Erik Lie: Catching Cheats, Fraud Detection, and the Board’s Evolving Role

Erik Lie: Catching Cheats, Fraud Detection, and the Board’s Evolving Role

Author: Evan Epstein November 24, 2025 Duration: 1:00:24
Erik Lie is the Amelia Tippie Chair in Finance and Professor at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. His new book, Catching Cheats: Everyday Forensics to Unmask Business Fraud, offers a compelling look at how forensic economics and data-driven analysis can help identify wrongdoing that remains hidden in plain sight. We talk about a broad range of governance and fraud-related issues, beginning with the challenges of private-market data, the evolving responsibilities of directors in fraud detection, and real-world lessons from the Bernie Madoff case and other historic white-collar scandals.

Ever wonder what really happens behind the closed doors of a corporate board meeting? Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein pulls up a chair to that table. Each episode is built around a substantive, long-form conversation with a leading voice from the world of corporate oversight-founders who have navigated IPOs, seasoned board directors, institutional investors, legal scholars, and top executives. Evan Epstein guides these discussions beyond the headlines and dry policy to uncover the human dynamics and strategic decisions that define modern governance. You’ll hear firsthand about the evolving pressures on boards, from activist investors and regulatory shifts to technology disruptions and crises of leadership. More than just analysis, this podcast delves into the personal journeys and hard-won insights of the individuals shaping these critical conversations. It’s for anyone curious about the architecture of power, responsibility, and strategy at the highest levels of business. Tune in for a rare, nuanced look at the principles and people steering today’s most influential companies.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein
Podcast Episodes
Raffaela Rein: How AI Is Changing the Way Boards Work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:06
Raffaela Rein, CEO and founder of BoardLens, joins Evan to discuss how AI can help board members prepare better, ask sharper questions, and engage more deeply in strategy. They also explore AI risks, private-market gover…
Marc Huffman, CEO of OnBoard: AI Governance Inside the Board Portal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
Marc Huffman, CEO of OnBoard, joins the Boardroom Governance Podcast to discuss AI in the boardroom, director use of AI, and how AI may change the information gap between management and directors. This episode also marks…
Shannon Nash: Boards, AI Agents, and Human Judgment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:00
Shannon Nash, COO and CFO of Vibrant Planet, Partner at Alpha, and board member at NetScout Systems, SoFi Bank, and Lazy Dog Restaurants, joins the Boardroom Governance Podcast to discuss boards, AI agents, human judgmen…
Sandra Gobert: European Governance in a Changing World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:26
Sandra Gobert, Executive Director of GUBERNA, joins the Boardroom Governance Podcast to discuss European corporate governance, board education, family firms, control structures, relationship agreements, state ownership,…
AI in the Boardroom: What Directors Need to Know Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:32
Marie Bafus and Wendy Grasso of Fenwick join the Boardroom Governance Podcast to discuss AI oversight, Caremark duties, mission-critical risk, board minutes, AI washing, disclosure, confidentiality, privilege, AI usage p…
Terry Johnson: Sports, Gaming, and Family Business Governance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:26
Terry Johnson, partner at WilmerHale and Co-Chair of the firm’s Sports & Gaming Practice, returns to discuss sports governance, gaming, family businesses, and family offices, including the sports investment boom, league…