At DHR, we are globally engaged to stay apprised of Board & CEO agendas. The world is quickly changing, and with it a tectonic shift in the focus toward environmental and social topics occurred during the 2021 proxy season. While companies have been analyzing ESG for years, for many stakeholders the past year served as a catalyst to prioritize, activate and integrate ESG risk management into the organization and strategic plan. Covid 19-related health concerns, civil unrest due to social injustice, economic inequalities and climate change all amplified the importance of a well-run ESG program. Having management conduct, and the board oversee, a sustainability materiality assessment involves engaging with the company’s most important stakeholders to identify and prioritize ESG topics. Technology, climate, supply chain, cybersecurity, and data governance all present an opportunity for either competitive advantage or failure. Expanding the purview of key committees aligns environmental and social oversight responsibilities with the core work of those committees and may better integrate related matters into overall governance. For example, the nominating and governance committee can focus on addressing the expectations of stakeholders and integrate material issues into the full board, committee responsibilities and areas of expertise; the compensation committee can oversee ESG alignment to executive; the audit committee can oversee ESG disclosure reporting.