Podcast posturing

Everybody’s got a podcast. And it seems CEOs are guesting on everybody’s podcast. New research finds that chief executives have taken to podcasts like a business minister to long lunches.

A US team has concluded that CEOs increasingly eschew their usual communication channels to pop up on podcasts. Why? Podcast appearances are usually by CEOs with a consumer focus and elevated concern for corporate social responsibility, as well as company leaders with “stronger reputation incentives”.

They also find attention for CEOs and their firms increases on podcast release days. We’re now in an era where everyone’s realised their 15 minutes of fame will be podcasted. Call my agent!

Blanc check

The City needs more woman in senior roles if it wants to see an end to sexism, according to Aviva’s chief executive Amanda Blanc. Blanc was the subject of headlines last week when the company chair George Culmer was reported saying he was “flabbergasted” by sexist comments aired during the company’s AGM.

Speaking to The Times, Blanc said: “What needs to happen is there needs to be more females in more senior roles, it’s as simple as that, so that it becomes more of the norm.” So simple it leaves us flabbergasted. Like George.

Planet proxy

Bad news for ESG proponents. Research about the US proxy season reveals ESG-related shareholder proposals are far outweighed by governance proposals. In fact the split is 7% and 93% of 12,492 proposals from 2012 to 2021.

Recent years have, however, seen rising interest in ESG among investors. John Willis, director of research at Planet Tracker, a think tank behind the report, wonders where all the ESG proposals on topics like the oceans slowly being filled with plastic end up.

“Hopefully this year we will witness a new momentum on an assortment of ESG issues, not least on environmental topics where many CEOs have made public statements on net zero targets.” Let’s hope so. The planet’s literally depending on it. As are the fish.

Face value

Always envied that CEO with the chiseled jaw and the rugged good looks? Don’t. Instead, allow us to offer you an opportunity for smug superiority.

A South Korean team has found that chief execs with more masculine faces are associated with a “three-fold higher likelihood of corporate fraud”. The team write: “The harnessing of the strong achievement drive of masculine-faced CEOs to minimise potentially adverse corporate outcomes is of primary concern.” Or, to put it another way, hire more women.

Crisis pay(s)

Meanwhile US chief executives—male, female or other—are rolling in cash it seems. Analysis by the Wall Street Journal finds that CEO pay logged its sixth recording breaking year in 2021 (wasn’t there a global crisis on?). Most execs saw their compensation rise by around 12% (some sort of global pandemic?). Median CEO pay among 400 companies analysed stands at $14.7m (£11.8m) (wonder what happened to employee pay?).

In April we reported that FTSE 100 pay levels looked as if they were easing back to pre-pandemic levels: average pay among the FTSE 100 firms to report so far was up 34% in 2021. Guess crises pay. Who knew?