Multiple Directorships (Including Competing Directorships)

The duty to avoid conflicting duties presents key challenges for individuals who hold multiple directorships. The issue of multiple directorships is fraught with uncertainty due to the fact that such directorships are not prohibited but can nevertheless give rise to complex conflicts issues. This is particularly the case concerning competing directorships, which have generated significant judicial attention. The conflicts involved in these positions are manifold—directors who serve on multiple boards face issues concerning protection of confidential information, serving the interests of each of the companies, and devoting adequate time to each company. These issues are exacerbated in the case of competing and interlocking directorships.

Directorship interlocks in Singapore: A social network analysis

This paper uses social network analysis to examine the extent of interlocking directorships across companies listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange Limited (SGX) Mainboard in 2004. Detailed analyses on different industry sectors within SGX as well as an overall analysis of all the companies on the SGX Mainboard were performed. The findings show that there were varying degrees of interlocking directorships within the different sectors, and on average, each director from a SGX Mainboard-listed company sits on more than 2 directorship positions.