Market participants agree that the nine-year mark is a suitable point for companies to assess the directors' independence, but note that how this assessment would be relayed to the public is something else. Associate Professor Themin Suwardy, associate dean (curriculum & teaching) and MPA programme director at the SMU School of Accountancy, and deputy president, Singapore, CPA Australia said, "Various arguments have been thrown into the ring, from 'need for fresh blood', 'a long tenure is objectivity compromised' to 'an independent old guard is more powerful to counter management short-termism'."
The Business Times
