Books and Reviews

“In the context of thinking that 'the organization' is the most important innovation of mankind, writing a book titled Governance Reimagined is quite ambitious. But, David Koenig has delivered! I will recommend this book to friends and people I meet on my way.” 

— Knut Kjaer, Chairman, FSN Capital, former President, RiskMetrics Group, and former Chief Executive Officer of Norges Bank Investment Management, the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund

“David Koenig has always been on the vanguard of innovative ways to think and practice risk management. I have known David for over a decade and saw him make the link between environmental sustainability and corporate governance way ahead of his peers. Readers will greatly benefit from his “out-of-the box” and multi-disciplinary approach to how reimagined governance can help create value in these turbulent but exciting times.”
 

— Richard Sandor, PhD, Chairman and CEO of the American Financial Exchange (AFX), CEO of Environmental Financial Products, ”Father of the Financial Futures Markets,” “Father of Carbon Trading,” Time Magazine Hero of the Planet

 “Governance Reimagined presents material about which I have thought long and reawakens memories of intellectual voyages in the past like Complexity Theory at the Santa Fe Institute. This is a well-organized, presented and written book. The writing is exceptionally jargon free and user friendly. It should be a great success.” 

— Robert A. G. Monks, Lens Governance Advisors and author of Corporate Governance, Corporate Valuation for Portfolio Investment, The New Global Investors, Corpocracy, Capitalism Without Owners Will Fail, Power and Accountability, and The Emperor’s Nightingale

“A fast-paced, informative, witty and eminently readable guide. Governance Reimagined provides an excellent road map for creating organizations that use larger, freer collaborations to transform how we think about our work and about the value we give and get from each other – a way to better fulfill your mission and unlock the full value of your organization. Anyone building or managing a for-profit, charitable, political or even social organization will benefit from David’s perspective on governance.” 

— Jean Hinrichs, former Chief Risk Officer, Barclays Global Investors and Lecturer, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

“David Koenig has the rare gift of distilling complicated topics into logical components and then thoughtfully synthesizing them to make insightful points with such clarity that others can readily understand and grasp them. One reason for this is that David is an exceptional networker with real people who have “been there, done that” credentials in the arena of hard knocks and know what works and what doesn’t. For that reason, you won’t find half-baked theories that will bore you in Governance Reimagined. David takes on the essential aspects of strong corporate governance in today’s dynamic world and uses that foundation to contextually contrast and integrate the interrelated disciplines of value creation and risk management. I greatly enjoyed David’s work in this book and have referenced it often in my own writings and discussions with other practitioners.  ” 

—  Jim DeLoach, Protiviti Managing Director, Author, Enterprise-wide Risk Management: Strategies for linking risk and opportunity, named to NACD Directorship 100 (2012-2018) as one of the most influential people in the boardroom community

“This is an excellent book -- David Koenig has presented some very important and complex ideas in a simple manner and is a must read for board members and managements. The ideas of networked and distributed governance, along with the management of risk capital as commons are very powerful. These ideas are important for corporations, governments and non-profits that must be accountable for profits, people and the planet and be more sustainable. The current crisis has exposed weaknesses in governance that need to be fixed, so this book comes at a very important time, not in a negative sense but in a positive, forward looking manner.” 

— Saurabh Narain, Chief Executive, National Community Investment Fund

“David Koenig is equally at home explaining what subtle factors drive you to buy an apple, for example, as why complex organizations can break without warning. What’s amazing, however, is how he weaves common sense with thorough academic knowledge to create a rich fabric that will enable readers to use governance for what it was intended: Creating value.” 

— Jon Lukomnik, Managing Partner, Sinclair Capital, Executive Director, IRRC Institute, past Deputy Comptroller, City of New York, and Co-author, The New Capitalists

“Governance Reimagined is an insightful exploration into the design, practice and underpinnings of how organizations best use and manage risk in this post-financial crisis period. The book begins and maintains a focus throughout, just where it should: on the motivations and drivers of people, and groups of people, making risk/reward decisions big and small. It is a book that will benefit anyone involved with designing or managing an organization, no matter what the focus of that enterprise.”
 

— Michael A.M. Keehner, Columbia Business School Adjunct Professor, Board Member, Oppenheimer Holdings

“If there’s anything that’s long overdue for a little reimagination, it’s governance. Not only does this book contain new ideas, it is a delightful read, full of analogies, metaphors, and linkages to common everyday situations. I know I will refer to this book again and again.” 

— Don M. Chance, Ph.D., CFA, James C. Flores Endowed Chair of MBA Studies & Professor of Finance, Louisiana State University

“Governance Reimagined is brilliantly simple to understand. The relevance to today’s corporate boards and C-suite executives who have gone through the worst period of economic turmoil in nearly a century jumps out at the reader in every chapter. The author’s risk management background, combined with a philosopher/psychologist’s eye for understanding how human’s operating in clusters and individually make decisions sets this book apart from all other economic, finance and risk management books. Every board member and CEO who worried over unfathomable explanations of what can or did go wrong in an organization needs to read this book.” 

