Ernst & Young LLP's Steve Howe and Allie Rutherford named to 2014 NACD Directorship 100 list

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen R. Howe, Jr. and Allie Rutherford have been named to the National Association of Corporate Directors' (NACD) 2014 Directorship 100 honorees, a national list which annually recognizes the most influential leaders in the boardroom and corporate governance community. Howe serves as EY Americas Managing Partner and Managing Partner of the US firm, Ernst & Young LLP, and Rutherford is the Director of Corporate Governance in the EY Center for Board Matters.

"It is an honor to be recognized by NACD and to be included with such an esteemed group of dedicated corporate directors and corporate governance leaders," said Howe. "Allie and I look forward to continuing EY's commitment to the highest principles of board leadership, as today's corporate boards face expanding agendas that include shifting global economic conditions, rapid technological change, and market and industry challenges and complexity."

This year's honorees will be recognized during a gala dinner at the eighth annual NACD Directorship 100 Gala on Dec. 3, in New York City.

"In today's dynamic corporate governance landscape, engagement on governance topics is more important than ever. Having dialogue and building relationships with long-term investors can be a strategic advantage – particularly in this new age of activism," said Rutherford. "I join Steve and our EY colleagues in continuing to foster alignment and bridge gaps among boards of directors, management and investors to help build a better working world through effective corporate governance."

The full list of the 2014 NACD Directorship 100 honorees can be found at http://www.nacdonline.org/Directorship100/2014honorees.cfm.

In addition to his role as Ernst & Young LLP's Managing Partner, Howe is the EY America's Managing Partner and a member of both the EY Americas Executive Board and Global Executive Board.  He has been with EY for over 30 years.  Steve has served as audit partner for various global financial institution clients and senior advisory partner on many of Ernst & Young LLP's largest clients.  Howe was previously Managing Partner of one of the largest business units, the Financial Services Office, for six years before becoming Managing Partner.  He also represents Ernst & Young LLP in the U.S. and the Americas in maintaining regulatory relationships and as Executive Sponsor for inclusiveness.

Howe also is a member of the Board of Governors of the Center for Audit Quality, the Board of Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation, the Board of Trustees of Colgate University, the Board of the Partnership for New York City and the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Hall.  He also is actively involved in the development and support of EY's Corporate Responsibility initiatives.

Rutherford has spent more than 15 years researching and advising on corporate governance matters and regularly speaks on and writes about governance trends and implications focusing proxy season results, shareholder initiatives and engagement, boards of directors' structure and composition, and proxy statement disclosures. Currently, she is the Director of Corporate Governance in Ernst & Young LLP's Center for Board Matters, which fosters alignment among boards of directors, management and investors on corporate governance matters, raising awareness, encouraging understanding and serving as a conduit of information. The center provides thought leadership and company-level analysis, offering a balanced perspective on corporate governance trends, leading practices and the impact of governance decisions on shareholder actions and proxy voting. 

Rutherford is a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals, the Council of Institutional Investors and the Advisory Board of the University of Delaware Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. In 2008, she was named a "Rising Star of Corporate Governance" by the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance at the Yale University School of Management.

About NACD

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is the advocate for the profession of directorship and the recognized authority focused on advancing exemplary board leadership and establishing leading boardroom practices. Informed by more than 35 years of experience, NACD delivers insights and resources that more than 14,000 corporate director members rely upon to make sound strategic decisions and confidently confront complex business challenges. NACD provides world-class director education programs, national peer-exchange forums, and proprietary research to promote director professionalism, ultimately enhancing the economic sustainability of the enterprise and bolstering stakeholder confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and governance stakeholders, NACD is shaping the future of board leadership. To learn more about NACD, please visit www.NACDonline.org. To become an NACD member, contact Kelly Dodd at [email protected] or 202-380-1891.

About The EY Center for Board Matters

Effective corporate governance is an important element in building a better working world. The EY Center for Board Matters is committed to bringing together and engaging with boards, audit committee members and investors to exchange ideas and insights. Using our professional competencies, relationships and proprietary corporate governance database, we are able to identify trends and emerging governance issues. This allows us to deliver timely and balanced insights, data-rich content and practical tools and analysis to boards, audit committees, institutional investors and others interested in governance topics.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, an EY member firm serving clients in the US

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SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP