It’s 4 p.m. on Friday, and you’re frantically pulling together board materials for Monday’s meeting. Sound familiar? We’ve rolled out a new set of enhancements in 

 designed to make those last-minute scrambles a thing of the past.

From AI that understands your formatting preferences to mobile questionnaires that work seamlessly across devices, these updates are all about saving time, reducing stress and giving you more control over your governance workflow.

Building board materials is easier than ever with two powerful new updates: 

. Start with pre-built best-practice templates for board and investor presentations, audit committee presentations, pitch decks, annual general meetings and more, all inserted with a single click.

Then customize your content in a familiar, Word-like editor where you can bold, italicize, and structure text naturally without markdowns. Together, these updates make creating professional board materials faster and more intuitive than ever.

That’s just the beginning! Smart Book Builder’s recent innovations include:

Smart Book Builder is no longer just for administrators. Director and executive users can now create AI-powered documents too, so your entire team can work smarter without using up admin seats.

 Compliance just got easier. If your organization needs to keep data local, Smart Book Builder now supports sites in the U.K., Germany (EU) and Australia.

Tired of bookmarking URLs? Your customer success manager can now add a button directly in your Boards interface for quick access to Smart Book Builder.

Got financial data in spreadsheets? Now you can upload Excel or CSV files directly into Smart Book Builder as source material. Perfect for generating accurate reports based on real data.

Write your guidelines in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, and Smart Book Builder will generate your document in the same language.

More mobility, greater efficiency and easy customization

Creating professional minutes no longer means hours of manual formatting. You can now upload your own Word templates with placeholders, and your meeting minutes will automatically match your organization’s style. That means less time tweaking fonts and spacing, and more time focusing on what matters.

Ever wished you could control how your meeting books are structured? Now you can. Choose numbering styles (numbers, roman numerals, letters) for each section and decide whether pagination runs across the entire book or resets with each tab. Your board materials will look cleaner and be easier to navigate, exactly how you want them.

Directors can now complete questionnaires on the go, right from the Boards app. Whether you’re in a taxi, at the airport, or between meetings, you can respond without waiting to get back to your computer. It’s a small change that eliminates big delays.

No more rearranging agendas after the book is created. When building a meeting book from Data Room folders, you can now reorder agenda items as you go using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It’s faster, easier, and ensures your final structure is right the first time.

Elevated governance and enhanced security

Diligent Data Room gets (even more) serious about security

Our secure file sharing solution has evolved into a comprehensive Virtual Data Room, purpose-built for high-stakes scenarios like M&A, fundraising and audits. With an intuitive interface and enterprise-grade security, you’ll get the professional infrastructure to stay compliant and maintain full control.

Stay transaction-ready with these five new features:

Track document views, time spent, and user activity

Require NDAs or Terms before granting access

Apply custom watermarks to secure your content

Hide member identities during competitive bids

Receive real-time notifications for any updates

And it’s not just about individual deals. Diligent Data Room also strengthens governance and keeps internal teams aligned with a secure system of record for contracts, financials, and IP to help you improve compliance and operational efficiency across the board.

Smart Risk Scanner goes live for all users

Risk scanning shouldn’t be optional; it should be easy. Smart Risk Scanner is now live for all customers with GovernAI activated. Quickly scan board books for potential issues before they become problems.

 Most features are automatically available. Smart Risk Scanner rolls out to all GovernAI customers this month.

Which features require setup and how do I do it? 

For Smart Book Builder button placement, Data Room features or regional data storage, contact your customer success manager.

 No, these updates enhance your existing processes.

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 experiencing these updates firsthand. 

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.

Discover how to conduct smarter board meetings with AI tools for tracking, prep and key insights.

Become an AI-empowered board

Changing the governance game: This month’s Diligent innovations

Board meeting preparation has reached a breaking point. The average board pack has grown to 226 pages, and 

research from the Chartered Governance Institute

 reveals that 54% of board members describe finding key messages in their board materials as "like finding a needle in a haystack."

The challenge is clear: how do you prepare for a board meeting in a way that helps directors find what matters most? Companies that solve this problem see faster decision-making and stronger stakeholder confidence. The answer lies in systematic preparation that puts strategic insights first.

Why preparation quality determines enterprise board effectiveness

What materials enterprise companies must prepare

10-step preparation checklist optimized for large organizations

How AI technology transforms traditional preparation workflows

Board meeting preparation is typically a collaborative effort. 

 have a particularly critical role in preparing for board, audit and 

 held throughout the year, but they should have support.

