“Plans of action, not empty platitudes.” That’s how Shamina Singh, the founder and president of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, opened Wednesday’s Global Inclusive Growth Forum in Washington, D.C., and it became an unofficial through-line.

Japan has made major strides in corporate governance over the past decade. Reforms have included increasing board independence and modernizing committee structures. Yet one component of Japanese boards remains relatively unchanged: age. That’s a material oversight, in our view.

Investors have long suspected that companies with poor corporate governance may be more prone to mismanagement and weak returns. Our research suggests they’re right.

Baker Hughes reported a 36.9% absolute emissions reduction in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to its 2019 baseline, marking the largest emissions reduction to date, according to its latest sustainability report released Tuesday.