Richard Leblanc
School of Administrative Studies
Professor
Corporate Governance, Law & Ethics
Graduate Program Director, MFAc Program
Office: Atkinson College, 202A
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext: 33744
Email: rleblanc@yorku.ca
Primary website: Dr Leblanc's York University website
Media Requests Welcome
Dr. Leblanc is a leading expert on corporate governance and accountability. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher, lawyer, public speaker, consultant, and specialist on boards of directors. He was awarded Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario, and Academic Fellow of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes; has taught corporate governance at Harvard University; and is a member of Canada’s Who’s Who.
He brings to business and professional audiences a depth of information from his extensive research and work with over 250 organizations and boards, and training and development of over 1,000 directors and managers. He is engaging, dynamic, and personable.
Dr. Leblanc is Editor of “The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not-for-Profit Board Members,” 3rd Ed. (Wiley, March 2024). His first edition has sold 7,000 copies worldwide and the seminal “Inside The Boardroom” has sold over 6,500 copies. Dr. Leblanc’s work has been described by various faculty at Harvard, Yale, London Business School and elsewhere as “great & much needed,” “wonderful and pragmatic,” “thorough” and “nothing short of remarkable,” as well as by Fortune 500, NYSE, FTSE and other company leaders as “leading edge,” “ground-breaking,” “valuable guidance,” “indispensable,” “compelling” and “exceptional.”
Dr. Leblanc has authored over 200 publications and reports, delivered over 600 invited speeches, and sat for over 700 media appearances.
He possesses an extensive and diversified professional network. He is the founder of Boardexpert.com Inc and the LinkedIn Group Boards and Advisors, with over 30,000 members globally. He has over 10,000 connections on LinkedIn, and his regular newsletter is accessible to 40,000 directors and other individuals.
Dr. Leblanc’s insight has guided leaders of organizations through his teaching, writing, and direct consultation to government regulators, and national and multinational corporations. He has been an external advisor or expert witness to ASX, LSE, Nasdaq, NYSE and TSX boards of directors, including boards that have won national awards and peer endorsement for their governance practices. His work, directly or indirectly, has impacted companies throughout the world, including those that have used Dr. Leblanc’s methodology to strengthen their governance effectiveness and accountability practices.
Dr. Leblanc is frequently consulted by stakeholders – such as companies, investors, associations, partnerships, not-for-profit organizations, Crown organizations, the media and regulators – for the latest developments and trends, and customizes his speaking engagements and consultations to suit all types of audiences. He is the founder and principal of Boardexpert.com, an advisory firm providing customized governance transformation.
Degrees
PhD, Schulich/York UniversityJD, University of Detroit Mercy
LLM, Osgoode/York University
LLB, University of Windsor
MBA, University of Toronto
Professional Leadership
Dr. Leblanc is a dynamic speaker who has been called upon to provide his expertise in governance, law and ethics across all sectors and industries.
Dr. Leblanc’s number of lifetime public appearances and invited talks is six hundred and sixty-seven (667).
Community Contributions
Dr. Leblanc is an expert in governance, law and ethics, and is listed under York University's Experts Guide. He is regularly interviewed in all types of media, and has appeared on television, on radio, in print, and in digital format.
Dr. Leblanc’s number of lifetime media appearances are seven hundred and twenty-eight (728).
Research Interests
- Canadian Who’s Who, 2010. - 2010
- “Theory and Practice Award,” 2006, School of Administrative Studies (“SAS”), Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, York University, recognizing a significant contribution by an SAS faculty member on the academic and practical significance of one piece of work and the extent to which it helps to bridge management theory and practice, for Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, Inside the Boardroom: How Boards Really Work and the Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance (Toronto: Wiley, 2005). 2006 - 2006
- First Annual Emerald Publishing / European Foundation for Management Development Outstanding Doctoral Research Award, “Highly Commended” (Runner up), Management and Governance Category, June 2005. - 2005
- “Top 40 Under 40”™ for Canada, May 3, 2005. Winner of the “Top 40 Under 40 Award”™ in 2005, recognized as one of 40 people under 40 years of age chosen from across Canada based on accomplishments indicating vision, leadership, innovation and achievement. - 2005
- Udayan Rege Best Dissertation Award, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, June 6, 2004. - 2004
- York University Teaching Award, First Place Winner, inaugural Seymour Schulich BBA Award for Teaching Excellence, York University, as selected by students, 1998. - 1998
- Diligent Modern Governance 100 - 2021
- Fellow Certified Management Consultant - 2020
- Academic Fellow - CMC Global - 2021
- Joyce Borden-Reed Distinguished Contribution Award - 2017
- School of Administrative Studies Recognition for Excellence in Research - 2022
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members, 3rd ed., San Francisco: Wiley (March 2024).