Various other teams — executives, finance, HR, risk and compliance, and more — should prepare 

to ensure they’re accurate, and provide the corporate secretary with the necessary input to finalize the 

At the same time, the IT department should work to ensure technology mishaps don’t impede the meeting, while public relations prepares communication for shareholders or the public as needed.

Why is board meeting preparation important?

 — and the preparation they require — are part of 

, which are the structure that helps corporations abide by state and federal laws and protect their shareholders' interests. Rigorous 

A well-prepared board meeting will give the board key reports and resources ahead of the meeting. This gives directors time to review data in advance and make more timely decisions during the meeting according to 

By keeping a calendar of all meetings and proactively preparing for them, the secretary ensures that the meeting is timely, relevant and 

complies with relevant laws and regulations

 Preparation quality directly impacts risk identification and response capabilities. Boards that receive comprehensive risk assessments identify emerging threats earlier than those with minimal preparation. The early identification enables proactive mitigation strategies rather than crisis response modes.

Board meeting preparation ensures that all information is clearly communicated to directors. That leads to a boardroom environment that fosters understanding and collaboration.

Professional preparation signals governance maturity to institutional investors, 

, and regulatory bodies. Enterprise companies demonstrating preparation excellence achieve stronger stakeholder confidence metrics and reduced regulatory scrutiny.

What should I prepare for a board meeting?

There’s more to prepare for a board meeting than you might think. It’s a best practice to take steps to prepare both online and off to ensure the meeting is successful, including:

Action item tracking from previous meetings with completion status

While this list may seem extensive, adequate preparation across all these areas ensures nothing critical falls through the cracks during high-stakes enterprise board meetings.

10-step board meeting preparation checklist

Enterprise board meeting preparation requires processes that accommodate complex information gathering, stakeholder review, and compliance assurance.

This comprehensive checklist provides actionable steps that scale across business units and maintain governance quality standards:

Step 1: Document previous meeting outcomes (within 48 hours)

Immediately capture decisions, action items, and follow-up requirements while discussions remain fresh. Corporate secretaries should draft 

 within 24 hours, highlighting specific commitments and regulatory obligations.

Step 2: Establish continuous information gathering (ongoing process)

Create systematic processes for collecting reports, performance data, and strategic updates throughout the board cycle. Finance teams should maintain rolling board reporting packages while business unit leaders contribute regular updates.

Step 3: Strategic agenda development (8-10 weeks before meeting)

Collaborate with board chairs, CEOs, and committee chairs to identify strategic priorities requiring board attention. Enterprise organizations require extended timelines to accommodate complex topic preparation and cross-functional coordination.

In your agenda framework, you can reserve 60-70% for strategic discussions, allocate 20-25% for governance matters, and limit operational updates to 10-15%. Then, schedule executive sessions for sensitive topics.

Step 4: Secure enterprise meeting infrastructure (6-8 weeks before meeting)

Reserve meeting venues, select appropriate technology platforms, and establish security frameworks for enterprise board meetings. Coordinate logistical requirements across potentially global director locations and configure initial enterprise-grade security protocols.

Step 5: Coordinate cross-functional material collection (6-8 weeks before meeting)

Gather committee reports, financial analyses, competitive intelligence summaries and strategic updates from across enterprise business units. Establish clear deadlines and accountability frameworks for material contributors.

Step 6: Implement quality assurance review (4-6 weeks before meeting)

Execute comprehensive review processes to make sure materials meet enterprise governance standards and regulatory requirements. Plan for multiple review cycles to accommodate stakeholder feedback and accuracy validation.

Verify that executive summaries highlight key decisions

Reconcile financial data with audited statements

Validate risk assessments with subject matter experts

Ensure compliance with SEC disclosure requirements

Step 7: Finalize technology testing and user access (3-4 weeks before meeting)

Complete comprehensive testing of all technology systems, verify user access permissions, and troubleshoot any platform issues. Test enterprise 

 functionality, configure mobile accessibility features, verify integration with enterprise systems, and ensure backup systems are operational.

Step 8: Final material distribution (7-10 days before meeting)

Distribute comprehensive board packages through secure enterprise channels, enabling thorough director preparation. Independent directors require adequate time for meaningful review of complex strategic decisions.

