Gadfly importance to democratic corporate governance is often underrated. We are currently under attack by the Business Roundtable (BRT) and others seeking to substantially raise the ownership threshold for submitting and resubmitting proposals. BRT, for example, contends proposals from small shareholder divert “significant time and resources to issues that, at best, have an attenuated connection to the […]
ESG Executive Director position opening at The Conference Board (TCB) in June, since Douglas Chia is taking a position in academia at the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law & Governance. This is a dream job for the right candidate. Doug is a hereo and will be hard to replace, so you had better be good. […]
Glass Lewis 2019 proxy advice updates address many issues. See 2019 Proxy Paper Guidelines: An Overview of the Glass Lewis Approach to Proxy Advice. I have reproduced much of the summary of changes below, leaving off the section discussing clarifying amendments. One that stands out for our small group of so-called ‘gadflies’ addresses our concern […]
The objective of the forum videoed below was explore how the adoption of mutuality principles and the Economics of Mutuality approach to value creation can contribute to the both society and the commercial success of firms. The notion that business has a significant role in addressing human and social problems has led to a re-evaluation of […]
Walden seeks co-filers for resolutions asking Vanguard to review and report on its proxy voting policies and practices related to climate change. It is rare when investors file a resolution with a mutual fund since most funds don’t hold regular annual meetings. Nonetheless the act of filing puts the fund on notice that participants are […]
Sustainable, responsible and impact, SRI investors, have influenced the investment industry, companies, governments and other actors to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges in four major areas, according to The Impact of Sustainable and Responsible Investment, a report released today by the US SIF Foundation. Influence of SRI Investors Drawing upon a range of data, surveys and examples, the report […]
I used to believe that democratic power was exercised like the creation of an impressionist masterpiece — each individual offering an artistically placed paint stroke that blends into the whole as you step back. As I have matured, I now see that those who are able to influence others around them are most effective in […]
The 4th annual Global Proxy Review has now been published by the Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC), a joint initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD and Global Unions Federation. The report and interactive website encourages investors to take an active role in proxy voting oversight for […]
GMI Ratings, the leading provider of research, data and analytics on environmental, social, governance (ESG) and forensic accounting risks affecting the performance of public companies, is introducing Accounting and Governance Risk (AGR®) ratings on over 9,000 companies in nearly 60 emerging market countries. GMI’s AGR ratings capture a variety of accounting irregularities and corporate governance […]
MSCI Inc. (MSCI) announced it has agreed to acquire GMI Ratings, a provider of ESG (environmental, social and governance) ratings and research to institutional investors, through its subsidiary MSCI ESG Research Inc. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Said Remy Briand, Managing Director and Head of […]
Key Characteristics of Prominent Shareholder-sponsored Proposals on Environmental and Social Topics, 2005-2011, released by the IRRC Institute (IRRCi) and researched by Ernst & Young LLP finds environmental and social (E+S) shareowner proposals are gaining increased support from investors at US companies. Download the report, presentation, press release and even replay the webinar from IRRCi’s website. (more…)
FT reports that a survey by Aviva Investors found that ninety per cent of equity and fixed-income fund managers polled, with about £4tn of combined assets under management, recognized the importance of ESG to end owners and consultants although a smaller percentage, 79 per cent, said they were likely to (more…)
GMI and Trucost announced a strategic partnership to incorporate Trucost environmental performance data into the GMI Analyst research platform. The agreement strengthens GMI’s existing governance analysis and will enable GMI clients – leading institutional investors, banks, insurers, auditors, regulators and corporations – to incorporate a measure of environmental risk alongside traditional financial metrics. (more…)
Proxy Preview is an annual publication that focuses on upcoming social and environmental shareholder proposals. However, it also includes some information on governance proposals as well. It was initiated to help foundations and endowments better align investment and mission but it is useful for other organizations or individual shareholders. The Proxy Preview is published by […]