ISG (Investor Stewardship Group), an investor-led initiative comprised of more than 60 of the largest U.S.-based institutional investors and global asset managers representing in excess of US$31 trillion AUM, joins with the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance to hold what promises to be an informative and exciting conference. Register now. (more…)
Drugs are being priced out of reach. The new web platform, Shareholder Democracy, will enable millions of Americans to “vote” on pending 2019 shareholder resolutions at six pharmaceutical companies. Shareholder Democracy Network and its drug-pricing ballot for stakeholders will be launched during a phone-based news conference at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Tuesday (February […]
I just registered and booked for Directors Forum 2019. San Diego is a great place to be in January. The 14th annual Forum promises to be the best yet. Will you join us this year? Check out the agenda. Photos from the 2018 event. Here are a couple of my posts from last year’s Forum. (more…)
Directors Forum 2018: Directors, Management & Shareholders in Dialogue brings together investors, directors and management to engage in open, off-the-record dialogue about today’s pressing governance issues. Speakers will put a spotlight on the escalating impact of “corporate culture” on business success. Hosted by Corporate Directors Forum, Directors Forum 2018 will be held on January 21-23, […]
Matt Cropp, Associate Director of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center and Marjorie Kelly, Executive Vice President of the Democracy Collaborative, discuss employee and community ownership, with a specific discussion of the Keep BT Local Campaign. (more…)
Town Hall Meetings on the Financial Choice Act are right now the most urgent defense line to protect shareholder rights. As you are aware, the Financial CHOICE Act (which threatens to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Shareholder Proposal Rule) has been referred to the full House of Representatives for a vote as […]
Registration is Now Open. Join CalPERS & CalSTRS at this year’s Diversity Forum 2017, an all-day event on May 10, 2017 in Sacramento. About the CalPERS & CalSTRS Diversity Forum 2017 The goal of Diversity Forum 2017 is to bring together investment and corporate executives to discuss how to better capitalize on the abilities of the diverse modern […]
Proxy Statements Disclosing Engagement Nearly half of S&P 100 companies included information in their proxy statements that showed how they responded to shareholder concerns and made changes to policies, according to a new report from Equilar, Innovations in Proxy Design, featuring commentary from Donnelley Financial Solutions and Pay Governance. In 2012, just 14.3% of the S&P […]
The new Equilar GDI (Gender Diversity Index) found it will take nearly 40 years for Russell 3000 boards of directors to reach gender parity. If the current rate of growth remains the same, Russell 3000 boards would reach 50% male and 50% female representation in Q4 2055. Diversity Forum I urge readers 5/10 join CalPERS […]
CII, in partnership with CFA Institute, offers Pension Fund Trustee Training on Feb. 27, 2017, 9 AM to 3 PM at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Washington, D.C. Two pension fund trustee training courses covering fundamentals and advanced topics in trustee service (Registration) (more…)
Tipping Points 2016, a new state-of-the-industry report profiled 50 investors investors with $17.3 trillion in assets, finds that investors are deliberately incorporating new investment approaches to help address systems-level risks and opportunities. The study indicates that investors are intentionally attempting to influence systems-level risk factors previously ignored as beyond the impact-ability of institutional investors. The report identifies ten tools […]
LGBTQ Panel at SRI While major advances have been achieved in the United States to protect the rights of the LGBTQ individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trasgender, queer or questioning), there are still a number of countries where outright discrimination and even punishment by death are real threats. A major LGBTQ rights panel during the 27th […]
Food safety is an issue I’ve been concerned with for years, first as head of California’s cooperative development program, then while on the boards of a food co-op and a wholesale distributor. I remember going for a State of California job interview with someone who lived a few houses down from the co-op. During the […]
The Rock Center Program for Journalists: A Primer in Corporate Governance is a one-day program intended to educate journalists who cover these issues. The program is scheduled for Thursday, June 9 at the New York Offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Applications are due May 20. (more…)
Directors Forum 2016 is a ‘must’ in an increasingly complex and volatile environment with expanding investor and stakeholder activism, geo-political unrest and 24/7 political campaigning, boards and management facing unprecedented demands. “Directors Forum 2016: Directors, Management & Shareholders in Dialogue,” hosted by Corporate Directors Forum on January 24-26, 2016, provides a forum for three constituencies […]
