There has been a steady improvement in the number of women directors in California’s top 400 public companies according to research by the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. California is a major force within the US economy and and the survey includes many global corporate giants such as Apple, Chevron, Intel, Visa, Google, Hewlett-Packard […]
Read MoreState representatives, NGOs and UN agencies will be meeting in Paris from next Monday (November 30) for the latest global summit aimed at tackling climate change. In the run up to COP-21, new research is being published by a variety of organisations looking at the key issues facing policymakers as they seek to agree a […]
Read MoreThe recent decision by the SEC to adopt a CEO-to-median pay ratio disclosure rule in the US was a near run thing. The SEC commissioners were split on the issue. The vehement opposition to ratio disclosure expressed in the 5 year gap between Dodd Frank legislation and SEC rule adoption has found a new channel. […]
Read MoreThe UK government has decided against regulating for pension trustees in order to help them distinguish between financial and non-financial factors in their investments believing that guidance now exists to assist trustees. The announcement followed a government consultation on specific recommendations contained in a Law Commission report into the fiduciary duties of investment intermediaries that […]
Read MoreTo coincide with Equal Pay Day (Nov 5) Women’s pay and the lack of women in senior company roles have again been in the news. The Fawcett Society Employers invited employers to take the Pay Gap Pledge after calculating that from November 9 women were effectively working for free until the end of the year […]
Read MoreOn 20th May it was announced that five of the world’s largest banks are to pay fines totaling $3.6bn for charges which include manipulation of the foreign exchange market. These fines are a new high (low?) watermark for regulatory penalties imposed on financial sector companies but it is notable that news headlines about the fines […]
Read MoreThe announcement by FTSE 100 copper miner Antofagasta that there will no longer be any executive directors on its board means the unitary board system is no longer synonymous with UK corporate governance and is a first for a UK listed company (investment trusts aside). This ground breaking announcement means that no other FTSE All […]
Read MoreThe US proxy access debate took a fresh turn recently with the attempt by seasoned governance commentator James McRitchie (www.corpgov.net) to get a shareholder proposal on the ballot at US organic food retailer Wholefoods. He submitted a proposal under which one or more shareholders owning 3% or more of outstanding shares for at least three […]
Read MoreReporting of the abuse of corporate jet use by top management at Sweden’s largest companies has focused attention on the internecine links between Sweden’s top investors and largest public companies Svenska Dagbladet the Swedish newspaper has reported that Swedish forestry company SCA has been using several private jets to fly top managers and wives and […]
Read MoreWhen Dale Wannen of US investment advisor Sustainvest Asset Management wanted Irish pharmaceuticals company Actavis to publish an annual sustainability report he didn’t just write a letter to the directors, or lobby a regulator for a rule change, he took matters into his own hands and proposed a shareholder resolution.
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