The 2015 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awards recipients From second on the left, Meryam Omi (Legal & General Investment Management), Richard Fields (Tapestry Networks), and Nermeen Shehata (The American University in Cairo). Pictured with Ira Millstein '49, Marcel Bucsescu, and Professor Jeffrey Gordon Not Pictured: Ahmed Abdel-Meguid (The American University in Cairo)

Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awards

Each year, the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School presents the annual Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awards.

This award recognizes people who, while young and possibly new to the field of corporate governance, are making their marks as outstanding analysts, experts, activists, or managers. Recipients may represent any of the many bodies that comprise the world of corporate governance: corporations, academic bodies, institutional investors, auditors, advisory firms, rating agencies, proxy services, professional associations, and others.

A selection committee assesses candidates on criteria including:

  • Past accomplishments
  • Thought leadership
  • Future projects and potential
  • Leadership and character
Raising Stars Award

The selection committee reserves authority in considering and applying the judging criteria.

Nominees must be younger than 40 years old as of the date of the award ceremony. Candidates can be based anywhere worldwide, but must possess a record of outstanding performance in corporate governance that marks them from their peers. Award winners are announced at the annual Millstein Governance Forum.

The 2016 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awards were presented at the 11th annual Millstein Governance Forum on December 7, 2016 at Columbia University in New York City.

Each year, the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School awards the Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awards at the annual Millstein Governance Forum.  This award recognizes people who, while young and possibly new to the field of corporate governance, are making their marks as outstanding analysts, experts, activists, or managers.

Below are the previous Rising Star Award recipients.

2016 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Cambria Allen, Corporate Governance Director, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
  • Richard Brand, Co-Chairman of Corporate Practice, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
  • Serdar Celik, Senior Economist, OECD
  • Aurelio Gurrea Martinez, Fellow of the Program of Corporate Governance, Harvard Law School
  • Miguel Padro, Senior Program Manager, Aspen Institute's Business & Society Program

2015 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Ahmed Abdel-Meguid, Chair, Department of Accounting, Associate Professor, The American University in Cairo
  • Richard Fields, Principal, Tapestry Networks
  • Meryam Omi, Head of Sustainability, Legal & General Investment Management
  • Nermeen Shehata, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting, The American University in Cairo
     

2014 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Alissa Amico, Program Manager, Middle East and North Africa, Corporate Affairs Division, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
  • Baris Dincer, Managing Partner, ARGE Consulting; Board Member, Corporate Governance Association of Turkey
  • Oleg Shvyrkov, Director, Corporate Governance, Deloitte & Touche CIS


2013 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Mirza Baig, Managing Director, Hikma Governance Consulting
  • Craig Ferrere, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr. Research Fellow, John L. Weinberg Center For Corporate Governance, University of Delaware
  • Steven Haas, Partner, Hunton & Williams LLP
  • Michael McCoy, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Avnet, Inc.
  • Tahmina Nurova, Team Leader, International Finance Corporation
  • Muhammad Asif Paryani, Deputy Director, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan
  • Heath P. Tarbert, Partner, Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP

2011 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Erik Breen, Head of Responsible Investing, Robeco (Netherlands)
  • Paul DeNicola, Director, THE Conference Board Corporate Governance Center (US)
  • Theodore Dysart, Vice Chairman, Heidrick & Struggles (US)
  • Alex Edmans, Assistant Professor of Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Keir Gumbs, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP (US)
  • Catherine Howarth, Chief Executive, FairPensions (UK)
  • Mostafa Hunter, Visiting Professor, Management Center Innsbruck (Egypt)
  • Lisa Beth Lentini, Senior Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary, Best Buy Co., Inc. (US)
  • Lucy P. Marcus, CEO, Marcus Venture Consulting, Ltd. And Non-Executive Board Director (UK)
  • Arminta Saladziene, Chairman of the Management Board, NASDAQ OMX Vilnius, and Chairman of the Board, Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance (Lithuania)
  • Dr. Steve Waygood, Head of Sustainability research and Engagement, Aviva Investors (UK)

2010 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Santiago Chaher, Founder and Managing Director, Cefeidas Group International Advisory Firm (Argentina)
  • Douglas K. Chia, Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Corporate Secretary, Johnson & Johnson (USA)
  • Rick E. Hansen, Counsel, Securities and Corporate Governance, Chevron Corporation (USA)
  • Dr. Hans-Christoph Hirt, Director, Global Head of Corporate Engagement, Hermes Equity Ownership Services, Hermes Fund Managers Limited (UK)
  • Alexander Ikonnikov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Independent Directors Association (Russia)
  • Marcos Pinto, Commissioner, Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios (Brazil)
  • Maali Qasem, CEO and Founder, Schema (Jordan)
  • Rashedur Rahman, Senior Research Associate, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) (Bangladesh)
  • Stafano Rossi, Assistant Professor of Finance, Imperial College Business School (UK)
  • David Smith, Head of Asia-Pacific Corporate Governance Research, ISS (Singapore)