— Allan M. Grody, President, Financial InterGroup Holdings Ltd, founder and retired Partner-in-charge of Coopers & Lybrand’s Financial Services Consulting Practice; adjunct professor New York University Stern Graduate Business School; Editorial Board Member, Journal of Risk Management in Financial Institutions

“David Koenig lives and breathes governance and in this book he presents valuable perspectives along with contemporary examples that illuminate his innovations. The book is full of great citations and current situations spice up every chapter. He connects the entire governance social network, including potentially conflicting groups, and demonstrates how establishing appropriate missions and values complemented by diversity, a collaborative open culture and transparent governance process will improve chances for healthy long-term success and increased enterprise value. Governance Reimagined is a great read that does not disappoint. It should be required reading for senior corporate management and boards.” 

— Mark C. Abbott, PRM, Managing Director, Head of Quantitative Risk Management, Guardian Life & President, Buy Side Risk Managers Forum

“There are two sides to this book that make it extremely valuable. First, the book presents enlightening examples that illustrate the nature of risk which are unmatched by technical texts. Second, it addresses the major issue of governance in its relation to risk - unlike many of the classic texts that debate governance without a focus on this critical relationship - most notably in financial firms. The variety of approaches taken by David makes the book immediately relevant - once you start reading, you cannot stop until reading the end. Professionals will immediately absorb the substance. Academics will find the variety of approaches and the examples unique. Students will gain a new perspective on governance and risk. This is a bright text that readers will highly appreciate.” 

— Joel Bessis, Professor of Finance, HEC Paris and author, Risk Management in Banking

“In my view there is a clear link between corporate governance and the success of corporations - it is the missing link in many corporate finance and strategy courses and texts. This book provides guidance to the amenable reader and brings the area to life. Highly recommended reading.”

— Steven Bishop, PhD, MCom(Hons) BEc FCPA, Visiting Fellow, Macquarie University Applied Finance Centre,, Executive Director, Education & Management Consulting Services Pty Ltd

“Koenig envisions a fundamental redesign of capitalism based on a networked/distributive model centered around risk capital viewed as a "commons." He weaves together ideas from a wide variety of sources, exploding many myths along the way. Central to Koenig's emerging model is the role of trust in networks and the connections between agents. Koenig's risk governance infrastructure could bring much more business intelligence to bear by more fully engaging employees and stakeholders. The habitability of Earth for future generations may depend on extending the concept of the commons to capitalism itself. Unless our businesses adopt a sustainable model, how can we expect to address our larger commons? Businesses are in the driver's seat. Adoption of Koenig's ideas could keep us from going off a cliff.”

— James McRitchie, Publisher, CorpGov.net & Shareholder Advocate 

"This should be a business book bestseller. David has always impressed me as an intelligent and likeable guy. However, he surprised me with this book. I wasn’t expecting a book so deep with such simple explanation — something abstract yet thoroughly grounded. It is a mixture and digestion of disparate sources like Systems Theory, Network Analysis, and Risk Management. The book simply and clearly explains the process of value creation. I highly recommend it."

— Patrick Burns, Owner, Burns Statistics 

“David Koenig provides a fresh call to action in this comprehensive and stimulating discussion of organizational design and risk governance. His enthusiasm and straightforward style makes the wide-ranging illustrations drawn from economics, complexity science, behavioural finance, systems and network theory both easily accessible and stimulating as a different way to think about governance. A thoughtful work for those involved in leading and managing organizations in today’s world.”

—Ruth M. Whaley, Member, Board of Directors, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, Principal, Barset Consulting LLC

“David Koenig has masterfully broken down the complex components of governance and risk and challenges us to rethink our governance framework. This excellent book dares to break old governance models and re-govern with flexibility, and inclusivity, while bringing empowerment to all stakeholders.”

—Jennifer R. Sawyer, Principal, Rebound Enterprises and Sustainer President, Junior League of Minneapolis

“In Governance Reimagined, David R. Koenig goes to the heart of the role of the organization: creating value. He shows how risk-taking is fundamental to value creation, explores the role of behavioral economics in understanding risk, and provides insights about complex systems as they relate to good governance. With a fresh and thoughtful perspective of boards, this book should be on the reading list of everyone who’s invested in effective governance.”

—Alice Korngold, CEO, Korngold Consulting; Author: "A Better World, Inc." and "Leveraging Good Will"

“Governance Reimagined is insightful, engaging, and simply a great read. It is now on my ‘must read’ list for every board that I deal with. Excellent job, David!”

—Mark Briggs, CSP, Vice President, Safety Management Resources Corp, Former Chief Risk Officer, The Ohio State University

"An impressive pulling-together of a wide range of solid scientific views, and directing them onto the question of governance in corporations of various forms. This is the book I wish I'd wrote."

- Frank Ashe, Ph.D., Non-Executive Director, Mafematica; Investment Advisory Board, DFS Portfolio Solutions, Honorary Associate Professor, Macquarie University

"Many authors write about corporate governance, but none have reimagined  it like David R. Koenig [who] draws on an  unusually broad reservoir of relevant experience."

-Book Review by Ian Robertson, CFA  for the CFA Institute