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members, 2nd ed., San Francisco: Wiley (2020).
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members (San Francisco, CA: John Wiley, 2016).
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, Inside the Boardroom: How Boards Really Work and the Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance (Toronto: Wiley, 2005); and translated into Russian: Inside the Boardroom (Moscow: Wiley, 2006). www.amazon.ca/boardroom.
Leblanc, Richard “Getting the Right Directors on Your Board,” in Conger, Jay, ed., Boardroom Realities: Building Leaders Across Your Board (London: Josey-Bass, March 2009).
Burke, Ron, and Leblanc, Richard, “Women on Corporate Boards: The Canadian Perspective,” in Burke, Ron, Singh, Val, Bilimoria, Diane, and Huse, Morten, Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Research and Practice (Cheltenham, Glos: Edward Elgar, forthcoming, January 2009).
Leblanc, Richard “Developing Effective Corporate Governance,” in Wesson, Thomas, ed., The New World Economic Order (Toronto: Captus Press, 2007), 260-274. Adapted from the Annual Queen’s Business Law Symposium conference proceedings, infra. See http://www.captus.com/Information/catalogue/book.asp?Book+Number=935 for more information.
Leblanc, Richard, “Assessing the Effectiveness of Boards of Directors and Individual Directors,” in Ali, Paul U., and Gregoriou, Greg N., eds., International Corporate Governance After Sarbanes-Oxley (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2006), 485-524. Adapted from Leblanc, 20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Assessments, infra.
Please see full and most recent publications here: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Leblanc, Richard, “10 Ways to Prepare for Disruption,” Board Agenda (10 June 2024).
Leblanc, Richard, “The Establishment, Composition, and Functioning of a Special Committee of a Board of Directors,” International In-house Counsel Journal Vol. 17, No. 67, Spring 2024, 1.
Leblanc, Richard, “Consulting Advice on Investigations into Possible CEO Misconduct,” Management Consulting Journal (Volume 6.2, June, 2023).
Leblanc, Richard, “What I would like to see happen in 2023 on North American Boards,” Board Agenda (January, 2023).
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Priorities 2022: A Checklist for Directors,” Board Agenda (January 12, 2022). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “Governance for Management Consultants,” Management Consulting Journal (Volume 5, January, 2022). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “Serving on a Non-Profit Board: Effective Governance - Q&A With Dr Richard Leblanc,” Wiley - Society Leaders (February 2, 2022).
Leblanc, Richard, “Trends and Issues Boards and Board Committees Must Talk About Today,” Credit Union Management - Governance (February 2, 2022).
Leblanc, Richard, “20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Recruiting, Developing and Renewing Directors” (Toronto: Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, 2019).
Leblanc, Richard, “Eyes and Ears Wide Open” AB International (March, 2018). See
Leblanc, Richard, “Overseeing Culture and the Employee Voice on Boards Under the Proposed UK Code Revisions” Hawkamah Journal (Issue 11, pages 4-6, 2018).
Leblanc, Richard, “Why Governance Evaluations Fail,” The Corporate Board (September / October 2015), pp. 6-10.
Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance Trends, Pressures, and Responses,” Stewardship Review: Insights for the Boardroom Summer 2015, Conference Board of Canada (Toronto: 2015). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “What a Board Expects from Management and What Management Expects from A Board,” Boards, Ontario Hospital Association (Toronto: February, 2013), at 9-11.
Leblanc, Richard, “Director removal: a five-point plan” Corporate Governance Quarterly, ICSA Chartered Secretaries Canada (Toronto: Winter, 2012) 4-5. Reproduced with permission from Listed: The Magazine for Canadian Listed Companies, below.
Leblanc, Richard, “Forty Proposals to Strengthen: the Public Company Board of Director’s Role in Value Creation; Management Accountability to the Board; and Board Accountability to Shareholders," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2013) 1-16. See article here.
Leblanc, Richard, Special Editor, “Editorial: Enhancing the effectiveness of the 21st century board of directors,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2013) 10:2, 93-97.
Leblanc, Richard, “Aligning Pay to Value Creation and Performance: 12 compensation opportunities that boards and committees should consider,” ICD Director, Institute of Corporate Directors (Toronto: forthcoming, 2012).
Leblanc, Richard, et al., “General Commentary on European Union Corporate Governance Proposals,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (October 2011) 9:1, 1-35.
Leblanc, Richard “The Walker Review Proposes ‘The Toughest Governance Regime in the World,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2010) 7:1, 20-27. Please see here. Adapted and modified from “The Walker Review in the UK Proposes Tough New Regulatory Requirements”, supra. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in International Journal of Disclosure and Governance. The definitive publisher-authenticated version International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2010) 7:1, 20-27 is available online: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jdg/index.html
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “Effective Boards of Directors: An Examination of Director Behavioural-Types,” Corporate Ownership & Control (Winter 2008) 5:2, 154-167.