Provide secure portal access with appropriate permissions

Include executive summaries highlighting key decision points

Enable confidential feedback capabilities

Step 9: Confirm attendance and prepare executive sessions (2-3 days before meeting)

Confirm global director availability and technology requirements, prepare executive session agendas and materials. Additionally, you should coordinate independent director discussion topics and brief committee chairs on specific oversight matters.

Step 10: Conduct final leadership alignment (24-48 hours before meeting)

Execute final coordination with board leadership while completing last-minute preparations. Address any emerging issues requiring board attention and ensure presenters understand time allocations and discussion objectives.

How AI technology improves enterprise board meeting preparation

AI-powered platforms address persistent challenges around preparation efficiency, information quality, and compliance oversight that manual processes cannot resolve at an enterprise scale.

Intelligent document creation for enterprise scale

AI-powered document creation transforms how large organizations build comprehensive board materials from multiple business units and data sources. These systems analyze board materials, organizational priorities, and outstanding enterprise action items to automatically generate first drafts.

eliminates manual board book compilation from enterprise data sources.

Instead of spending days gathering documents from multiple business units, formatting presentations, and coordinating stakeholder contributions, corporate secretaries generate professional board materials in hours. This automation addresses one of the most time-intensive aspects of enterprise board preparation.

Automated enterprise risk and compliance monitoring

 provides automated review of enterprise board materials for potential legal, regulatory, and compliance issues before distribution. These systems analyze document content for:

Governance requirements affecting public companies

 identifies enterprise-level risks instantly

 flagging regulatory concerns, data security issues, and governance gaps requiring attention before materials reach independent directors. This proactive risk identification helps organizations address potential issues during document preparation rather than discovering problems during meetings or after decisions are made.

Strategic intelligence and decision support

AI-powered meeting preparation provides strategic insights and discussion guidance that enhance enterprise board engagement and decision quality. These systems analyze enterprise board materials and organizational context to generate relevant questions, identify strategic discussion areas, and suggest focus topics for board attention.

capabilities provide independent directors with targeted questions and insights that enhance meeting readiness and drive more effective enterprise governance discussions.

Rather than reviewing static materials, directors receive AI-generated analysis highlighting key themes, potential concerns, and strategic implications requiring board consideration across global operations.

Turn board meeting preparation into world-class governance

Board preparation becomes more critical as companies grow larger and face greater complexity. AI-powered tools solve the biggest preparation challenges — reducing time spent on manual work while helping directors find what matters most.

Best-in-class governance platforms like Diligent integrate Smart Board Book Builder preparation, Smart Risk Scanner compliance monitoring, and strategic intelligence that enables enterprise boards to focus on strategic guidance rather than administrative coordination.

Ready to transform your enterprise board preparation? 

 to see how Diligent reduces board meeting preparation time and improves enterprise governance.

Board meeting preparation: A 10-step checklist

This article originally appeared in our August 28 edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe 

My colleague Josh Black, Vice President of Editorial at Diligent, doesn’t use words like “eventful” and “unconventional” lightly. So, when I saw them front and center in the editor’s forward of this year’s Proxy Season Review, which Diligent Market Intelligence prepares in association with Olshan Frome Wolosky and Campaign Management, I paid even more attention than usual.

“It is difficult to recall a more eventful or unconventional proxy season since the first year of the pandemic,” Black declared. 

Relentless market volatility is only part of it

. Activists have beena dopting new tactics and advancing stronger director candidates to achieve their desired objectives, especially in the U.S. “It feels very much like an inflection point,” Black added.

Proxy season 2025: Evolving shareholder engagement strategies

In this year’s review, his team examines this inflection point, connecting the dots between what we’ve seen in this year’s proxy season and what these trends mean for boards and advisors right now. Here are a few key takeaways, starting with shareholder engagement.

You’ve probably observed a noted decline in proactive communications by institutional investors lately. Regulatory developments, like revised guidance on Schedule 13D/G eligibility, are a big part of this.“ Norms have unmistakably evolved,” Campaign Management CEO and Founder Michael Fein pointed out in his analysis. “Institutional investors paused outreach, reassessed compliance exposure, and pulled back from dialogue just as several proxy campaigns were gathering momentum.”

Shareholders still care deeply about board structure, accountability, and transparency — critical contributors to strong corporate performance in uncertain times.

In the first half of the year, 33 governance-focused proposals passed with majority support. Board composition has been a common target, with director shuffles at Phillips 66 and Penn Entertainment far from isolated anomalies. We’ve also seen a significant increase in withhold campaigns for driving director changes and other demands.

