To help prepare for AGMs in 2022, Equiniti (EQ) highlights three key themes in this report. AGM logistics: With no need for knee-jerk Covid-related reactions, companies are ensuring they offer the experience both retail shareholders and institutional investors need. ESG:

Digital tools proved their worth to boards during the pandemic and many of the practices put in place to ensure business survival will remain. However, digital tools will go further, according to experts. Data and technology will enable boards to view information more immediately and, as a result...

Over the past 18 months, non-institutional shareholders have increased their access to and knowledge of equity markets—and exert growing influence over them. Reflecting on this shift in the investment landscape, Equiniti has created a report that deepens understanding of the behaviour and motiv...

There can be little doubt that the global Covid-19 pandemic has forced corporate boards to embrace significant change. They have had to adapt new ways of working, ensuring corporate resilience, supply chain security, financial stability and the health and safety of their workforce. But ...

In the uncertain times at the height of any crisis, business leaders need to demonstrate their agility and ability to adapt to new, unrecognisable environments. Board directors will play a key role in enabling this spirit of leadership, not just through securing the business but empowering a plat...

Directors face liability over a range of new threats, with data breaches, executive misconduct and climate boosting D&O litigation claims. Board engagement with D&O risk and insurance has never been so important. Directors need to stay informed of the risks that lead to claims, and work w...

With the impacts of Covid-19 hitting just as the season took off, “fraught” was the watchword of 2020’s AGMs. Understanding that these were challenging times, proxy advisers and activist investors, whilst not mute, were more lenient than they might otherwise have been. Be aware: that will n...

Financial services firms are facing an unprecedented raft of challenges. Future-Proofing Financial Services – Special Report, produced by Board Agenda in partnership with Mazars, focuses on the key corporate governance issues facing boards & senior leadership teams in financial servic...

Board Agenda, in association with Mazars and INSEAD, asked C-suite executives and non-executives about their attitudes to risk and their views of the current risk environment in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. The 'Leadership in Risk Management - Board Report' reveals how corpo...

An internal investigation must be handled meticulously to avoid legal exposure, regulatory or criminal prosecution and reputational damage, and enable the board to comply with its obligations. This guide seeks to empower company directors in dealings with the authorities should an internal invest...

Few developments have been as influential on business as outsourcing. For boards around the world the benefit of outsourcing has moved from simply reducing costs to providing the opportunity for competitive advantage and strategic transformation. Boardroom Insights: The risks & rewards of...

Board-level risk management activities vary in organisations as a result of internal and external factors. This new report from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) highlights common challenges and good practices to overcome risk management difficulties. It includes the ‘risk ...

This report introduces a new model for integrated thinking, called the ‘spring model’, having been developed by the participants of the IIRC’s Integrated Thinking & Strategy Group over the last two years as they embed integrated thinking within their own organisations, as well as sharing t...

We know from discussions with stakeholders that retendering and auditor rotation contributes to improved confidence in audit and we have also seen evidence of competition on grounds of audit quality. Thus, the FRC considers it a good time to update its notes on how best to support an effective tende...

The primary purpose of the Guidance on Board Effectiveness is to stimulate boards’ thinking on how they can carry out their role and encourage them to focus on continually improving their effectiveness. Ultimately, it is for individual boards to decide on the governance arrangements most appropria...

Boards are coming under more scrutiny and pressure than ever before from regulators, investors and the public to be effective and to continually raise their performance. More accountability is called for, which brings further complexity ...

Diligent has hosted over 100 director interviews, virtual roundtables, webinars and podcasts since COVID-19 began. We’ve summed up our findings in a report, which offers a snapshot of corporate boardrooms right now.

Whether it’s a lack of engagement or security, poorly executed virtual meetings can lessen productivity, weaken camaraderie, and (most importantly) compromise sensitive information at all levels of an organisation. As video conferences become an increasingly important collaboration tool for board...

Diversity in the boardroom is now seen as good business practice—supporting enhanced decision-making, market understanding and employee engagement. Regulators and investors see the value in board diversity, and are willing to engage on the issue where weaknesses are identified. There is also a pen...

The impact of digital transformation changes virtually every aspect of an organisation, and corporate boards are no exception. As an organisation becomes more agile, reduces cycle times and adopts analytics-driven processes, becoming a real-time entity, so, too, must the board that governs it. This ...

Digital transformation and new technology is rapidly changing each aspect of an organisation, which is greatly impacting how boards operate. Understanding how to use technology to drive more benefit to an organisation is of the utmost importance. Enterprise Governance Management (EGM) is an emerging...

This report from Board Agenda and Mazars, in association with INSEAD, examines the adoption and perceived benefits of AI, as well as the constraints and AI's potential impact on corporate culture. It is clear that despite considerable interest in AI and an expectation that over two-third...

PwC and The Conference Board asked more than 550 public company C-suite executives to share their perspective on their boards’ overall effectiveness, their strengths and weaknesses, and their readiness to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing companies today.

This report contains the main findings arising from FRC's corporate reporting monitoring work, which is conducted by its Corporate Reporting Review (CRR) team. It sets out our view of the current state corporate reporting in UK, what makes for better quality reporting, and where the FRC sees shortco...

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to commit in law to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In 2021, the government went further, setting in law the world’s most ambitious climate change target to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. To achieve this, the whole ec...

The global economy needs to undergo an industrial transition to rapidly decarbonise, with huge implications for business and the investment community. It is vital that companies are able to effectively disclose and communicate their approach to climate change, their strategies, and how they are m...

The impact of the pandemic on UK listed companies will continue to reverberate for many years. How companies balance the need to reward and incentivise management whilst reflecting the experiences and expectations of employees, suppliers, shareholders and wider society will be crucial. The Principle...

The thirteenth, bi-annual Ridgeway Partners UK Bank Boards Analysis was published in January 2022. It lists all non-executive and executive board members, including their board roles, business backgrounds, nationality, gender and tenure. It includes selected analytics on the 375 directors across the...

The FCA is extending the application of its climate‑related financial disclosure requirements to issuers of standard listed shares and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) representing equity shares (excluding standard‑listed investment entities and shell companies). In this policy statement, it su...

This document lays out updated ISS proxy voting guidelines (EMEA) for 2022, covering benchmark policy changes for the UK & Ireland, Continental Europe, Russia & Kazakhstan, Middle East, and Africa, effective for meetings on or after 1 February 2022.

Widespread loss of trust in the shareholder value model of capitalism is undeniable. Its critics argue that it should be replaced with an alternative model of stakeholder capitalism. Investors are privileged to occupy a position of significant influence on corporate priorities. At a time of huge ...

Given the increased level of interest in public company pay decisions and related proxy voting recommendations, this document is intended to provide illustrative guidance on the intended application of Glass Lewis’ existing policy approach to executive remuneration at companies in the EMEA region ...