Leblanc, Richard “Recruitment, training and assessment (and removal) of directors post SOX,” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (February 2008) 5:1 at 8-14.
Leblanc, Richard, “Risk Management Oversight: Is Your Board at Risk?” Directors Monthly, National Association of Corporate Directors, (Washington, D.C.: June 2008), 17-18. Reprinted within program “The Board’s Role in Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Disclosure,” American Bar Association (ABA) Corporate Governance Committee and Corporate Compliance and Corporate Counsel Committee, New York City, August 9, 2008.
Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness 2.0,” International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics (2007) 3:2, 106-112.
Bury, Sophie, and Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance Research on the Free Web: A Selected Annotated Guide,” Reference Services Review (2007) 35:3, 497-514.
Leblanc, Richard “Effective Risk Oversight by Boards in 2007: What are the Key Areas,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2007) 7:1, 18-20.
Leblanc, Richard “External Disclosure of Leading Governance Assessment Practices: What Shareholders Should be Asking and Companies Should be Disclosing,” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (August 2007), 167-180.
Smith, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Nose In, Fingers Out: The Role of Outside Directors in Assessing Insurance Company Strategy” Canadian Insurance (Toronto: March 2007), 36-41.
Leblanc, Richard, “Ten Ways to Enhance the Effectiveness of the Audit Committee,” Ivey Business Journal [Online] (September-October 2007).
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “The Black Box of Board Process: Gaining Access to a Difficult Subject,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (September 2007), 843-851.
Leblanc, Richard “The Eight “Cs: Of Board Performance Assessment” The Corporate Board (May-June 2007), 16-21.
Leblanc, Richard, 20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Assessments (Toronto: Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, 2006).
Leblanc, Richard “Assessing Individual Directors: An Idea Whose Time Has Come,” Journal on Corporate Governance in Russia and Other Transitional Economies [Online] (October 2006).
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “Governance 2.0: From Compliance to Strategy: Is Your Board Prepared,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 6:1, 4-6.
Jones, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Human Chemistry and Independent Assessment Drive Boardroom Performance,” Company Director (Australian Institute for Company Directors: July 2006), 50-52.
Jones, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Human ‘Chemistry’: A Key Driver of Future Australian Boardroom Performance,” International Corporate Governance Review (2006), 86-91.
Gillies, James, Bartha, Peter and Leblanc, Richard, “Structure vs. Function and the Evolution of Corporate Governance Regulation and Research in the United States,” Russian Management Journal (2006) 4:1, 147-162.
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 5:2, 6-10. (This article is adapted from Chapter 11 from Inside the Boardroom, supra.)
Leblanc, Richard, “The Nomination and Assessment of Individual Directors: Questions Shareholders Should Be Asking: A Case Study,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 6:3, 24-28.
Leblanc, Richard, “Understanding the Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Across the Board: A Newsletter for Australian Directors (February 2006), 8-10.
Leblanc, Richard, “What Gets Measured Gets Managed,” Across the Board: A Newsletter for Australian Directors (December 2006), 8-10. Reprinted in Audit Committee Quarterly, Audit Committee Institute Ireland (February 2008), 9-11.
Leblanc, Richard “Assessing Board Leadership,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (September 2005), 654-666.
Leblanc, Richard, contributor, “Performance Measurement: A Finance and Management Special Report (SR9),” Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (September 2005), 33-34.
Leblanc, Richard, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Australian Chief Executive (May 2006), “adapted from Richard Leblanc’s address Effective Corporate Governance: Measuring and Benchmarking Board and Director Performance, to CEDA Melbourne on 8 November 2005,” 24-27.
Leblanc, Richard, “Preventing Future Hollingers,” Ivey Business Journal (September-October 2004), 1-9.
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “The Black Box of Board Process: Lessons in Studying Difficult Subjects,” Academy of Management Meeting (Research Methods Division), New Orleans, August 2004 (accepted but not presented).
Leblanc, Richard “What’s Wrong With Corporate Governance: A Note,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (October 2004), 436-441.
Leblanc, Richard, “Director Education and Orientation Programs,” The Corporate Board (July-August 2003), 23-25.
Light, Dorothy K., and Leblanc, Richard, “Integrating the New and Educating the Current Director,” The Effective Board (National Association for Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., July 2003), 7-9.
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Ivey Business Journal (September-October 2003), 1-11.
Leblanc, Richard, “Assessing Board Performance: 10 Key Factors,” The Corporate Board (January-February 2002), 1-7.
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Assessments” Directors Monthly, Special Issue on Board Evaluation, National Association of Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., Spring 2002.
