Top 10 Topics for Directors in 2014 -

U.S. public companies face a host of challenges as they enter 2014. Here is our list of hot topics for the boardroom in the coming year:

1. Oversee strategic planning amid continuing fiscal uncertainty and game-changing advances in information technology

2. Address cybersecurity

3. Set appropriate executive compensation as shareholders increasingly focus on pay for performance and activists target pay disparity

4. Address the growing demands of compliance oversight

5. Assess the impact of health care reform on the company’s benefit plans and cost structure

6. Determine whether the CEO and board chair positions should be separated

7. Ensure appropriate board composition in light of increasing focus on director tenure and diversity

8. Cultivate shareholder relations and strengthen defenses as activist hedge funds target more companies

9. Address boardroom confidentiality

10. Consider whether to adopt a forum selection bylaw