The general counsel as conductor: The quiet force orchestrating governance
In a year where volatility has become the norm and innovation the new baseline, one role is emerging as the quiet force shaping the future of governance: the general counsel (GC).
According to fresh data from the 2026 What Directors Think survey of 200 U.S. public company board members, directors are asking for integrated risk insight, smarter strategic planning and tools that help them govern in real time, not once a quarter. The GC is uniquely positioned to deliver all of this.
What follows is a data‑backed look at the governance trends defining 2026, and why the GC is becoming the board’s most essential strategic integrator.
Why boards are leaning on the GC in a high‑velocity M&A market
Growth is back — and in a big way.
40% of directors say pursuing growth through M&A or strategic partnerships is a top priority for 2026, signaling renewed appetite for bold moves despite economic uncertainty.
But with big bets come big risks. Directors want clarity, structured oversight and alignment across legal, financial and operational functions.
No one sees those intersections better than the GC. That makes their guidance essential as companies navigate accelerated deal cycles, heightened regulatory scrutiny and AI‑driven market shifts.
AI ambition meets a skills gap the GC is expected to bridge
Boards know technology is the future, but they also know they’re not fully prepared for it.
42% say technology adoption and integration will be their top capital investment focus in 2026. Yet only 8% believe their board has strong AI expertise.
And only 23% say they use AI regularly in risk oversight, even as AI reshapes every corner of the enterprise.
The gap is clear: ambition is high, but capability lags.
This is the moment for the GC to step in as translator, educator and ethical steward — connecting innovation to compliance, risk and strategy.
A new era of risk: Integration, speed and guidance
Risk oversight is undergoing a structural shift.
84% of directors say their scenario planning has changed in the last five years to account for new risks. 94% believe there is room for improvement in how their board oversees risk.
And AI and technology-related regulation tops both the compliance priority list (50%) and the most underestimated risk list (41%).
Boards are calling for deeper integration across data, functions and decision‑making.
The GC is naturally positioned to lead this evolution, bringing together regulatory foresight, enterprise visibility and cross-functional coordination.
In the words of one director’s insight from the research: boards don’t just want more information. They want the right information, contextualized, connected and strategically relevant. That is the GC’s superpower.
The GC as the board’s strategic integrator: Conducting the symphony
Boards agree: their biggest bottleneck isn’t a lack of data, it’s a lack of synthesis.
58% want more time dedicated to strategic planning.
40% want access to AI‑powered tools to help them oversee strategy, risk and performance.
What they’re really asking for is someone to orchestrate the noise.
Someone who sees across the full business, understands the regulatory currents beneath every decision and can bring the right experts to the right conversations at exactly the right moments.
That someone is the general counsel — the leader who integrates risk, strategy, compliance and organizational insight into a forward‑looking governance model.
Planning for an AI-enabled workforce
Boards are confronting a widening skills gap, not just in the workforce but at the leadership level.
51% say executive turnover and succession planning is the top talent priority.
45% cite reskilling for emerging technologies like AI as a 2026 focus.
As companies reorganize around AI and automation, the GC becomes a crucial advisor on governance structures, workforce implications and ethical guidelines. They help boards anticipate not only what skills leaders need today, but what capabilities the organization will require tomorrow.
Forward-looking governance: The shift boards are asking for
Boards want to spend less time revisiting what already happened and more time anticipating what comes next.
Yet only 12% of directors say their meetings are mostly forward‑looking. Half say they rarely receive real‑time or near‑real‑time data.
The desire is clear: boards want a continuous governance model — one that is dynamic, data‑driven and integrated into day‑to‑day operations.
This is where the GC plays a defining role: curating, contextualizing and coordinating the information that helps directors move from retrospective oversight to strategic guidance.
A new governance era with the GC at the center
The 2026 research couldn’t be clearer:
Boards want deeper insight, better risk integration, more strategic time and tools that accelerate decision‑making.
The general counsel is the connective tissue that makes that possible.
As businesses navigate AI transformation, volatile markets, regulatory shifts and rapid‑fire risks, the GC isn’t just a legal leader — they’re becoming the architect of a more integrated, future‑focused model of governance.
To explore the data behind this shift and what it means for your board, read the full 2026 What Directors Think report.
What Directors Think 2026: AI, M&A and the next era of board oversight
In this episode of the Corporate Director Podcast, Diligent Institute’s Kira Ciccarelli sits down with Melanie Nolen, Head of Research at Chief Executive Group, to unpack the latest findings from the long running What Directors Think survey of U.S. public company directors.
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