Directors Roster: in affiliation with Spencer Stuart -- a quarterly record of new director appointments.

• Author: Porter, Martin D.
• Position: Spencer Stuart/Directors & Boards Directors Roster

INTO ONE'S 60s and certainly 70s, many senior executives seriously consider retirement or at least moderating their busy lifestyles. But you'll find in this edition's Directors Roster a 15% representation from this post-60 age group -- hardy executives willing to take on the rigors of a directorship. Their accumulated knowledge and experience, along with an enviable Rolodex of contacts, are but a few of their ideal board-service qualities. And, they say, like any other director deciding upon joining a board -- whether younger or older -- the underlying reason is to fulfill a desire to contribute.

At age 70, Roderick Hills joins the board of Chiquita Brands International Inc. He was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission when directors who are now 50 were just a few years out of college. He is an attorney specializing in international strategy and investments. He notes that Chiquita recently emerged from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy arising from debt problems associated with substantial trade restrictions in Europe. "My guess is that I have more experience than anybody in the company with international trade in Europe," says Hills, adding, "I'm probably at least as active internationally and in accounting matters as I was 10 years ago."

Hills believes Chiquita's board will not only allow him an opportunity to contribute but also to "keep his hand in the board circuit." His fundamental attitude toward board currency: "You have to get up every morning and say 'I know something today I didn't know yesterday.' If you're not in that mode, you've got no business being on a board."' (See his article, "Restoring Faith in the Audit Process," on page 26 of this issue.)

At 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2002, Dennis W. Archer celebrated New Year's Day, his 60th birthday and his retirement as two-term mayor of Detroit. He is now chairman of Dickinson & Wright, responsible for business development of this 200-person law firm. For the first time in his career he becomes a corporate director -- at Compuware Corp., an IT software developer, and Johnson Controls Inc., a supplier of automotive interiors. Archer believes that what makes him appealing as a board candidate was his many years of devoted public service, including "running a $3 billion business with 17,000 employees, and negotiating deals with a number of labor unions," referring of course to his mayoralty. He also notes...