Mervyn Eldred King (born 22 July 1937,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
)
is a South African corporate attorney,
arbitrator,
mediator
Mediator may refer to:
*A person who engages in mediation
*Business mediator, a mediator in business
* Vanishing mediator, a philosophical concept
* Mediator variable, in statistics
Chemistry and biology
*Mediator (coactivator), a multiprotein ...
, corporate director, commission chair, author and speaker. A former judge of the
Supreme Court of South Africa
The Supreme Court of South Africa was a superior court of law in South Africa from 1910 to 1997. It was made up of various provincial and local divisions with jurisdiction over specific geographical areas, and an Appellate Division which was t ...
, he is currently chairman of the
IIRC, chairman emeritus of the
Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (known as GRI) is an international independent standards organization that helps businesses, governments and other organizations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human righ ...
and director of the Association of Business Administrators of Southern Africa. He is best known for chairing the
King Committee on Corporate Governance, which issued three comprehensive reports in 1994, 2002 and 2009 endorsing an integrated and inclusive approach to
corporate governance
Corporate governance is defined, described or delineated in diverse ways, depending on the writer's purpose. Writers focused on a disciplinary interest or context (such as accounting, finance, law, or management) often adopt narrow definitions th ...
in South Africa.
Biography
King was born on 22 July 1937 to Aubrey and Mona King. He attended the
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law, and a higher diploma in tax law.
From 1961 to 1964 he was a practising attorney. From 1965 to 1979 he was an advocate to the Supreme Court of South Africa, specialising in commercial law; he was appointed
senior counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...
in 1975. He became a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa in 1977.
He resigned that post in 1980 – reportedly after an altercation with Prime Minister
P. W. Botha
Pieter Willem Botha, (; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006), commonly known as P. W. and af, Die Groot Krokodil (The Big Crocodile), was a South African politician. He served as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and ...
– and entered the commercial arena.
He became executive chairman of Frame Group Holdings, a textile giant, and executive chairman of First National Bank's corporate and investment banking group.
In later years, he chaired and was a director of Capital Alliance Ltd and Metro Cash & Carry Ltd.
From 1981 to 1989 he was the first chairman of Operation Hunger, a South African charity which aimed to feed children in rural areas; he is now honorary life president of that organisation.
Arbitrator and mediator
King is a founding member of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa. He has acted as a company inspector and commissioner of inquiry into the affairs of companies, and has chaired many meetings to effect compromises for company creditors and on behalf of shareholder interests.
In 1994 he chaired a commission of inquiry into political divisions in athletics, drafting recommendations for future conduct of the sport in South Africa; this was followed up by his second commission investing the sport of tennis.
King Report
In July 1993 the Institute of Directors in South Africa asked King to chair the first official committee on corporate governance. The King Committee on Corporate Governance issued its first report (King I), a comprehensive code of corporate practices and conduct, in 1994. King viewed the committee as an opportunity to educate the recently democratized South African public on the principles of working in a free economy.
King I was the first report of its kind in South Africa. In 2002, when the
Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992.
Earth Su ...
was held in Johannesburg, King pushed for a revision of the report (King II), including new sections on
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
,
the role of the corporate board, and
risk management. The report was further revised in 2009 (King III). Compliance with the King Reports is a requirement for companies listed on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange
JSE Limited (previously the JSE Securities Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) is the largest stock exchange in Africa. It is located in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, after it moved from downtown Johannesburg in 2000. In 2003 ...
. The King Report on Corporate Governance has been cited as "the most effective summary of the best international practices in corporate governance".
International arena
From 2000 to 2008, King was the South African representative on the
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every s ...
's
International Court of Arbitration
ICC International Court of Arbitration is an institution for the resolution of international commercial disputes. It operates under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce and consists of more than 100 arbitrators from roughly 90 cou ...
in Paris. He was the first president of the Commonwealth Association of Corporate Governance and a former Governor of the International Corporate Governance Network.
He is currently a member of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
on Corporate Governance and a member of the international advisory boards of
Stern Stewart (US), Tomorrow's Company (United Kingdom), and the Central European Corporate Governance Association. He chairs the Asian Centre of Corporate Governance, the United Nations Committee on Governance and Oversight, and the Global Reporting Initiative. He is the Chairman of the
International Integrated Reporting Council.
In South Africa, King holds the following positions:
*Director of JD Group Limited (since 1995)
*Director of Brait Societe Anonyme (since 1998)
*Director of Strate, the settlement arm for equity trading in South Africa (since 1999)
*Director of the Association of Business Administrators of Southern Africa (since 2004)
*President of the Advertising Standards Authority
*First vice-president of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa
*Chairman of the
Automobile Association of South Africa
The Automobile Association of South Africa, often abbreviated AA is an automobile association that has been operating in South Africa since 1930. It is a non-profit organisation providing services to its members such as roadside assistance, techni ...
*Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the
United Cricket Board of South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) is the governing body for both professional and amateur cricket in South Africa. In 1991, the separate South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to form the United Cricket Board of South Afr ...
*Member of the Securities Regulation Panel (which oversees all acquisitions and mergers in South Africa)
Speaker
King has addressed conferences and lectured on corporate issues in 38 countries. He is a regular speaker on radio and television talk shows and had his own television series, "King on Governance".
Honors and awards
*2010: International Association of Business Communicators Africa Excel Award
*2010: Honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand
Family
King is married to Elizabeth Mae Miller; they have two sons.
Bibliography
*
* (with Don Fullerton)
*
* (with Teodorina Lessidrenska)
References
External links
Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Mervyn
20th-century South African judges
South African businesspeople
University of the Witwatersrand alumni
People from Johannesburg
Living people
1937 births