A Director’s Legal Guide to Navigating The Corporate Board

Description

The boardroom is both a summit and a starting line—a place where strategy, finance, and human spirit converge, and where the role of a director demands confidence, clarity, and courage. In Boardroom Voyage, Liza Khan draws from her own journey to demystify the complex world of corporate governance for directors, founders, and professionals whose expertise lies outside the law.

Through clear, actionable guidance, this book translates legal duties of good faith, loyalty, and care into practical boardroom conduct. It addresses the modern challenges of ESG, DEI, cybersecurity, and AI, offering insights and solutions for today’s complex corporate landscape.

More than a legal guide, this book is a companion for personal growth in the boardroom. Liza shares candid reflections on invisible hurdles, unconscious biases, and the human side of leadership—empowering readers to find their voice, build alliances, and lead with integrity.

Richly informed by mentors, colleagues, and family, Boardroom Voyage is a reflection of experience, wisdom, and dedication. It is designed to help directors navigate their responsibilities with confidence, foresight, and purpose—ensuring that every step in the boardroom journey is grounded in knowledge and conviction.

Take your place at the table. Your boardroom voyage begins here.

Key Features of the Book:

• Guides readers through navigating the corporate board with skill, experience, and knowledge, offering practical insights for directors and aspiring directors.

• Provides a steely reminder of the legal and ethical compass every director must possess, highlighting non-negotiable duties and governance principles.

• Covers 11 focused, solution-based chapters explaining duties of good faith, loyalty, care, skill, and diligence in the boardroom.

• Confronts challenging questions on shareholder rights, board relationships, policy, diversity, and modern boardroom issues like sustainability, ESG, cybersecurity, and geopolitics.

• Offers practical solutions for compliance while helping readers understand and navigate the complex corporate ecosystem, including opportunities and liabilities arising from AI.

• Written for technocrats, legal advisers, and all servants of the law, providing guidance, mentorship, and insights to emerge more effective, responsible, and confident in governance.

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Table of Contents: 

Introduction
Forward
Table of Cases
Table of Statutes
Chapter 1: The Director’s Lexicon to the Boardroom Legal Language
Chapter 2: A Director’s Comprehensive Guide to the Companies Act 2016
Chapter 3: It Is Not Just About Making Profits: Know What Your Duties Are
Chapter 4: The Relationship Between Directors and Shareholders
Chapter 5: The Director’s Regulatory Universe
Chapter 6: Policies That Bite You (and How to Avoid It!): The Company’s Internal Rulebook
Chapter 7: The Unforeseen Squalls: Insolvency and Receivership – What Keeps Directors Up at Night
Chapter 8: The Modern Boardroom: Sustainability, ESG, Climate Risk, Greenwashing, DEI, AI, Cybersecurity and Geopolitics
Chapter 9: The Mandatories: Key Laws for Malaysian Companies
Chapter 10: The Untrodden Path: Being a Woman Director in a Man’s World – The Invisible Hurdles
Chapter 11: When Things Go Wrong: A Director’s Guide to Navigating the Storm

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About the Author:

Norliza Rasool Khan is an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya with 25 years experience in legal practice primarily in corporate and commercial law both in advisory and dispute resolution. Her work places particular emphasis on capital markets, securities law, corporate governance, ESG and AI Governance. She has extensive experience in advising and acting for creditors and liquidators in relation to restructuring and insolvency of companies and has acted for the likes of Sapura Industrial Berhad, Magnum 4D Sdn Bhd and Taman Rimba Sdn Bhd in shareholder disputes as well as for the Securities Commission in securities litigation.

She actively engages in commercial arbitration, particularly in joint venture and shareholder dispute, and is a board member of various public listed entities and NGOs, well versed with amongst others risk management, Anti Corruption, Privacy and Data Protection and Whistleblowing and Sustainability. Her impactful role as Past Chair of the Kuala Lumpur Bar Gender Equality and Diversity Committee showcases her commitment to implementation of policies on Sexual Harassment.

Achievements

• “Legal 500 has described her as a key figure that handles high– profile cases across a broad range of industry sectors, often in the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.”

• “Recognised as a leading litigator in Asia by Asia Legal Business by Thomson Reuters.”

• “Managing Partner of the Year 2023.”

• “Multiple nominations for Woman Lawyer of the Year (2017, 2020, 2021, 2024) and Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year (2020–2024) by Thomson Reuters’ Asian Legal Business.”

Professional Affiliations & Leadership

• Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

• Fellow, Asian International Arbitration Centre

• Fellow, Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators

• Fellow, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Member, International Chamber of Commerce Malaysia

• Member, Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia

• Member, ESG Association Malaysia

• Board of Directors, IFCA MSC Berhad

• Board of Directors, Innity Corporation Berhad

• Board of Directors, Voice of the Children

• Past Board of Directors, RedOne Holdings Berhad

• Past-Chair of the KL Bar Gender Equality and Diversity Sub Committee

• Past Deputy Chair, Arbitration Committee of the Malaysian Bar

• Past Deputy Chair and Member, Women’s Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar

• Bar Council Member 2018 – 2019

• Mentor/Member, Association of Women Lawyers

• Mentor/Member, Girls 4 Girls Malaysia