor, Board Stewardship, highlighted the growing need for governance preparedness and continuous learning in an increasingly complex business environment.
“Boardrooms today cannot afford to treat cyber risk and governance compliance as operational issues alone. As digital threats grow more sophisticated and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, continuous learning has become essential for directors and senior leaders,” said Vikesh Wallia. He added that Board Stewardship’s webinar series aims to strengthen stewardship values and equip Boards with practical insights on emerging governance challenges.
Delivering the inaugural address, Emmanuel David, Independent Director, Strategic Leader & Coach, and Advisory Board Member, Board Stewardship reflected on the changing expectations from Boards amid global uncertainty and increasing regulatory oversight.
Referring to Board Stewardship’s recent London Huddle, he remarked that the initiative reflected the organisation’s commitment to reshaping Boardrooms with courage and foresight. Speaking on cybersecurity, Emmanuel David stressed that cyber risk can no longer be viewed merely as an operational IT issue.
“It is not an IT topic anymore. It is a Board-level fiduciary responsibility that Indian law now explicitly places on your shoulders,” he said, referring to SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework, provisions under the Companies Act and CERT-In reporting obligations.
He further emphasised that Directors are expected to demonstrate governance intent through active oversight and preparedness. Highlighting the importance of governance documentation, he described Board minutes as “the legal memory of the Board.”
The first panel discussion, Cyber(In)Security for Boardrooms, was moderated by Radhika Chennakeshavula, Chief Information and Systems Officer at Silicon Labs; Dr. Rajiv Yadav, Board Strategy & Governance Advisor; and Nimitt Jhaveri, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at BitScore Cybertech LLP.
Drawing from her experience across Silicon Labs, Micron, Western Digital and GE, Radhika Chennakeshavula shared firsthand perspectives on handling ransomware incidents and highlighted how AI is introducing new complexity into cybersecurity preparedness.
Nimitt Jhaveri observed that AI adoption has fundamentally transformed the cyber-risk landscape. “AI has changed the game by collapsing the amount of time, skills and cost required to launch or mount a cyberattack,” he said. He added that cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a Board-level priority rather than remaining confined to IT operations.
Adding to the discussion, Dr. Rajiv Yadav noted that cyber resilience is fast emerging as a defining leadership capability for institutions operating in an AI-driven environment.
The second panel discussion, The Significance & Importance of the Minutes of Board and Committee Meetings, featured Sudhakar Saraswatula, Mentor, Corporate Trainer, Speaker & Author and Former Vice President at Reliance Industries Ltd.; A.G.S Manikantha, Company Secretary, Infosys; and K Randhir Singh, Company Secretary and Compliance Officer & Head CSR at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.
The panel highlighted how Board and Committee minutes are increasingly becoming critical evidentiary and governance documents relied upon by regulators, auditors and stakeholders. K Randhir Singh remarked, “Minutes are where the governance is evidenced,” while stressing the importance of properly recording dissenting views.
The session concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Ashok D Murthy, Director – Board Engagement reflecting Board Stewardship’s continued commitment to enabling future-ready Boards through meaningful dialogue and knowledge sharing.
