On October 18, the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals (www.governanceprofessionals.org) elected Kenneth A. Bertsch as its new president and chief executive officer. Mr. Bertsch currently serves as executive director, Corporate Governance of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and has more than 30 years of experience in corporate governance.
"We're delighted to bring a recognized thought leader in corporate governance issues and trends to lead the Society," said Katherine K. Combs, chair of the Society's board of directors. "Ken shares our members' strategic priorities, including a deep commitment to strengthening corporate governance in board rooms, expanding the Society's educational programs and supporting corporate secretaries and governance professionals. He also brings a wealth of knowledge, practical ideas and perspective to assist regulators, legislators, corporations and investors in developing effective governance reforms."
Mr. Bertsch will assume his new position in December. He replaces David W. Smith, who stepped down in July after serving as president and CEO of the Society for 20 years.
At Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Mr. Bertsch leads global corporate governance policy development and proxy voting for its mutual funds and institutional clients. He engages issuers on governance issues, interacts with investors and represents Morgan Stanley Investment Management in corporate governance forums and through the news media. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Bertsch served as managing director for Moody's Investors Service, where he developed Moody's qualitative method of incorporating corporate governance into fundamental credit analyses. He also served in senior corporate governance leadership and policy development positions at TIAA-CREF and the Investor Responsibility Research Center.