Leblanc, Richard, “Research Note on Board Effectiveness,” Director’s Monthly (National Association for Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., November 2002), 17.
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Assessment: A Top 10 List for Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Board and Individual Directors,” Federated Press Journal of Corporate Governance 2001 (1:4), 38-43.
Leblanc, Richard “Are Global Corporate Governance Practices Converging? A Report to the OECD on Corporate Governance and Lessons from the Asian Currency Crisis,” Global Focus (1999) 11:2, 151-166. (This journal has been merged with Thunderbird International Business Review.)
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice,” within a special essay forum in memory of Max Clarkson, Business & Society (March 1999),
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Directors at the Gate,” Professional Administrator, newsletter of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada (1999) 23:2, 18-21.
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Directors at the Gate,” Professional Administrator, newsletter of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada (1999) 23:2, 18-21.
Hebb, Laurence, and Leblanc, Richard, “Ethics in International Business Transactions,” Canadian International Lawyer (1998) 3:1, 1-7, 27.
Please see full and most recent professional journal articles (refereed and non-refereed) here: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Leblanc, Richard, and Lascaris, A. Dimitri, “Shareholder Litigation: An Important Tool for Effecting Corporate Governance Reform,” The Second International Class Action Conference, Westin Hotel, Sydney, Australia, October 25-26, 2007.
Leblanc, Richard, “Improving Board Decision-Making: An Inside View,” Henley Management College, October 2003 and October 2005, Oxfordshire, U.K.
Leblanc, Richard, “Getting Into the Black Box: What Really Matters in Board Decision-Making,” Henley Management College, Oct. 2000, Oxfordshire, U.K.
Conger, Jay, Dalton, Dan, Leblanc, Richard, Liang, Neng, and Useem, Michael, “Boards of Directors,” a Symposium Submission for the Academy of Management Meetings, Chicago, 2009.
Burke, Ronald, and Leblanc, Richard, “Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Ongoing Challenges,” presentation to “Women on Boards of Directors: Interventional Strategies and Global Action for Board Level Gender Equity” Symposium, Academy of Management Meeting, Atlanta, 2006.
Leblanc, Richard, “The Firm: Developing Effective Governance,” in Anand, Anita I. and Flanagan, William F., eds., “Conflicts of Interest in Capital Market Structures: Papers Presented at the 10th Annual Queen’s Business Law Symposium October 2003” (2004), 1-16. See also Peter Dey, “Thoughts on Richard Leblanc’s Paper, ‘The Firm – Developing Effective Governance,’” ibid., 17-18, and W. F. Flanagan, “Comment on Richard Leblanc’s paper…,” ibid., 19-21.
Presentation, “Plenary Session 9: Board Effectiveness: How to Measure What Really Counts,” GUBERNA, Brussels (December 6, 2010). Submission entitled “Separating the Role of Chair and CEO – More is Needed, Including Leadership Skills and Industry Knowledge” accepted (with Katrina Pick) for presentation at the Corporate Governance & Global financial crisis conference, Wharton School, Philadelphia (September 24, 2010). Submission entitled “Working with part-time faculty to enhance teaching and the curriculum” accepted (with Sandra Scott) for Round-Table Discussion at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference, Toronto (June 24, 2010). Submission entitled “The Movement Towards Independently Assured Board Evaluation: Development of Criteria and Processes and Implications for the Internal Audit Function” accepted to the 8th European Conference on Internal Audit and Corporate Governance, Chios, Greece (2010. Did not attend).
Please see: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Approach to Teaching
Director, Master in Financial Accountability Program, York University, December 2015 – Present. Grew program from a few dozen students to over 200. See here.
Instructor, DNGM: Law and Corporate Governance, Graduate Diploma in Management, York University, 2020 – present.
Harvard University, Summer Faculty, 26 June – 9 August 2012, 25 June – 8 August 2013, 24 June – 7 August 2014, 13 – 30 July, 2015, 11 – 28 July 2016, 10 – 27 July 2017, 16 July – 2 August 2018, and 15 July – 1 August 2019.
Member, Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University.
Member, PhD Examining Committee, Solange Charas, Case Western Reserve University, 2013-2014.
Research Fellow and Advisory Board Member, Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance, University of Texas at Dallas, Jindal School of Management, 2012 – 2019.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | GS/FACC6500 3.0 | A | Corporate Governance | ONLN |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | GS/DMGM5080 1.5 | M | Law and Corporate Governance | ONCA |
Dr. Leblanc is a leading expert on corporate governance and accountability. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher, lawyer, public speaker, consultant, and specialist on boards of directors. He was awarded Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario, and Academic Fellow of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes; has taught corporate governance at Harvard University; and is a member of Canada’s Who’s Who.
