Academics and experts argue stakeholder governance will always come second while the law puts the interests of shareholders first.
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Top Stories
News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 26, 2023
Lessons from Davos; companies risk sliding back on ethical practices; economics affects everyone; Sir John Kingman moves to Barclays.
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Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 26, 2023
The Financial Reporting Council still awaits the proposed new statutory powers that would allow it to enforce substantive change.
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Elon Musk weighs in against ISS and Glass Lewis
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 25, 2023
On Twitter, Musk complains that large proxy advisers hold ‘far too much power’ over shareholder voting decisions.
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Activist investor campaigns rise back up to pre-Covid levels
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 20, 2023
Research reveals that activist investors were busier in 2022 than in 2019—and the upward trend is likely to continue.
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News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 19, 2023
Musk and Edelman trade jibes; communication is key to investor relations; "green hushing" in the US; BlackRock speaks up for...
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Companies ‘will face growing climate litigation’
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 18, 2023
‘Do your homework’ and get ready for a rise in climate-related lawsuits, warn legal experts at this year’s Davos conference.
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Top fund fires warning shot at ‘laggard’ boards
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 17, 2023
Norges Bank chief executive warns boards of investor pressure on climate proposals and challenges ‘corporate greed’.
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News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 13, 2023
Your country needs NEDs; governance does not compute; financial firms get more women on board; audit engagement's virtuous diversity circle.
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Retail’s ethical failures top the 2022 list
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 12, 2023
The retail sector gained more adverse press reports about ethics than any other, reveals research by the Institute of Business...
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Say-on-climate voting is on the up, but investor support falls
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 12, 2023
US shareholders tend to approve companies’ climate plans, while support is waning among European shareholders, finds study.
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D&O insurance looks to ESG liability
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 9, 2023
Insurers’ growing interest in corporate governance may drive companies to improve management of ESG risk, research finds.
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News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 6, 2023
US shareholders to target boardroom idlers; call for a debate on the concept of ESG; High Pay Hour 2023; Germans...
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Top companies dismiss concept of workers on boards
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 6, 2023
Research finds FTSE 100 firms are still rejecting the 2018 proposal of improving workforce engagement by appointing a worker to...
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Boards want powerful CEOs in tough times
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 4, 2023
Single-minded chief executives have greater staying ability when business conditions are uncertain, research finds
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Board priorities 2023: tact, trust and transparency
By Gavin Hinks
/ January 3, 2023
We asked key figures what would help boards this year. The answers ranged from 'smarter blockchain tech' to 'a cool...
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Top stories of 2022: corporate governance gets political
By Gavin Hinks
/ December 23, 2022
This year saw economic crisis, an audit reform bill, and growing calls for corporate transparency—all against a backdrop of war...
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News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ December 23, 2022
FRC to pursue exam cheats; Porsche Volkswagen disagreement over Blume; FRC sets out stall for 2023 inspections; are you in...
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Biodiversity crisis: pressure builds on companies
By Gavin Hinks
/ December 19, 2022
As COP15 in Montréal strives to protect ecosystems, investors are already showing concern about the risks to business of biodiversity...
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News round-up: this week in governance
By Gavin Hinks
/ December 15, 2022
CofE cites 'disconnect' in top pay; do purpose statements work?; banks and their governance mentions; Big Three fund managers 'deferential'.
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Latest News
NEWS: Stakeholder governance, 27 January, 2023
Threat to stakeholder governance from Twitter sale ‘overstated’
Academics and experts argue stakeholder governance will always come second while the law puts the interests of shareholders first.
NEWS: Governance, 26 January, 2023
News round-up: this week in governance
Lessons from Davos; companies risk sliding back on ethical practices; economics affects everyone; Sir John Kingman moves to Barclays.
NEWS: Audit reform, 26 January, 2023
Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’
The Financial Reporting Council still awaits the proposed new statutory powers that would allow it to enforce substantive change.
NEWS: ESG investment, 25 January, 2023
Elon Musk weighs in against ISS and Glass Lewis
NEWS: Shareholder activism, 20 January, 2023
Activist investor campaigns rise back up to pre-Covid levels
NEWS: Governance, 19 January, 2023
News round-up: this week in governance
NEWS: Climate litigation, 18 January, 2023
Companies ‘will face growing climate litigation’
NEWS: Investor relations, 17 January, 2023
Top fund fires warning shot at ‘laggard’ boards
Interviews
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NEWS: Board priorities 2023
Board priorities 2023: tact, trust and transparency
We asked key figures what would help boards this year. The answers ranged from ‘smarter blockchain tech’ to ‘a cool head over executive pay’.
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NEWS: Investor relations
Climate issues likely to figure prominently at next year’s AGMs
A recent webinar heard that say-on-climate voting is expected to rise, while ESG remains a ‘hot topic’, as does executive pay.
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NEWS: Webinar
NEDs ‘needed more than ever’ in times of uncertainty
The non-executive director’s role is to both challenge and listen to management, agreed the panel of a recent webinar.
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NEWS: Podcast
Boards advised to ‘act now to save auto sector’
The UK’s auto industry faces unprecedented challenges and may only have 10 years to adapt or disappear, warn experts in our latest podcast.
Board Moves
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Board moves, 26 January, 2023
Whitbread appoints NED
Dame Cilla Snowball, former group CEO of advertising giant AMV BBDO, has joined the board as a non-executive director.
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Board moves, 25 January, 2023
British Honey Company appoints NED
Andrew Smallman becomes a non-executive director of BHC, a producer of British honey and craft spirits, with immediate effect.
