Following on from a public statement issued last week by a group of leading Italian academics and legal experts, international institutional investors and their trade associations have been invited to add their voice to a call for the Italian Ministry of Finance to roll back a highly criticized legal measure that would strip longstanding investor protections […]
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 MoreThe simple but powerful statement of solidarity with the notion of a free society that articulated the public reaction to the recent horrific events at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris shows just how important freedom is in our modern age. Not just freedom of expression, but freedom of belief and movement too. “Je […]
Read MoreOr: “one person’s economic stimulus might be another’s entrenchment opportunity”. On 25 June 2014, as part of its ongoing recovery plan, the Italian Government adopted Law Decree no. 91/2014 the so-called “Development Decree” or “DECRETO sviluppo imprese”. Like the USA’s “Jump-start our Business Startups Act” (JOBS Act), the Decree is intended to stimulate enterprise and […]
Read MoreThe SEC this week weighed into the proxy advisor debate with Staff Legal Bulletin 20, which provides information on the proxy voting responsibilities of investment advisers (i.e. professional investors) as well as clarification on the exemptions from federal regulation which apply to proxy advisory firms. We welcome the focus placed by the SEC on the role and responsibilities of […]
Read MoreApril is probably not the ideal month to launch a consultation for anyone involved in corporate governance, nevertheless the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) issued a call for comment on its proposed best practice guidance for the proxy research industry. The consultation was scheduled to close on June 23rd, however following representation from stakeholders, the CSA has granted […]
Read MoreAs we tweeted last week it’s AGM season, so that means it’s time for more consultations. Consultations are generally a good thing, even if the timing is a little inconvenient for shareholders. This article takes a look at the key takeaways from the UK’s latest consultation but then poses some tricky questions about the evolving nature […]
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