He brings to business and professional audiences a depth of information from his extensive research and work with over 250 organizations and boards, and training and development of over 1,000 directors and managers. He is engaging, dynamic, and personable.
Dr. Leblanc is Editor of “The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not-for-Profit Board Members,” 3rd Ed. (Wiley, March 2024). His first edition has sold 7,000 copies worldwide and the seminal “Inside The Boardroom” has sold over 6,500 copies. Dr. Leblanc’s work has been described by various faculty at Harvard, Yale, London Business School and elsewhere as “great & much needed,” “wonderful and pragmatic,” “thorough” and “nothing short of remarkable,” as well as by Fortune 500, NYSE, FTSE and other company leaders as “leading edge,” “ground-breaking,” “valuable guidance,” “indispensable,” “compelling” and “exceptional.”
Dr. Leblanc has authored over 200 publications and reports, delivered over 600 invited speeches, and sat for over 700 media appearances.
He possesses an extensive and diversified professional network. He is the founder of Boardexpert.com Inc and the LinkedIn Group Boards and Advisors, with over 30,000 members globally. He has over 10,000 connections on LinkedIn, and his regular newsletter is accessible to 40,000 directors and other individuals.
Dr. Leblanc’s insight has guided leaders of organizations through his teaching, writing, and direct consultation to government regulators, and national and multinational corporations. He has been an external advisor or expert witness to ASX, LSE, Nasdaq, NYSE and TSX boards of directors, including boards that have won national awards and peer endorsement for their governance practices. His work, directly or indirectly, has impacted companies throughout the world, including those that have used Dr. Leblanc’s methodology to strengthen their governance effectiveness and accountability practices.
Dr. Leblanc is frequently consulted by stakeholders – such as companies, investors, associations, partnerships, not-for-profit organizations, Crown organizations, the media and regulators – for the latest developments and trends, and customizes his speaking engagements and consultations to suit all types of audiences. He is the founder and principal of Boardexpert.com, an advisory firm providing customized governance transformation.
Degrees
PhD, Schulich/York UniversityJD, University of Detroit Mercy
LLM, Osgoode/York University
LLB, University of Windsor
MBA, University of Toronto
Professional Leadership
Dr. Leblanc is a dynamic speaker who has been called upon to provide his expertise in governance, law and ethics across all sectors and industries.
Dr. Leblanc’s number of lifetime public appearances and invited talks is six hundred and sixty-seven (667).
Community Contributions
Dr. Leblanc is an expert in governance, law and ethics, and is listed under York University's Experts Guide. He is regularly interviewed in all types of media, and has appeared on television, on radio, in print, and in digital format.
Dr. Leblanc’s number of lifetime media appearances are seven hundred and twenty-eight (728).
Research Interests
Awards
- Canadian Who’s Who, 2010. - 2010
- “Theory and Practice Award,” 2006, School of Administrative Studies (“SAS”), Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies, York University, recognizing a significant contribution by an SAS faculty member on the academic and practical significance of one piece of work and the extent to which it helps to bridge management theory and practice, for Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, Inside the Boardroom: How Boards Really Work and the Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance (Toronto: Wiley, 2005). 2006 - 2006
- First Annual Emerald Publishing / European Foundation for Management Development Outstanding Doctoral Research Award, “Highly Commended” (Runner up), Management and Governance Category, June 2005. - 2005
- “Top 40 Under 40”™ for Canada, May 3, 2005. Winner of the “Top 40 Under 40 Award”™ in 2005, recognized as one of 40 people under 40 years of age chosen from across Canada based on accomplishments indicating vision, leadership, innovation and achievement. - 2005
- Udayan Rege Best Dissertation Award, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, June 6, 2004. - 2004
- York University Teaching Award, First Place Winner, inaugural Seymour Schulich BBA Award for Teaching Excellence, York University, as selected by students, 1998. - 1998
- Diligent Modern Governance 100 - 2021
- Fellow Certified Management Consultant - 2020
- Academic Fellow - CMC Global - 2021
- Joyce Borden-Reed Distinguished Contribution Award - 2017
- School of Administrative Studies Recognition for Excellence in Research - 2022
All Publications
Leblanc, Richard “Getting the Right Directors on Your Board,” in Conger, Jay, ed., Boardroom Realities: Building Leaders Across Your Board (London: Josey-Bass, March 2009).
Burke, Ron, and Leblanc, Richard, “Women on Corporate Boards: The Canadian Perspective,” in Burke, Ron, Singh, Val, Bilimoria, Diane, and Huse, Morten, Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Research and Practice (Cheltenham, Glos: Edward Elgar, forthcoming, January 2009).
