When is an abstention not an abstention? A possible party-time trivia question for lawyers maybe, but a question with real consequences for shareholders which highlights yet again the importance of ensuring local knowledge is applied to voting decisions.

Most company …

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The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has warned against companies signing up for “bundled audits” pending completion of a review into the ethical questions surrounding their use.

As we reported in August, the downturn has encouraged the development of a …

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Australia is proposing some innovative steps to address concerns about executive pay. This week, the Productivity Commission released a detailed discussion document outlining a series of reforms which it hopes will  improve board accountability, remove conflicts of interest and enhance …

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Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s biggest retail lender and the by-product of the takeover of Sanpaolo IMI by Banca Intesa is an excellent case study of a) how not to construct a post-merger board and b) how not to engage with shareholders …

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The preliminary proxy statement filed by Verizon Communications ahead of their AGM on 6 May has revealed that the former President and Chief Operating Officer, Dennis Strigl, who retired from the company effective 31 December 2009, will receive a separation …

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With shareholder engagement moving ever higher up the (potentially) regulatory and market best practice agenda, voting is likewise coming under the spotlight. In recent days, we have seen the unexpected result of the Infineon AGM provoke concerns about ‘irregularities in …

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Changes in the Executive Suite Lead to Expensive Consulting Deals

Widely seen by analysts as one of the weaker performers in the U.S. meat sector, Tyson Foods, Inc. has its third CEO in as many years. In early 2009, Richard …

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Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors can have a positive impact on portfolio returns, according to a growing body of academic research. In a new report, “Shedding Light on Responsible Investment: Approaches, Returns and Impacts”, investment consultants Mercer summarise …

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The  Luxembourg Stock Exchange has published a revised edition of its Ten Principles of Corporate Governance for listed companies. The new code has maintained the original structure of the ten principles by continuing to rely on three sets of rules: …

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Manifest has welcomed the Financial Reporting Council’s role as the new guardian of an institutional investor Stewardship Code but has proposed that the Code itself should be the subject of its own consultation rather than a simple grandfathering of the …

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