Business and Money Tips

The Five-Seat Rule: How Singapore Is Fixing the "Busy Director" Crisis Imagine hiring a master chef to run your restaurant’s kitchen, only to discover they are simultaneously running four other kitchens across town. They might have a brilliant reputation, but when a critical fire breaks out in your kitchen, they are stuck in traffic miles away. You aren't paying for their expertise; you are paying for a ghost. For years, this was the quiet vulnerability in Singapore’s corporate boardrooms. High-profile individuals routinely accumulated long lists of board appointments. On paper, having a prestigious name on the board signaled stability. In reality, these "overboarded" directors simply lacked the hours in the day to effectively police management. Recognizing that an overstretched guardian is no guardian at all, Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) has driven a massive cultural shift. By pushing forward a strict five-directorship cap and mandating a Lead Inde...