From the Editor...

As is always the case, we were glad to be able to catch up in person with so many people out at the ICI's 2025 Investment Management Conference a couple weeks ago. Of course, we didn't connect with everyone we wanted to, but we sure tried! Coming back to home base exhausted is worth it, even if it takes a minute to get back into the regular office routine. Anyway, while we were out there in San Diego, we focused on what came out of the conference that specifically pertains to mutual fund boards, and the session dedicated to boards, moderated by IDC Managing Director Tom Kim, was chock full of good perspectives on hot-button issues being discussed in boardrooms. We also had an exclusive sit down with Kim to discuss the board-related recommendations in ICI's white paper on modernizing the '40 Act. 

You can read general financial markets and mutual fund industry news anywhere and everywhere; what we do here at FBV is always focus on the board/independent director angle. We always write with our readers in mind.

True to that mantra, we recently delved into Paul Atkins' background in the investment management industry and service as an fund independent director. Atkins completed the first step in his confirmation process to become SEC chair last week when he appeared before the Senate Banking Committee, and he is widely expected to be confirmed before the end of April. Will Atkins' fund board experience inform his time as SEC chair? Read our story and find out!

We've also recently published the third article in Buddy Donohue's five-part series on conflicts of interest. In this latest installment, Donohue discusses potential conflicts involving attorneys. This is an exclusive set of articles penned by a well known industry veteran; don't miss it. 

Other recent stories of note you should make sure not to miss: an exclusive interview with the independent chair of US Bank Global Fund Services' new CEF platform, board discussions of DEI in the wake of Trump's executive orders, and our latest 10 Things... list highlighting female Audit Committee chairs. A list of recent stories is below, and you can always pop onto our website (www.fundboardviews.com) to search for topics of interest. And reach out if there's something you're interested in reading—or writing—about.

For now, 

Hillary Jackson, founding editor