Enrique was chairman of the board. He did not have equal status with other board members.
To say a Board Chair is "equal" to other board members during a CEO search completely misunderstands how corporate governance works. I am refuting what someone else said to me.
While every board member gets a single vote on the final candidate, the Chairman of the Board has a completely unique and dominant role in the process.
They control the filter: The Chairman selects and directs the executive search committee.
They choose which recruitment firms to use and set the core qualifications for candidates. They decide who makes the shortlist before the rest of the board even sees them.
Controls the Agenda: The Chair manages the meeting schedules, decides which candidates get the most discussion time, and acts as the official gatekeeper of information.
Leads the Negotiations: The Chair is the person who actually sits down to negotiate the final compensation, perks, and contract terms with the chosen candidate.
Becomes the Boss: Once hired, the CEO reports directly to the Chairman.
The Chair is the one who establishes performance metrics, runs executive evaluations, and holds the leverage to initiate a firing.In corporate governance, the Chairman is not just sitting in an equal circle. They guide the entire trajectory of who gets hired, how they are managed, and how the board votes.
Enrique bears greater responsibility for hiring Alex Chriss. To the one troll on this site that probably sits on the comms team, you are wrong on this.