2. Make real-time data and shareholder sentiment a board priority

Amid this perfect storm of new tactics, heightened scrutiny and radio silence from institutional investors, it’s harder than ever to anticipate vote dynamics and activist positioning.

Is a withhold campaign targeted pressure for governance enhancements, or a prelude to a full-blown proxy fight? Your company’s future depends on answering questions like these quickly and well. And this means moving beyond historical data, guesswork and ad hoc interpretation to real-time intelligence.

Now is the time to invest in systems and processes that deliver accurate, actionable data on investor sentiment, proxy trends, and governance benchmarks.

It’s time to look beyond business as usual for shareholder engagement as well. This means rethinking how your organization interacts with institutional investors. What new touchpoints can you leverage to fill in communication gaps? How can you proactively share your governance story — especially future-focused strategies and positive milestones — in a way that responds to current trends and sentiment?

Think about harnessing all of the data collected in the steps above, like 

 and proposal outcomes, to shape your narrative. “The 2025 proxy season made clear that activists will not sit on the sidelines waiting for more ideal economic conditions,” Andrew Freedman, Chair of Olshan Frome Wolosky’s Shareholder Activism Practice Group, warned in this year’s review. And here’s what he recommends: “Stay prepared to respond to well-crafted demands and sharp strategies, underscored by an unwavering focus on performance and accountability.”

Keep reading for more on the 2025 proxy season

Dive into our full analysis — AI, ESG, 2025’s wildest campaigns and much more — in the full report: The Proxy Season Review 2025.

Want regular access to original research in the field of GRC? Bookmark our 

 for the latest surveys, podcasts and reports.

2025 proxy recap: Pivotal shifts for the road ahead 

Boardroom Confidence Erodes In August Poll Amid Washington ‘Chaos’

Survey finds a growing number of public company directors forecast flat growth for the rest of the year, despite new tax cuts. The big opportunity? AI adoption.

After months of tariff-fueled ups and downs, America's public company board members appear to have found some emotional equilibrium about the state of the economy—but it's hardly optimistic.

The latest reading from our Director Confidence Index, a quarterly poll of public company board members in the U.S. conducted by Corporate Board Member and Diligent Institute, finds directors’ perception of the current business environment unchanged since Q2, with little expectation for improvement in the year to come.

Directors rate current conditions at 4.9 out of 10, a modest improvement from last quarter's 4.4 but still well below the 6.7 optimism they expressed at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, their 12-month forecast holds steady q/q at 4.8 out of 10, suggesting a potential plateau for business, amid the competing Washington forces of tariffs, potential Fed cuts and the OBBB.

“We expect higher inflation, rising unemployment and a possible recession, potentially leading to stagflation,” said one director polled, attributing these events to “ongoing tariffs and other policies of the current administration.”

Others point to nascent signs of increasing unemployment, overvalued stock markets and weakening consumer demand, all of which they attribute to DC decision-making rather than any underlying economic fragility. “Chaos at the federal level making investment decisions riskier,” explained one director, echoing several others who said tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty are impacting consumer behavior as well as corporate strategies.

At the same time, manyexpect tailwinds fromthe One Big Beautiful Bill, the influx of foreign investments and the settling of trade agreements, which they say help support business growth. As one director put it: “Stable tax rates, tariffs which are in place and understood, and significant corporate and foreign investment in new plants and services” are driving his optimism.

The likelihood that the Fed will cut rates at their upcoming meeting is also helping curb the negative impact of Washington-imposed headwinds. “I expect tariffs will be settled, interest rates will be lower, and the overall confidence of the consumer will improve,” one director said, explainingher 12-month forecastfor business of 6 out of 10.

Overall though, our August poll shows a deep erosion indirectors’ outlook, with many morepredicting economic conditions will deteriorate in the near term: 37 percent vs. 21 percent in Q2. 

Corporate forecasts for the months ahead remain about where they were last quarter:

65 percent expect revenues to increase over the next 12 months, unchanged from Q2.

56percent expect profits to increase during that same period, vs. 59 percent in Q2.

42 percent plan to increase capital expenditures in that period, vs. 41 percent in Q2.

Against this backdrop, directors say the biggest opportunities for their company can be found in AI adoption (64 percent),with several also finding opportunities in M&A and strategic partnerships (58 percent). 

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 

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Changing the governance game: This month’s Diligent innovations

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