Leblanc, Richard “Developing Effective Corporate Governance,” in Wesson, Thomas, ed., The New World Economic Order (Toronto: Captus Press, 2007), 260-274. Adapted from the Annual Queen’s Business Law Symposium conference proceedings, infra. See http://www.captus.com/Information/catalogue/book.asp?Book+Number=935 for more information.
Leblanc, Richard, “Assessing the Effectiveness of Boards of Directors and Individual Directors,” in Ali, Paul U., and Gregoriou, Greg N., eds., International Corporate Governance After Sarbanes-Oxley (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2006), 485-524. Adapted from Leblanc, 20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Assessments, infra.
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members, 3rd ed., San Francisco: Wiley (March 2024).
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members, 2nd ed., San Francisco: Wiley (2020).
Leblanc, Richard, ed., The Handbook of Board Governance: A Comprehensive Guide for Public, Private, and Not for Profit Board Members (San Francisco, CA: John Wiley, 2016).
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, Inside the Boardroom: How Boards Really Work and the Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance (Toronto: Wiley, 2005); and translated into Russian: Inside the Boardroom (Moscow: Wiley, 2006). www.amazon.ca/boardroom.
Please see full and most recent publications here: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Leblanc, Richard, “10 Ways to Prepare for Disruption,” Board Agenda (10 June 2024).
Leblanc, Richard, “The Establishment, Composition, and Functioning of a Special Committee of a Board of Directors,” International In-house Counsel Journal Vol. 17, No. 67, Spring 2024, 1.
Leblanc, Richard, “Consulting Advice on Investigations into Possible CEO Misconduct,” Management Consulting Journal (Volume 6.2, June, 2023).
Leblanc, Richard, “What I would like to see happen in 2023 on North American Boards,” Board Agenda (January, 2023).
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Priorities 2022: A Checklist for Directors,” Board Agenda (January 12, 2022). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “Governance for Management Consultants,” Management Consulting Journal (Volume 5, January, 2022). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “Serving on a Non-Profit Board: Effective Governance - Q&A With Dr Richard Leblanc,” Wiley - Society Leaders (February 2, 2022).
Leblanc, Richard, “Trends and Issues Boards and Board Committees Must Talk About Today,” Credit Union Management - Governance (February 2, 2022).
Leblanc, Richard, “20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Recruiting, Developing and Renewing Directors” (Toronto: Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, 2019).
Leblanc, Richard, “Eyes and Ears Wide Open” AB International (March, 2018). See
Leblanc, Richard, “Overseeing Culture and the Employee Voice on Boards Under the Proposed UK Code Revisions” Hawkamah Journal (Issue 11, pages 4-6, 2018).
Leblanc, Richard, “Why Governance Evaluations Fail,” The Corporate Board (September / October 2015), pp. 6-10.
Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance Trends, Pressures, and Responses,” Stewardship Review: Insights for the Boardroom Summer 2015, Conference Board of Canada (Toronto: 2015). Click here for the article.
Leblanc, Richard, “What a Board Expects from Management and What Management Expects from A Board,” Boards, Ontario Hospital Association (Toronto: February, 2013), at 9-11.
Leblanc, Richard, “Director removal: a five-point plan” Corporate Governance Quarterly, ICSA Chartered Secretaries Canada (Toronto: Winter, 2012) 4-5. Reproduced with permission from Listed: The Magazine for Canadian Listed Companies, below.
Leblanc, Richard, “Forty Proposals to Strengthen: the Public Company Board of Director’s Role in Value Creation; Management Accountability to the Board; and Board Accountability to Shareholders," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2013) 1-16. See article here.
Leblanc, Richard, Special Editor, “Editorial: Enhancing the effectiveness of the 21st century board of directors,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2013) 10:2, 93-97.
Leblanc, Richard, “Aligning Pay to Value Creation and Performance: 12 compensation opportunities that boards and committees should consider,” ICD Director, Institute of Corporate Directors (Toronto: forthcoming, 2012).
Leblanc, Richard, et al., “General Commentary on European Union Corporate Governance Proposals,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (October 2011) 9:1, 1-35.
Leblanc, Richard “The Walker Review Proposes ‘The Toughest Governance Regime in the World,’” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2010) 7:1, 20-27. Please see here. Adapted and modified from “The Walker Review in the UK Proposes Tough New Regulatory Requirements”, supra. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in International Journal of Disclosure and Governance. The definitive publisher-authenticated version International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (2010) 7:1, 20-27 is available online: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jdg/index.html
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “Effective Boards of Directors: An Examination of Director Behavioural-Types,” Corporate Ownership & Control (Winter 2008) 5:2, 154-167.
Leblanc, Richard “Recruitment, training and assessment (and removal) of directors post SOX,” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (February 2008) 5:1 at 8-14.