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Board moves, 23 January, 2023
Barclays announces board changes
Sir John Kingman will join as a NED and take over from Crawford Gillies as chair of the group’s ring-fenced banking arm, Barclays UK.
Regulation
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NEWS: Governance, 26 January, 2023
News round-up: this week in governance
Lessons from Davos; companies risk sliding back on ethical practices; economics affects everyone; Sir John Kingman moves to Barclays.
-
NEWS: Audit reform, 26 January, 2023
Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’
The Financial Reporting Council still awaits the proposed new statutory powers that would allow it to enforce substantive change.
-
NEWS: Climate litigation, 18 January, 2023
Companies ‘will face growing climate litigation’
‘Do your homework’ and get ready for a rise in climate-related lawsuits, warn legal experts at this year’s Davos conference.
Partner Contributions
NEWS: ESG reporting
ESG reporting all-important in stakeholder engagement
Experts advise that by boosting their annual reporting, boards can build trust and form more meaningful relationships with investors.
INSIGHT: Governance
Audit committees and ESG: ‘It’s a difficult journey to navigate’
The rise of ESG as an investor concern is creating new demands of audit committees. A recent CACID event looked at the challenges.
Recognition that significant change is needed and determination to drive progress are vital if boards are to improve sustainability.
INSIGHT: Strategy
Leading change: the board’s role in driving business transformation
The chief executive and the rest of the board need to create a vision for the future, with clear objectives and a plan for achieving them.
As events repeatedly demonstrate, supply chain disruption is a given. Here's how improving resilience can benefit your wider strategy.
INSIGHT: Strategy
Firms forge ahead with AI adoption despite a lack of skills on boards
Survey reveals more than two-thirds of companies plan to implement AI technologies in the next 12 months.
A new report provides a roadmap to navigate the recovery by creating a culture of innovation—including making it a priority in the boardroom.
Insight: Risk
D&O litigation on the rise amid host of emerging risks
Directors face liability over a range of new threats, with data breaches, executive misconduct and climate boosting D&O litigation claims.
INSIGHT: Crisis management
Corporate disclosures and investor relations 'impaired by Covid-19'
A recent event hosted by Mazars brought together audit committee chairs and investors to explore their experience of coping with the impact of Covid-19.
NEWS: Governance awards
Diligent launches search for top 100 governance professionals 2020
The Modern Governance 100 programme honours company secretaries, corporate counsels and other professionals driving change in their organisations.
Survey reveals almost 60% of firms have revisited their strategy, and highlights a lack of board knowledge about key risks—including climate change.
INSIGHT: Compliance
Internal investigations are on the rise—but are they robust enough?
New legislation in the UK and Europe has added pressure for more internal investigations. But the lack of guidance puts companies at a disadvantage.
Risk management
Covid-19 adds to an unprecedented landscape of risk
Audit committee chairs have already drawn risk management lessons from the pandemic. But their attention is also fixed on the issues that will remain long after the crisis is resolved.
Investor engagement
Collaboration is key for the challenging AGM season ahead
With shareholder activism on the rise, boards must ensure they engage fully with investor concerns and demonstrate how they are addressing crucial issues.
Setting up a business in Germany can be challenging—even something as basic as opening a bank account poses difficulties. Here's what you need to know.
Talent pipeline
How companies can develop more diverse boardrooms
Diverse boardrooms have been shown to correlate with improved financial performance. But creating a talent pipeline isn’t an overnight task.
Board evolution
Setting the pace: how to ensure your board is fit for the future
EY’s latest whitepaper looks at the key actions boards should take now to ensure they set the pace—or risk falling behind.
Chairs and board members must understand their organisation's financial risk policy and hedging strategy to ensure that they can ask the right questions—and mitigate the risks posed by volatile financial markets.
A new report examines how outsourcing offers financial and strategic advantages to organisations in an increasingly fast-paced business environment.
Global business
Greece tops list of most complex international jurisdictions
TMF Group’s Global Business Complexity Index ranks Greece the most difficult jurisdiction for international companies to do business in, with Brazil, Germany and China also in the top ten.
Knowledge sharing
NGO governance: finding solutions to future challenges
A recent event brought together experts from national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify future governance challenges for the sector—and share possible solutions.
Financial services
Banking on better cybersecurity
Boards are bolstering their expertise as they look to tackle one of the biggest business threats facing financial services firms: the risk of cyber-attacks. But experts warn that resilience needs to be hard-wired into the business itself.
Following a raft of corporate scandals uncovered by whistleblowers, the business risks associated with an individual revealing wrongdoing should not be underestimated in the boardroom.
Board expertise
Taking control of cyber risk
Cybercrime is an escalating problem that demands constant attention to mitigate against financial and reputational risk. But what should boards do to ensure their organisation is protected?
Board expertise
Performance and accountability: the changing role of the chair
The role of the board chair has changed dramatically in the past decade, with chairs increasingly held responsible for corporate governance failures. How can board leaders ensure they are prepared for the challenges ahead?
Financial services
Special report: Future-proofing financial services
From compliance to new technology and broader stakeholder engagement, financial services firms today must be fighting fit in order to thrive. Enter the effective board, which must govern like never before. In this special report, we outline six key areas of knowledge and insight to equip boards for the unprecedented challenges ahead.
Boards could take the opportunity to turn transparency to their advantage. A penetrating light is being shone on the tax affairs of multinational entities—but tax transparency will encompass all businesses in time.
