Board prep isn’t just busy — it’s layered. You’re managing last-minute updates, reviewing past minutes and aligning on templates — all while keeping everything on track. This month’s 

 enhancements are designed to take the friction out of your workflow — helping you move faster, stay aligned and focus on what matters.

Best practices, built in: New Diligent Minutes template

Built on best practices from thousands of governance teams, our new template streamlines the process with smarter defaults — including automatic company name population.

Prefer the legacy template? That's still available too.

Sometimes you need to revisit a draft — even if it’s already “in review.” This update gives users the flexibility to switch minute statuses back and forth, without being locked into a rigid chronological flow.

It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference for teams who need to revise, collaborate, and move fast.

Minutes can now be toggled from “in review” back to “draft”

Supports non-linear workflows and real-world revision cycles

Reduces friction during editing and approval

Consistency made easy with admin-set Smart Book Builder templates

Admins can now upload a default Smart Book Builder template for the entire organization — helping teams start from the same place and stay consistent.

No more guesswork. No more version control headaches:

Admins upload one default template for everyone

Users can still swap in their own if needed

Presentations stay aligned across departments

Presenter mode, now smoother for everyone

Less distraction. More clarity. A better experience for everyone in the room — virtual or otherwise. With updated Presenter and Follow the Presenter modes, it’s now easier to guide your audience and keep their focus where it matters.

Eliminate the need for your audience to search for the right page — they’ll automatically follow the presenter in real time:

Full-page view with fit-to-width settings for better visibility

Clearer zoom options and highlighted presentation areas

Quick navigation icon to return to panels

Presenter’s name now visible to followers

A new navigation experience that fits your workflow: The updated Data Room sidebar now makes it easier to distinguish between personal and team environments. This update is all about helping you get where you need to go — fast.

Clear section headers that guide users intuitively

Enhanced iconography for faster recognition

This month’s updates make continuous governance learning more accessible across your organization, whether you're onboarding new team members or sharpening your own skills.

Never start from scratch: Explore 80+ new resources in the Education & Templates Library

 designed to support your governance work.

From AI in governance to scaling private company oversight, the latest additions reflect the topics governance teams are asking about most:

Downloadable templates for board prep and reporting

Content tailored to company secretaries, private companies, and emerging governance trends

You asked, we delivered. This update adds a direct link from Diligent Boards to Diligent Academy — making it easier to browse courses, watch videos, and access resources without login interruptions.

SSO-enabled access from the Education & Templates page

Instant entry to the full Academy library

Easier discovery of training materials and governance content

 All updates are now available in your Diligent Boards platform.

Some features, like Smart Book Builder templates or Data Room navigation, may require admin configuration. Reach out to your customer success manager for support.

 Visit the Education & Templates Library via the Boards interface for short courses, videos, and downloadable resources.

I’m not yet a Diligent customer, how can I see these features in action? 

 and one of our product specialists will be in touch shortly.

If you’re already a Diligent customer, log into your platform today and start exploring what’s new. 

 Your customer success manager is ready to guide you.

, and one of our product experts will connect with you shortly to show how Diligent can transform your board and governance workflows with AI.

Seamless, smart and ready to go: What’s new in Diligent Boards this month

GC Risk Index: GCs report heightened risks

A new survey of general counsel, chief compliance officers and audit leaders finds business risk on the rise in the third quarter, amid turbulent regulatory environment and tariff impact. 

Since the start of the year, geopolitical pressures have combined with trade negotiations and deregulation efforts to create heightened volatility for business. And as we begin the fourth quarter of the year, that instability shows little sign of improvement. 

Business risk is surging, according to legal and compliance leaders surveyed by Corporate Board Member as part of our Q3 Business Risk Index, which is a survey of general counsel, compliance leaders and audit members conducted in partnership with Diligent Institute. 

Legal and compliance chiefs are rating thel evel of risk in the current business environment at 7.9 out of 10, on a scale where 1 is Negligible and 10 is Significant. That number has been rising significantly since Q1, when business risk was rated just 5.8 out of 10––an increase of 36 percent since then.

Those polled say they find heightened risk amid the continued disruption of the Trump administration’s tariffs decisions, ongoing geopolitical conflicts and sticky inflation.

“The convergence of these factors keeps risk levels high and requires businesses to invest more in proactive compliance, risk management, scenario planning and governance frameworks,” says Taras Lytovchenko, the chief legal and compliance officer at Trinitex.