Leblanc, Richard, “Risk Management Oversight: Is Your Board at Risk?” Directors Monthly, National Association of Corporate Directors, (Washington, D.C.: June 2008), 17-18. Reprinted within program “The Board’s Role in Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Disclosure,” American Bar Association (ABA) Corporate Governance Committee and Corporate Compliance and Corporate Counsel Committee, New York City, August 9, 2008.
Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance and Board Effectiveness 2.0,” International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics (2007) 3:2, 106-112.
Bury, Sophie, and Leblanc, Richard, “Corporate Governance Research on the Free Web: A Selected Annotated Guide,” Reference Services Review (2007) 35:3, 497-514.
Leblanc, Richard “Effective Risk Oversight by Boards in 2007: What are the Key Areas,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2007) 7:1, 18-20.
Leblanc, Richard “External Disclosure of Leading Governance Assessment Practices: What Shareholders Should be Asking and Companies Should be Disclosing,” International Journal of Disclosure and Governance (August 2007), 167-180.
Smith, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Nose In, Fingers Out: The Role of Outside Directors in Assessing Insurance Company Strategy” Canadian Insurance (Toronto: March 2007), 36-41.
Leblanc, Richard, “Ten Ways to Enhance the Effectiveness of the Audit Committee,” Ivey Business Journal [Online] (September-October 2007).
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “The Black Box of Board Process: Gaining Access to a Difficult Subject,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (September 2007), 843-851.
Leblanc, Richard “The Eight “Cs: Of Board Performance Assessment” The Corporate Board (May-June 2007), 16-21.
Leblanc, Richard, 20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Assessments (Toronto: Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, 2006).
Leblanc, Richard “Assessing Individual Directors: An Idea Whose Time Has Come,” Journal on Corporate Governance in Russia and Other Transitional Economies [Online] (October 2006).
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “Governance 2.0: From Compliance to Strategy: Is Your Board Prepared,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 6:1, 4-6.
Jones, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Human Chemistry and Independent Assessment Drive Boardroom Performance,” Company Director (Australian Institute for Company Directors: July 2006), 50-52.
Jones, Mark, and Leblanc, Richard, “Human ‘Chemistry’: A Key Driver of Future Australian Boardroom Performance,” International Corporate Governance Review (2006), 86-91.
Gillies, James, Bartha, Peter and Leblanc, Richard, “Structure vs. Function and the Evolution of Corporate Governance Regulation and Research in the United States,” Russian Management Journal (2006) 4:1, 147-162.
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 5:2, 6-10. (This article is adapted from Chapter 11 from Inside the Boardroom, supra.)
Leblanc, Richard, “The Nomination and Assessment of Individual Directors: Questions Shareholders Should Be Asking: A Case Study,” Corporate Governance: International Journal for Enhancing Board Performance (2006) 6:3, 24-28.
Leblanc, Richard, “Understanding the Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Across the Board: A Newsletter for Australian Directors (February 2006), 8-10.
Leblanc, Richard, “What Gets Measured Gets Managed,” Across the Board: A Newsletter for Australian Directors (December 2006), 8-10. Reprinted in Audit Committee Quarterly, Audit Committee Institute Ireland (February 2008), 9-11.
Leblanc, Richard “Assessing Board Leadership,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (September 2005), 654-666.
Leblanc, Richard, contributor, “Performance Measurement: A Finance and Management Special Report (SR9),” Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (September 2005), 33-34.
Leblanc, Richard, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Australian Chief Executive (May 2006), “adapted from Richard Leblanc’s address Effective Corporate Governance: Measuring and Benchmarking Board and Director Performance, to CEDA Melbourne on 8 November 2005,” 24-27.
Leblanc, Richard, “Preventing Future Hollingers,” Ivey Business Journal (September-October 2004), 1-9.
Leblanc, Richard, and Schwartz, Mark, “The Black Box of Board Process: Lessons in Studying Difficult Subjects,” Academy of Management Meeting (Research Methods Division), New Orleans, August 2004 (accepted but not presented).
Leblanc, Richard “What’s Wrong With Corporate Governance: A Note,” Corporate Governance: An International Review (October 2004), 436-441.
Leblanc, Richard, “Director Education and Orientation Programs,” The Corporate Board (July-August 2003), 23-25.
Light, Dorothy K., and Leblanc, Richard, “Integrating the New and Educating the Current Director,” The Effective Board (National Association for Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., July 2003), 7-9.
Leblanc, Richard, and Gillies, James, “The Coming Revolution in Corporate Governance,” Ivey Business Journal (September-October 2003), 1-11.
Leblanc, Richard, “Assessing Board Performance: 10 Key Factors,” The Corporate Board (January-February 2002), 1-7.
