2020
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Practical Steps for Boards and Companies in Addressing Racial Inequality and Injustice
July 17 | Paul Washington, President and CEO, Society for Corporate Governance | Comments (0)When it comes to addressing racial inequality and injustice, here are a few takeaways from what we’re hearing from our members that, we hope, will provide a springboard for discussions that transform ideas into concrete actions.
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Insider Trading and 10b5-1 Plans
May 29 | Eileen R. Cohen, Senior Counselor, H/Advisors Abernathy | Comments (0)Establishing a 10b 5-1 trading plan for high-level employees who have access to material non-public information is a practice that every company should consider instituting, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in stock market volatility levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis and corporate insiders are regularly informed of material non-public information.
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Reclaiming Main Street: SEC hears retail investors’ cries for proxy advisory oversight
February 10 | J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University | Comments (0)As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has initiated proposed reforms to the proxy voting process, retail investors - whose retirement accounts, savings and private investments fuel the markets - have become more aware of the role proxy advisors play in the system. With greater knowledge of proxy advisors’ influence comes greater support among retail investors for increased SEC oversight.
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BlackRock's Climate Stance Spurs Advocate Optimism, Corporate Questions
January 30 | | Comments (0)When Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset management firm announced that he expects companies to consider their business in the context of climate change and that sustainable investments are the way forward, he added to mounting pressures on corporations to address environmental, social, and governance issues, experts and investor advocates said.
2019
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On Governance: Rethinking the Traditional “Three Lines of Defense” Risk Management Model
October 25 | Tim Leech, Managing Director, Global Services, Risk Oversight Inc. | Comments (0)Tim Leech makes the case why there are more than three lines, and more than just “defense,” in effective risk management – and why the Institute of Internal Auditors should adjust course.
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On Governance: Time to Replace Nominating with Governance Committee
October 18 | Denise Kuprionis, President, The Governance Solutions Group, ESG Center Fellow | Comments (0)Audit and compensation committees have already gone through alignment at many public companies. Now it is the nominating committee’s turn for reordering.
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On Governance: Now is the Time to Designate Proxy Advisors as Fiduciaries Under ERISA
September 27 | Bernard Sharfman, Associate Fellow, R Street Institute | Comments (0)Given that shareholder voting carries with it fiduciary duties, it is somewhat surprising to find that proxy advisors have yet to be designated investment advice fiduciaries.
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On Governance: SEC’s Message to Companies, Shareholders: Don’t Expect Us to ‘Referee’ Proposal Disputes
September 20 | Gary Larkin, Former Research Associate, Corporate Leadership, The Conference Board | Comments (0)The new SEC no-action letter policy could lead to further Rule 14a-8 changes as companies will be forced to engage with shareholder proposal proponents.
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On Governance: 2019 Proxy Season was Huge for E&S Proposals
September 09 | Gary Larkin, Former Research Associate, Corporate Leadership, The Conference Board | Comments (0)The 2019 proxy season can be summed up as such: environmental and social shareholder proposals have performed quite well… again.
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On Governance: Weed & Words: A Quantitative Analysis of Cannabis Disclosure in Canada
September 06 | Carol Hansell, Senior Partner, Hansell LLP, ESG Center Fellow | Comments (0)We analyzed the text of public disclosure documents from cannabis companies in Canada and uncovered a number of surprising results.
