Despite attempts at investor engagement, tobacco firm Imperial Brands has withdrawn the resolution amending its policy at its AGM next week (1st February). The company said that that the decision followed consultations with shareholders, and that the existing policy approved by shareholders at its 2015 AGM will continue to apply. The withdrawal of the resolution suggests that the company […]
Read More
The UK’s Pension’s and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has advised its pension fund members to act more strongly on executive pay. It is advising funds oppose the re-election of the remuneration committee chair as a company director if they decide as shareholders to vote against a company’s remuneration policy. The PLSA’s voting guidelines for 2017 have been […]
Read More
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK’s opposition Labour Party has outlined his party’s agenda for governance reform focusing on CEO pay ratios. In a speech in Peterborough last week (10th January) Corbyn added his voice to the current debate surrounding Theresa May’s governance green paper proposals. Billed as a new year message about what Labour would be […]
Read MoreResearch commissioned by CFA UK has examined the alignment of chief executive (CEO) pay and company value creation between 2003-2014/15 and found that total pay for the median CEO increased by 82% in real terms over the period. However, the median FTSE-350 company generated little in the way of a meaningful economic profit over the period […]
Read More
Investment giant, BlackRock, has indicated it will be toughening its stance on executive pay after giving evidence to the House of Commons’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) select committee. In future it will now hold remuneration committee chairmen to account for the decisions they have made; a move which Manifest recommended to the Committee at the […]
Read MoreThe UK government’s widely trailed corporate governance green paper has focused, as expected, on executive pay and stakeholder representation at companies as well consulting on corporate governance rules for large privately owned companies. Manifest welcomed the consultation particularly the Government’s questions in relation to proxy advisors and other shareholder advisors who support investment managers and asset owners in their […]
Read MoreManifest welcomes the Dept BEIS Corporate Governance Reform Green Paper which has been published today. Stakeholders are now faced with a very detailed and potentially far-reaching consultation which touches on a wide variety of topical issues. See Video https://goo.gl/Eb27h9 Manifest particularly welcomes the Government’s questions in relation to proxy advisors and other shareholder advisors who support investment managers […]
Read MoreThe British press were this weekend widely tipping that the publication of Theresa May’s flagship corporate governance reforms will be published this week. The BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, Sunday Times, and Scotsman have all run more or less the same articles over the weekend highlighting the key features of a proposed Bill: A requirement for companies to […]
Read More
UK Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to soften her stance on board worker representation within UK companies having previously suggested they should be represented alongside consumers. Speaking at the CBI annual conference this week she said that the government’s coming green paper on corporate governance would address executive pay, shareholder accountability and how “we can ensure the employee […]
Read More
UK fund managers members take executive pay reform seriously according to the UK’s Investment Association, which this week responded to the recommendations of the Executive Remuneration Working Group. In its new Principles of Remuneration, the IA suggests that rather than opting for the default Salary/Bonus/Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) pay structure, firms should consider pay structures which fit their business and […]
Read More