You are invited you to join us for the 2015 Millstein Governance Forum. This year’s Forum, the 10th annual hosted by the Millstein Center, will focus on The Board-Centric Model in the Array of Shareholders and will take place on Thursday, December 10, 2015 at Columbia University in New York. (more…)
All In For Impact: The 26th Annual SRI Conference will take place November 3–5, 2015 at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO. I am pleased to announce conference scholarships for SRI/ESG investing are now being made available to students and young professionals. The SRI Conference is an annual gathering of the responsible investment industry designed to stimulate, inspire, […]
Sustainability innovation is powering business growth, according to a new research report. Between 2010 and 2013, revenues from company-defined portfolios of sustainable products and services grew by 91% among the companies examined in the report. For S&P Global 100 companies that break out revenue for sustainable products or services separately, that revenue stream grew at […]
Hundreds of delegates from around the world will convene in London’s Guildhall to celebrate the organizations 20th Anniversary. Places to attend the conference are limited, so if you are planning to go, register register now to avoid any disappointment. (more…)
The ICGN Annual Conference, hosted by the City of London, is now only a few weeks away. The organization will welcome over 600 delegates to and celebrate its 20 year anniversary. Places for the conference are limited, so register now to avoid any disappointment. A new session has been added to the agenda this week: ‘Creating long-term, […]
Challenging Boardroom Homogeneity: Strategies for Increasing Board Diversity – A Conversation with Aaron Dhir and Deborah Rhode. Sponsored by the Stanford Center on the Legal Profession, the Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford Women on Boards, and the Vision 2020 Project. Tuesday, May 26, 2015 5:00 – 5:30pm Reception 5:30 – 6:30pm Presentation Stanford Law School, Room 190 (more…)
Philanthropic, Foundation Worlds Expected to Join Investors and Investment Professionals Engaged in Sustainable, Responsible, Impact (SRI) Investing; Early-Bird Registration Now Open. Now in its 26th year, the SRI Conference will be November 3-5, 2015 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado and will probably be the largest ever. Leaders in the philanthropy and foundation worlds […]
There has been much controversy in recent years surrounding the dual role of chair and CEO. The number of independent chair shareholder proposals seeking to separate the two positions has increased significantly and continues to rise. Both Disney and Starbucks have faced this issue in the past and shareholders once again have proposed to split […]
Proxy Mosaic is beginning a series of dialogues. The first is entitled “Are Meaningful Shareholder Proposals a Thing of the Past?” (more…)
As I have been mentioning, I will be on a panel at the 2/19 SEC Roundtable discussing how to increase retail shareholder participation in the proxy process. It is the night before the event; so I’m trying to boil it all down, knowing I’ll probably only get a few minutes to say anything. The previous posts are […]
I will be on a panel at the 2/19 SEC Roundtable discussing how to increase retail shareholder participation in the proxy process. Now is the time to boil my rambling posts down to recommendations to increase retail shareholder participation. The SEC agenda is in bold italics; my advice is not. This panel will focus on strategies for […]
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the agenda and panelists for its February 19 roundtable on ways to improve the proxy voting process. The roundtable, announced in January, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be divided into two panels. Participants on the first panel will focus on the state of contested director elections […]
I am too busy to provide the usual analysis of the proxy at CSP Inc. (CSPI). Today is the last day to vote the CSPI proxy using the Internet. The most critical item on the CSPI proxy is my proposal to allow shareowners to nominate board members. Please vote in favor of proposal #5, proxy […]
I’m delighted to see “Discussion of Proxy Access” (11:05-12:05 p.m.) as one of the items on the agenda for the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee (SEC-IAC) at the upcoming February 12th meeting. I discuss two recommendations below. Take Action: Please submit your own and paste into comments below. See comments submitted. Proxy Access: Rule 14a-11 In light […]
The Following is a guest post from Dr. Michael Hopkins, Chair and Partner of MHC International Ltd (MHCi) a research and advisory company on CSR, employment and development. CSRFI is an MHCI subsidiary focusing upon CSR/Sustainability teaching and training. He has worked in and with the corporate sector, the United Nations, Academia and has held a […]