Many others who participated in the September survey echoed Lytovchenko’s sentiment, citing “tariff games by the administration” and “macroeconomic forces” as pertinent to this high-risk environment.

Interestingly, while the majority also cited the unpredictability of the regulatory environment as one of the top risks for business right now, that proportion is down 10 percentage points since last quarter. Kristy Grant-Hart, vice president and head of advisory services for Spark Compliance, a Diligent Brand, says companies may feel more prepared to navigate regulatory uncertainty thanks to proactive compliance measures and increased investment in monitoring and risk management.

“As organizations grow more confident in their regulatory frameworks, attention is turning toward more specific business risks like shifting tariffs and global volatility. This could reflect a positive trend in compliance maturity, where legal and compliance teams have built robust processes that allow them to respond to regulatory changes with more agility,” she says.

According to the survey, legal and compliance teams are indeed working to strengthen their companies’ ability to insulate themselves from these impacts and withstand a continuation of the uncertainty in the year ahead. Of the measures they are taking to do so, most list the increasing use of technology, including artificial intelligence, for monitoring and regulatory tracking purposes.

Overall, however, every aspect of compliance is being reinforced, including compliance/ethics training for employees and policy/procedural reviews. The only aspect not expected to increase in priority in the near term is “whistleblower or reporting channels,” which was flat year over year.

“Organizations leading the way in compliance are leveraging technology and procedural reviews not just to meet regulatory obligations but also to strengthen their overall risk posture,” says Grant-Hart. “When companies prioritize advanced compliance tools and ongoing risk assessments, they’re better equipped to anticipate regulatory changes and minimize exposure to emerging risks."

Respondents are divided in their management of geopolitical uncertainty—a divide that’s likely driven by their level of exposure to the turbulence of international trade and tariff stressors.

On one side, the data shows some companies have also been more proactive than others in creating a response plan early on: nearly one-third (27 percent) say they have either expanded their monitoring of cross-border trade or have consulted external advisors on global regulations.

On the other side, data shows43 percent are not changing their compliance priorities at all in response to increased geopolitical instability. This is unexpected—and alarming—as respondents ranked “geopolitical conflicts” as the third-most-pressing risk for business right now. True compliance resilience means actively reassessing policies and controls considering new global developments rather than waiting for risk to materialize. Proactive compliance planning enables organizations to adapt swiftly in an environment where regulatory expectations are constantly evolving.

When it comes to managing AI-related risks, the survey finds most legal and compliance teams have begun crafting some form of governing policies or usage guidelines: 29 percent say their company has a comprehensive plan for governing the use of AI, and another 38 percent say the guidelines are being drafted as we speak.

This ongoing process in a space that is rapidly evolving is perhaps why, though companies are increasing their efforts surrounding AI use, most say they are not “very confident” in their effectiveness: 44 percent report their policies need some refinement, while 33 percent say they are entirely insufficient.

This highlights the strain of AI adoption. While many companies feel an internal pressure to adopt these technologies for various uses, they are also adding complexity to the mix. Effective compliance in the AI era is about more than following the rules, Grant-Hart says, it’s about building transparency and trust in how these technologies are managed.

Legal chiefs’ lack of confidence in their ability to manage AI risk may also explain why directors remain hesitant about adopting such technologies for themselves. In Corporate Board Member’s 

, just 10 percent of directors surveyed said they use AI regularly for oversight purposes, and 32 percent don’t use it at all.

“This disconnect between thorough AI planning by compliance professionals and limited AI adoption at the board level points to the broader challenge of ensuring boards fully grasp both the risks and benefits of AI from a compliance perspective,” says Grant-Hart. “Bridging this gap takes ongoing board education and open dialogue, so directors are empowered to govern emerging technologies in alignment with sound compliance principles.”

Corporate Board Member, a division of Chief Executive Group, has been the market leader in board education for 20 years. The quarterly publication provides public company board members, CEOs, general counsel and corporate secretaries decision-making tools to address the wide range of corporate governance, risk oversight and shareholder engagement issues facing their boards. Corporate Board Member further extends its thought leadership through online resources, webinars, timely research, conferences and peer-driven roundtables. The company maintains the most comprehensive database of directors and officers of publicly traded companies listed with NYSE, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq.

