Robert Maddox Quoted in Bank Director on 2025 Governance Best Practices Survey

Bradley attorney Robert Maddox was quoted in Bank Director on the latest findings from their annual survey, which focuses on how boards structure their deliberations, strengthen their composition, and set strategy.

Senior management will execute on the bank’s strategy. But the board has an important oversight responsibility to hold management accountable, and directors can play a significant role in offering feedback, Maddox said. Directors “want to be collaborative up front as to priorities and allocation of limited resources,” he explained. “How that actually happens, that’s up to senior management to work out.”

Boards should avoid becoming a rubber stamp, especially when it comes to risk oversight. “You’re supposed to be an active director who provides direction and guidance,” Maddox said. Board members should ask questions when executives want to loosen risk limits in pursuit of growth — something that can have a negative effect in a downturn. As a director, he said, “I want to be able to see more and more information with regard to where our risk tolerances are, especially in this environment.”

“Is it good to have people from different walks of life, from different backgrounds? Absolutely,” Maddox said. “I think we’ll continue to see diversity on our boards. I think that’s healthy.”

The full article, “2025 Governance Best Practices Survey: Diverging on Strategy,” was published by Bank Director on July 28, 2025.