As we approach the busiest time of year for those of us involved in share voting, it will come as little comfort that the current round of PRI reporting is weighing heavily in investor in-boxes. It includes requirements relating to vote confirmations and seeks to identify whether investors have: obtained confirmation that votes have been […]
Read MoreThe upcoming AGM of Deutsche Bank AG is looming large in many shareholders minds now. With the long running succession planning debate at the company leading some proxy advisors to publicly recommend opposition to ratification of the supervisory board acts, combined with countermotions tabled for director elections, there’s plenty for shareholders to consider. The ability to […]
Read MoreThe AMF, the French equivalent of the FSA, has finally published an English language version of its February 7th report on the conduct of General Meetings at French listed companies. The report deals with the four broad themes of dialogue between shareholders and issuers, shareholder voting at general meetings, the board of the general assembly and its […]
Read MoreMore rights for shareholders is one of those sure-fire political winners which would seem churlish to object to. But, with the publication of the UK’s proposals to fix the “payments for failure” fiasco, it looks like the UK government is going to (again) miss a golden opportunity to give shareholders ALL of the tools that they need […]
Read MoreHere at the Manifest blog we try to keep a balance of news and stories for the informed Stewardship community – which includes shareholders and issuers. Today’s piece is addressed directly to the issuer community. It’s a simple message: when it comes to buying vote data, please Just Say “No”. What are we talking about? […]
Read MoreDebate at the recent meeting of the European Corporate Governance Forum (ECGF) on the subject of related party transactions, ahead of the publication of a statement on the subject, underlined again the problems faced by European companies in effectively communicating with their shareholders on a key strategic issue. On occasions where potential related party transactions […]
Read MoreThe Canadian proxy voting system is fundamentally flawed says Canadian law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. In a forthcoming white paper the firm has, in its words: “uncloaked the mystery surrounding the proxy voting system in Canada.” Canadian proxy voting is circuitous and results in complicated communications between issuers and investors that lack transparency and accountability. It […]
Read MoreFair corporate suffrage is an important right that should attach to every equity security Source: United States Congress, 1934 There’s no small irony that the first shareholder voting regulations were introduced in the aftermath of ‘The Great Crash’. Now, another market collapse has brought regulators full circle and owners of US companies finally have their chance […]
Read MoreThe US Securities and Exchange Commission looks set to debate its “concept release” on the mechanics of the US proxy system next week. According to an SEC announcement, the commission is scheduled to meet on July 14 at 10am to vote on the “concept release” seeking public comment on how to enhance the “efficiency and integrity” […]
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