Diligent Institute informs, educates, and connects leaders to champion modern governance. We provide original, cutting-edge research on the most pressing issues in corporate governance; certifications and educational programs that equip leaders with the knowledge and credentials needed to guide their organizations through existential challenges; networks that convene directors and corporate executives to share best practices and insights; and awards and recognition programs that celebrate the accomplishments of those who champion modern governance. Learn more at 

GC Risk Index: GCs report heightened risks 

This article originally appeared in our September 11, 2025 edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe

Governance Technology Evolution: Milestones & Shifts

When I first started in the governance technology space twenty years ago, the world was a very different place. Most companies were still governed by the rhythms of paper, pen and marathon meetings. At the time, Sarbanes-Oxley loomed large, reshaping how public companies understood and enforced accountability. Technology in governance was viewed mostly as a way to make board processes more efficient but not fundamentally different.

Back then, the pitch to boards was simple: let technology help you do what you’re already doing, but with less friction and better consistency. The truth was, many directors didn’t believe board service was all that complicated. The role was narrowly defined: hire the CEO, ensure the company’s general wellbeing, and report to shareholders. Risk oversight was barely on the radar, and the idea of technology revolutionizing governance felt, at times, like a solution in search of a problem.

Then came the iPad - both a popular executive holiday gift, and an unexpected inflection point in the governance technology space. Suddenly, directors realized the device could replace the unwieldy board books that weighed down their bags and their schedules. Within months, every governance technology provider rushed to market with an iPad app. Usage soared, but the core proposition for governance software hadn’t yet changed: it was still focused on making board meetings more efficient.

New challenges shift the governance paradigm

Around 2015, another shift occurred when board members found themselves besieged by new and complex challenges: cybersecurity breaches, ESG demands, shareholder activism, and the ever-expanding universe of stakeholder expectations. The job of the board was becoming more about risk oversight. Directors no longer had a passive role, but an active responsibility for scanning the horizon and anticipating what might come next. I started hearing directors say, “I want to see what’s coming around the corner.” That mindset shift was profound, and the focus moved from looking backward to looking forward.

This shift drove the next wave of innovation in 

 We knew that boards needed more than digital board books summarizing old data; they needed better dashboards, tools for smarter decision-making, and real-time insights. At Diligent, it was the spark that sent us down the road to becoming a true GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) platform. We started building a line of sight that stretched from the frontlines of the business straight to the boardroom. The goal was to enable directors to do their jobs, not just track what management had already done.

Then the pandemic hit. In an instant, board meetings couldn’t happen unless they went digital and virtual. Concerns about security lurked, especially with everyone working outside traditional firewalls, but Diligent’s commitment to cloud-based encryption and secure access paid off. Necessity propelled long-overdue adoption, and the world of governance technology leapt forward more in a few months than it had in years.

The arrival of generative AI: Boards as architects of the future

Generative AI & the Future of Board Governance

 brought even more layers of complexity: increased market volatility, heightened geopolitical risks, workforce transformation, and the need to revisit what effective oversight really meant. And then, almost on cue, generative AI burst onto the scene. Directors are now seeing tools that could help them “see around the corner” by generating more nuanced scenarios, calculating risk probabilities and offering creative approaches to opportunity assessment. 

We’re at the beginning of understanding what GenAI will mean for governance. In some ways, it feels eerily familiar - a land grab for new tools and capabilities with uncertainty about risk, bias, privacy, and the limits of automation. My hope is that GenAI does not become a more efficient way to do the same things, but a tool that will transform governance itself. Imagine board members focused more on future scenarios than past performance, empowered to ask better questions, spot emerging threats and trends, and help their companies prepare for the unknown.

Of course, as with any new technology there are some 

 GenAI should be a thought partner, not a decision-maker, and we must guard against the temptation to abdicate judgment and let GenAI do the thinking for us. Bias, data privacy, and intellectual property challenges are real risks we must address, not just acknowledge. Mistakes were made with earlier tech rollouts (social media and recommendation engines among them), and we have the opportunity with GenAI to get it right before the window closes.

Looking back, I’m struck by how much the field has changed - and how much further it still has to go. The first twenty years of governance technology were about digitizing and streamlining current processes. The next twenty years could be about reinventing the job itself: helping boards shift from stewards of the past to architects of the future. Whatever comes next, I remain optimistic - and more than a little curious.

As boards face this new era shaped by AI, risk, and rising stakeholder expectations, preparedness is everything.

 from the Diligent Institute and Corporate Board Member to see how directors can navigate uncertainty, embrace innovation responsibly, and build the boardroom of the future.

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Seamless, smart and ready to go: What’s new in Diligent Boards this month

GC Risk Index: GCs report heightened risks

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