All Boards & Shareholders articles – Page 2
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Blog
San Francisco, we have a problem
Richard Steinberg asks: If Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf had realized how big his problems were about to become, would he have acted differently?
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ArticleU.K. debate on corporate culture rolls on
U.K. corporate culture has remained largely unchanged since the financial crisis, but a variety of forces are aiming to change that, and soon. Neil Hodge reports.
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Blog
A culture of sexual harassment
Columnist Richard Steinberg looks at the sexual harassment suit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and its impact on corporate culture, asking, “What to do when the CEO is also chairman?” That’s why board independence is so important, says Steinberg.
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Blog
Theresa May: unexpected champion of employee board members
British Prime Minister Theresa May surprised everyone when she pledged to push for the installation of workers to company boards. But how will she actually accomplish that goal, ask Stephen Davis and Jon Lukomnik. And will other nations follow the U.K.’s lead?
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Blog
The hidden key to a good buyback plan: communication
It’s fashionable to slam stock buyback plans, but does it really have to be that way? Stephen Davis & Jon Lukomnik look into why buybacks are so heavily criticized and what directors need to do to make a better case for them.
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Blog
6 more ‘C’mon, man!’ moments
Regular followers of CW columnist Richard Steinberg will recognize his ‘C’mon, man, moments’—those peculiar business world goofs that leave us all perplexed. From overboarding to outlandish expense reporting, enjoy this latest installment.
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Blog
Are long-standing directors the ‘new insiders’?
The notion persists that long-tenured directors are too familiar with the organization to provide useful, objective leadership. But as CW columnist Richard Steinberg points out, there is definitely something to be said for deep experience and expertise.
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Blog
Hostilities resume between the SEC and institutional investors
It was all going so well. Institutional investors had made numerous efforts to comply with new SEC rules monitoring proxy advisers, but fresh legislation—HR 5311—might drive a permanent wedge between corporate boards and proxy advisers. More from columnists Stephen Davis and Jon Lukomnik.
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Article
New blood at the Serious Fraud Office
A report from Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has attacked the Serious Fraud Office for being a largely white, all-male board. Paul Hodgson examines the merits of the report and the SFO’s response.
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Blog
Risk reporting to the board
On the heels of Jim DeLoach’s “Six Principles for Improving Board Reporting,” Richard Steinberg offers four more principles regarding board risk oversight to ensure effective risk management, establish who is responsible for it, put board reporting in its proper context, and set channels of communication.
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Blog
Seven myths of boards of directors—part II
Last month, Rick Steinberg looked at myths around corporate governance, including accusations levied by some institutional investors and others. Here he looks at more such myths, with analysis and insight into which claims are on point—and which are not—along with how some accusers appear to be seeking to serve their ...
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Blog
How the U.K.’s “shareholder spring” has put compliance in the driver’s seat
As the United Kingdom’s “shareholder spring” subjects numerous top-index firms to repudiations of carefully planned executive compensation plans, Stephen Davis and Jon Lukomnik discuss how the trend of compliance as a value creator and as the primary method of enforcing good behavior is becoming too big to ignore.
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Article
Is this U.K. Shareholder Spring III?
Amid numerous shareholder revolts at U.K. companies over executive pay, Paul Hodgson examines how, since pay votes became binding two years ago, the shareholders themselves are wasting no time to exercise their power in which might be less of a demonstration and more of a revolution.
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Blog
Mutual funds call for corporate board accountability
As proxy season begins, holding boards accountable is the new black, and issues such as proxy access and dual-class companies are giving critics and activist shareholders new avenues for holding corporate board members’ feet to the fire. More from Stephen Davis and Jon Lukomnik.
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Blog
SEC requires ExxonMobile, Chevron climate change resolutions
The SEC has denied efforts by ExxonMobil and Chevron to exclude shareholder resolutions seeking additional disclosures related to climate change. The decision was detailed in recent no-action letters issued by the Division of Corporation Finance. A coalition of investors want the companies to “stress test” and disclose the effect ...
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Blog
Under investor scrutiny, corporate governance evolved into a crucial value generator
Title: Recent statements from big, maRecent statements from big, mainstream investment firms underscore just how far corporate governance has evolved from having once been a compliance exercise about proxies to a fundamental contributor to risk management and value creation. And as more funds integrate environmental, social, and governance factors into ...
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Article
Buffett vs. Zuckerberg: Does CEO age matter to investors?
Plenty of research supports the notion of mandatory retirement age for board members, but what about MRPs for CEOs? Does imposing an age limit on top executives really drive better long-term organizational performance? Shareholders, it turns out, seem to prefer experience to youth.
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Blog
BDO USA weighs in with proxy season advice
Volatility and risk around the globe is fostering uncertainty in corporate boardrooms around the country, and the “unsettled climate should make for an interesting annual meeting season,” says a new report by BDO USA, an accounting and consulting firm. The firm has compiled a list of topics that corporate management ...
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Article
Proxy season debates may include board scrutiny and short-termism
With proxy season just around the corner, the annual tradition of assessing the mood of investors has begun. On tap, experts say, are demands for improved transparency and communication, better disclosures, and a continuing scrutiny of directors, including how (and how much) they and their C-suite cohorts are compensated. “We ...
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Article
Women on U.K. boards: A (partial) success story
Corporate boards across the United Kingdom continue to have low numbers of women on them, suggesting that the struggle to increase board diversity is going slower than planned. But progress is indeed being made, all while raising the difficult questions as to why it is not so easy to build ...