US business lobbies press for laws on boardroom diversity A group of US business associations has called on the Senate to ratify legislation on boardroom diversity that was passed by the other chamber last year. In an open letter to Mike Crapo, chairman of the committee on banking, housing, and Sherrod Brown, the committee’s ranking […]
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Greek companies will soon be mandated to meet a 25% female quota on their boards following a landmark decision for gender diversity. The quota requirement has been included as an amendment to the bill transposing the EU Shareholder Rights Directive II (SRD II) into Greek law, and is the result of a consultation led by […]
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Corporate governance stakes centre stage in US/China face off
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Boardroom woes sees more departures from EasyJet Further turmoil has gripped budget airline EasyJet after two board members announced their departure amid the ongoing bitter row between the leadership team and founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou over a plane order. EasyJet ordered more than 100 aircraft worth £4.5billion from Airbus in 2013, which chief executive Johan Lundgren […]
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Direct engagement with companies produces better results than shareholder resolutions at AGMs, an asset manager has argued. US investment house T Rowe Price, which runs approximately $1trn, stated in its annual ESG report that it preferred to engage one-to-one with companies to encourage positive changes rather than focus on shareholder campaigns at annual meetings. The […]
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For some companies, the ability for shareholders to have a voice is a source of constant annoyance. For proxy voting agents, such as Minerva, understanding the rules of the game and where the lines are drawn is key. Shareholder rights and stewardship are protected by law. In the US for example, the Securities Exchange Act […]
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The chair of the European Confederation of Directors Associations (ECODA) has urged boards to embrace ESG in the fightback against coronavirus and the economic chaos which will likely follow the pandemic. In an open letter, chair Jan Wesseldijk explained it is the responsibility of companies to contribute to the survival of the economy, noting that […]
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BoE’s Haldane: Shareholder-focused capitalism beginning to fray The Bank of England’s chief economist has questioned the UK’s corporate governance model – suggesting it should be overhauled to focus not just on shareholders but wider society, too. During a speech at Bloomberg’s London headquarters this week, Andy Haldane said the UK should undertake “legislative change” to […]
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Norwegian oil and gas giant Equinor is facing a significant showdown with investor activists as its bid to drill for oil in a well-known Australian beauty spot intensifies. Under its proposals, Equinor wants to drill a 2.2km exploration well in the Great Australian Bight, a stretch of coastline regarded as one of the world’s most […]
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Mining titan BHP is facing growing shareholder dissent over its close links with industry groups that support the fossil fuel industry – with over a quarter of its investors voting to end these affiliations. At the Anglo-Australian mining group’s AGM held last week, 27.07% of shareholders voted for a resolution to suspend BHP’s membership of industry associations that are involved in lobbying found […]
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