2009 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Awardees

  • Nada Abdelsater-Abusamra, Partner at Raphael & Associes
  • George M. Anderson, Partner, Tapestry Networks
  • Stephen Brown, Director & Associate General Counsel- Corporate Governance, TIAA-CREF
  • Evelynne Change, Coordinator for Corporate Governance, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat, New Partnership for Africa’s Development
  • Deborah Gilshan, Corporate Goverannce Counsel, Railpen Investmnets
  • David Hess, Assistant Professor of Business Law & Business Ethics, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
  • Elizabeth Ising, Associate Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Alexis B. Krajeski, Associate Director, Governance & Sustainable Investment, F&C Investments Limited
  • Rachel C. Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, EMC Corporation
  • Julieta Rodriguez Molina, Associate, Galindo, Arias & Lopez

2008 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance

  • Sanaa Abouzaid, Corporate Governance Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  • Tagbo Agbazue, Project Coordinator for African Institute of Corporate Citizenship
  • Steve Alogna, Senior Manager, Corporate Governance Services, Deloitte & Touche
  • Annalisa Barrett, Senior Research Associate, The Corporate Library
  • Rachel Beck, Business Columnist, Associated Press
  • Sagarika Chatterjee, Senior Analyst in Governance and Sustainable Investment Team, F&C Investments (London)
  • Warren Chen, Managing Director, M&A and Quantitative Analyst, Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Patrick Daniels, Partner, Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins
  • Andy Eggers, President, Proxy Democracy
  • Maureen Errity, Firm Director, Center for Corporate Governance, Deloitte & Touche
  • Todd Fernandez, Senior Research Analyst (Accounting/the Monitor), Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Jun Frank, Senior research Analyst (Asia), Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Nichol Garzon-Mitchell, Esq., Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Rebecca Grapsas, Associate, Corporate Department, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
  • Dan Heitger, Associate Professor of Accounting & Co-Director of the Center for Business Excellence, Miami University
  • Alexandra Higgins, Research Associate, The Corporate Library
  • Quinton Huckeby, Analyst, PROXY Governance
  • Catherine Jackson, Manager, Corporate Governance and Proxy Voting, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan
  • Fianna Jesover, Senior Policy Manager, Corporate Governance, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
  • Bess Joffe, Associate Director, Corporate Governance, Hermes Equity Ownership Services Ltd.
  • Jan-Friedrich Kallmorgen, Director, Europaische Investorenshutzvereinigung
  • John Keenan, Senior Analyst, Pension and Benefits Policy, AFSCME
  • Matt Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, Compliance Week
  • Dan Konigsburg, Director of Corporate Governance, Standard & Poor’s Equity Research
  • Claudia Kruse, Vice President European Environmental, Social and Governance Research, JPMorgan (London)
  • Rakhi Kumar, Corporate Governance Policy Analyst, The Institute of International Finance, Inc.
  • Laura Lonsdale, Ombudsman, Tyco International
  • Allie Monaco, Vice President of Research, PROXY Governance
  • Michael McCauley, Senior Corporate Governance Officer, Florida State Board of Administration
  • Mary Jane McQuillen, Director, Socially Aware Investment, ClearBridge Advisors
  • Jason Mefford, Vice President, Business Process Assurance, Ventura Foods, LLC
  • Jeffrey B. Miller, Chief Compliance Officer and Counsel, Synthes, Inc.
  • Matt Orsagh, CFA, CIPM, Senior Policy Analyst, CFA Institute Centre for Financial Market Integrity
  • Rajesh Parthasarathy, President & CEO, MENTISoftware
  • Dan Pedrotty, Director of the Office of Investment, AFL-CIO
  • Christian Plath, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Governance, Moody’s Investor Services
  • Michael Pryce-Jones, Senior Analyst, PROXY Governance
  • Naheeda Rashid, Corporate Governance and Engagement, Hermes Equity Ownership Services
  • Tracey Rembert, Senior Governance Analyst, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Joel Rogers, Director of Consulting Services, RedHawk Communications, Inc.
  • Nicole Sandford, Partner, Board Advisory Services Practice & NE Corporate Governance Leader, Deloitte & Touche
  • Hege Sjo, European Governance and Engagement, Hermes Equity Ownership Services
  • Phillip Spathis, Executive Officer, Governance and Engagement, Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI)
  • Alan Srulowitz, Vice President, Internal Controls, CA, Inc.
  • Tracy Stewart, Corporate Governance Manager, Florida state Board of Administration
  • Scott Stokes, Deputy Research Director, GovernanceMetrics International
  • Daniel Summerfield, Co-Head of Responsible Investment, Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) Ltd.
  • José Tabuena, Vice President Integrity and Compliance/Corporate Secretary, MedicalEdge Healthcare Group, Inc.
  • Peter Taylor, Head of Corporate Governance, Aberdeen Asset Management
  • Meagan Thompson-Mann, President, MCTM Governance LLC
  • Carla Topino, Senior Research Analyst (Europe), Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Dan Wadsworth, Senior Director of Corporate Client Group, NASDAQ Board Tools
  • Kerrie Waring, Chief Operating Officer, International Corporate Governance Network
  • Mark Watson, Partner, Tapestry Networks, Inc.
  • Brittany Wedereit, Vice President, Proxy Research, Glass, Lewis & Co.
  • Clarence Yang, Associate, Barclays Global Investors