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Assessments” Directors Monthly, Special Issue on Board Evaluation, National Association of Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., Spring 2002.
Leblanc, Richard, “Research Note on Board Effectiveness,” Director’s Monthly (National Association for Corporate Directors, Washington, D.C., November 2002), 17.
Leblanc, Richard, “Board Assessment: A Top 10 List for Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Board and Individual Directors,” Federated Press Journal of Corporate Governance 2001 (1:4), 38-43.
Leblanc, Richard “Are Global Corporate Governance Practices Converging? A Report to the OECD on Corporate Governance and Lessons from the Asian Currency Crisis,” Global Focus (1999) 11:2, 151-166. (This journal has been merged with Thunderbird International Business Review.)
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice,” within a special essay forum in memory of Max Clarkson, Business & Society (March 1999),
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Directors at the Gate,” Professional Administrator, newsletter of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada (1999) 23:2, 18-21.
Leblanc, Richard, and Hebb, Laurence, “Directors at the Gate,” Professional Administrator, newsletter of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Canada (1999) 23:2, 18-21.
Hebb, Laurence, and Leblanc, Richard, “Ethics in International Business Transactions,” Canadian International Lawyer (1998) 3:1, 1-7, 27.
Please see full and most recent professional journal articles (refereed and non-refereed) here: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Leblanc, Richard, and Lascaris, A. Dimitri, “Shareholder Litigation: An Important Tool for Effecting Corporate Governance Reform,” The Second International Class Action Conference, Westin Hotel, Sydney, Australia, October 25-26, 2007.
Leblanc, Richard, “Improving Board Decision-Making: An Inside View,” Henley Management College, October 2003 and October 2005, Oxfordshire, U.K.
Leblanc, Richard, “Getting Into the Black Box: What Really Matters in Board Decision-Making,” Henley Management College, Oct. 2000, Oxfordshire, U.K.
Conger, Jay, Dalton, Dan, Leblanc, Richard, Liang, Neng, and Useem, Michael, “Boards of Directors,” a Symposium Submission for the Academy of Management Meetings, Chicago, 2009.
Burke, Ronald, and Leblanc, Richard, “Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Ongoing Challenges,” presentation to “Women on Boards of Directors: Interventional Strategies and Global Action for Board Level Gender Equity” Symposium, Academy of Management Meeting, Atlanta, 2006.
Leblanc, Richard, “The Firm: Developing Effective Governance,” in Anand, Anita I. and Flanagan, William F., eds., “Conflicts of Interest in Capital Market Structures: Papers Presented at the 10th Annual Queen’s Business Law Symposium October 2003” (2004), 1-16. See also Peter Dey, “Thoughts on Richard Leblanc’s Paper, ‘The Firm – Developing Effective Governance,’” ibid., 17-18, and W. F. Flanagan, “Comment on Richard Leblanc’s paper…,” ibid., 19-21.
Presentation, “Plenary Session 9: Board Effectiveness: How to Measure What Really Counts,” GUBERNA, Brussels (December 6, 2010). Submission entitled “Separating the Role of Chair and CEO – More is Needed, Including Leadership Skills and Industry Knowledge” accepted (with Katrina Pick) for presentation at the Corporate Governance & Global financial crisis conference, Wharton School, Philadelphia (September 24, 2010). Submission entitled “Working with part-time faculty to enhance teaching and the curriculum” accepted (with Sandra Scott) for Round-Table Discussion at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference, Toronto (June 24, 2010). Submission entitled “The Movement Towards Independently Assured Board Evaluation: Development of Criteria and Processes and Implications for the Internal Audit Function” accepted to the 8th European Conference on Internal Audit and Corporate Governance, Chios, Greece (2010. Did not attend).
Please see: http://www.yorku.ca/rleblanc/html/spc.html
Approach to Teaching
Director, Master in Financial Accountability Program, York University, December 2015 – Present. Grew program from a few dozen students to over 200. See here.
Instructor, DNGM: Law and Corporate Governance, Graduate Diploma in Management, York University, 2020 – present.
Harvard University, Summer Faculty, 26 June – 9 August 2012, 25 June – 8 August 2013, 24 June – 7 August 2014, 13 – 30 July, 2015, 11 – 28 July 2016, 10 – 27 July 2017, 16 July – 2 August 2018, and 15 July – 1 August 2019.
Member, Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University.
Member, PhD Examining Committee, Solange Charas, Case Western Reserve University, 2013-2014.
Research Fellow and Advisory Board Member, Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance, University of Texas at Dallas, Jindal School of Management, 2012 – 2019.
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | GS/FACC6500 3.0 | A | Corporate Governance | ONLN |
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2025 | GS/DMGM5080 1.5 | M | Law and Corporate Governance | ONCA |
