MANAGING DIRECTOR
8 Sound Shore Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
Telephone: (203) 618-7022
Email
Articles by Barrett Stephens:
A Call to Action in the Boardroom
The New within Nominating Committees
Disney’s Lesson Never Learned
Barrett J. Stephens is a Managing Director and helps lead the firm and its Board Services practice. He has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes, from the Fortune 10 to pre-IPO companies on governance issues including director recruiting, succession planning, and board assessments. Mr. Stephens is also a member of the Financial Services Practice and spearheads the firm’s private equity practice, recruiting independent directors, senior advisors, CEOs and CFOs to both public and private corporations. He has worked a wide range of companies including United Technologies, General Motors, JPMorgan Chase, ExxonMobil, Morgans Hotel, Monster Worldwide, EDS, and CIT. He joined RSR Partners (formerly Directorship) in 1999.
Over the past decade, Mr. Stephens has published his viewpoints on the changing governance landscape including the impact of Sarbox, UK Combined Code and recent SEC proposed amendments.
In Mr. Stephens’ recent article, “Call to Action” (2010), he states that “a great board is created when everyone knows their responsibilities, holds each other accountable and is mutually committed to the long-term success of the company and its stakeholders. The most common reason for a board to underperform is its inability to remove ineffective or disruptive directors and replace them with individuals who have the time, interest and expertise to make an impact. With increased transparency and access for shareholders by the SEC, Boards can no longer procrastinate in taking action, otherwise discontent shareholders will have the ability to take matters into their own hands.”
Mr. Stephens earned his MBA from Columbia University and a B.A. from the University of Virginia. Mr. Stephens and his wife reside in Darien, CT.
