Mr. Peabody and Sherman prepare to go back in time to visit corpgov.net 5, 10 and 15 years ago. Five years ago in Corporate Governance In the year-end reflections two contributing factors deserve more attention. First, “prophetic warnings” from religious groups on the dangers of subprime loans via shareowner resolutions. Second, a call from Sanford […]
The no-action letter to Whole Foods Market (Whole Foods), sanctioning exclusion of my proxy access proposal is based on a reinterpretation of Rule 14a-8(i)(9) without going through the rulemaking process. Letting Whole Foods substitute a sham proxy access proposal could negatively impact dozens of proposals submitted this year on proxy access and other topics. The […]
A new study finds that economic value creation is not a major factor in institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting, nor in the recommendations of the two largest proxy advisors that counsel investors how to vote. The research reveals that there is no material difference between institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting for those companies that create economic value […]
The OECD is inviting public comment on its draft updated Principles of Corporate Governance – last updated in 2004. These principles (first published in 1999) have long been among the most influential sources of corporate governance guidelines for regulators, stock exchanges, investors and companies world-wide, and continue to be referenced as a benchmark for good governance practices. (more…)
In case you missed it last weekend, Donna Dabney, Executive Director of the Governance Center at The Conference Board posted this November 14th presentation by Dr. Yvan Allaire presented at the Annual Meeting of The Conference Board Governance Center. His talk was titled Do activist interventions create long term shareholder value? Allaire reviews a lot of studies and […]
This is the last in a multi-part series on the main program of the 25th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing held November 9–11, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. See also Video Friday: What is Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing?, Violating Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Increases Industry Risks, Surveys: Nonprofit Board Members & SRI 2014 Conference Attendees, 25th Annual Conference on […]
The rewards of corporate leadership accrue faster for men. Not only do women hold just one in nine of the executive and board positions in California’s top 400 public companies, an annual University of California, Davis, study shows that that the women in top executive roles are not being promoted to the highest levels, and […]
Fenwick & West, one of the Silicon Valley’s premier law firms serving technology, venture capital and life sciences companies, released its Corporate Governance Survey and its adjunct Gender Diversity Survey. The surveys cover more than a decade of governance and leadership trends comparing companies in the S&P 100 and their relatively smaller and younger counterparts in the Silicon Valley […]
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) , which distributes and retails natural, organic, and specialty foods, as well as non-food products primarily in the United States and Canada, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 12/17/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org was down when I checked and voted on 12/14/2014. I hope they are able to obtain […]
The role of VCs on private boards and their boardroom role in the IPO process are the stuff of Silicon Valley legend. The real story of VCs in boardrooms — when they first take a seat at the table to when they eventually leave the room — needs to be told. We’ll help set the […]
This is the fifth in a multi-part series on the main program of the 25th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing held November 9–11, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. See also Video Friday: What is Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing?, Violating Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Increases Industry Risks, Surveys: Nonprofit Board Members & SRI 2014 Conference Attendees, 25th Annual Conference on […]
This is the third in a multi-part series on the main program of the 25th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing held November 9–11, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. See also Video Friday: What is Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing?, Violating Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Increases Industry Risks, Surveys: Nonprofit Board Members & SRI 2014 Conference Attendees, 25th Annual Conference on […]
Yikes! I thought they were dead but they’re back! A recent paper from Proxy Mosaic sheds light on another defense for entrenched zombie directors. I’m busy on other projects but recent developments reviving this device are certainly worthy of shareholder attention, so I’m just pasting clips from their paper below to give readers a general […]
Reed’s, Inc. (REED), which develops, manufactures, markets, and sells natural non-alcoholic carbonated soft drinks, kombucha, candies, and ice creams, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 12/12/2014. Reed’s is still too small to be covered by ProxyDemocracy.org. I voted with management 43% of the time and assigned them a […]
We studied ‘corporate governance’ but never new its name until Bob Tricker defined the field. Discussions all over the world took on new meaning. Thirty years later, he is still in the vanguard of ensuring effective performance and social accountability, rooted in rigorous research. Governance is the defining issue of the 21st century and Bob Tricker our most […]
24 November 2014 – The International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) announced two senior appointments today as part of a strategic focus to increase regulatory engagement and expand governance education. George Dallas joins the ICGN team as Policy Director and Tom Rotherham-Winqvist has been contracted as Education Advisor. (more…)
… If the stockholder is to regard himself as a continuing part-owner of the business in which he has placed his money, he must be ready at times to act like a true owner and to make the decisions associated with ownership. If he wants his interests fully protected he must be willing to do […]
Guidewire Software Inc ($GWRE), which provides software products for property and casualty insurers, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 12/4/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I checked and voted on 12/1/2014. Sorry for the late post. Tomorrow is the last day to vote online. I voted […]
Microsoft Corporation ($MSFT), which develops, licenses, markets, and supports software, services, and devices worldwide, is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 12/3/2014. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of six funds when I checked and voted on 11/30/2014. Sorry for the late post. Tomorrow is the last day to vote online. I […]