Rapporter & tendenser

Danmark halter bagefter med digitale kompetencer i bestyrelseslokalerne. Ifølge opgørelse fra Amrop over digitale kompetencer i danske bestyrelser sammenlignet med udlandet, ligger vi i en blød mellemgruppe, med kun fire procent af bestyrelsesmedlemmerne i ikke-teknologiselskaber med digitale eller teknologikompetencer. Finland topper med tolv procent og Sverige med ni procent. I rapporten hedder det, at ”The digital board representation of non-tech companies is low and static Overall, 5% of board members in non-tech companies have digital competencies. For this second edition, we extended our analysis to 4 more countries: Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey. When we just compare the overall average representation across the countries analyzed over the past two editions, the picture has remained almost static, rising from 5% to 6%. Almost nowhere do we see any significant rise. One exception is Finland. With representation at 12%, Finland not only leads the way, but is in marked growth mode, having tripled its representation in a year. The UK is showing a similar dynamic, having upped its representation from 3% to 8%. In the Netherlands, however, representation has even slightly dropped from its already low showing of 7% in 2015, to 5% currently. Whilst 3 of the newly-analyzed countries, Belgium, Poland, and Switzerland, are all hovering around the average mark of 5%, Turkey’s board representation is notable by its quasi-absence. Only 1% of Turkey’s boardroom profiles are digital.”

Tendens: Flere rene virtuelle generalforsamlinger. Mere aktionærfokus på kultur, bestyrelsesudskiftning og mangfoldighed. I en foreløbig opgørelse over den amerikanske generalforsamlingssæson 2018 oplyses det, at ”Virtual-only meetings are on the rise. In the first five months of the year, we observe a growing number of companies favoring virtual shareholder meetings, continuing a trend from the past three years. A review of ISS Analytics data identified 127 virtual-only U.S. meetings taking place from January to May of 2018, compared to 99 virtual-only meetings during the same period last year.

Virtual meetings present a number of advantages to both shareholders and the company, such as wider participation, lower costs, and ease of submission of questions. However, companies and investors will have to also consider and manage potential risks, such as less direct communication and lack of transparency in filtering or prescreening of questions. More proxy disclosures feature culture, refreshment, and diversity: An analysis of proxy filings from the past decade suggests that proxy disclosures continue to evolve, as discussions about culture, diversity, board refreshment, and human capital management reach record highs. This trend is not surprising, considering the increased focus on board diversity and renewal by many institutional investors. Moreover, companies appear to proactively address areas of potential concern, in light of several high-profile cases where questions of culture or problematic human capital management were identified as key points of failure at firms dealing with governance crises and reputational risks.”

UK: Slagsmål med storaktionærer i flere UK selskaber. The Guardian skriver i en gennemgang af det seneste opgør, at ”Shareholders in turnaround specialist Melrose have staged one of the largest pay revolts this year, amid disgruntlement over a decision to pay a £42m bonus to each of four directors. Nearly 26% of Melrose shareholders who voted at the firm’s annual meeting on Thursday failed to back its pay report, with leading City institution and top 20 shareholder Standard Life Aberdeen among the rebels.Insurance group Direct Line also had a shareholder rebellion on Thursday when 23% voted against directors’ pay. The protests focused on the £657,000 basic pay awarded to its new finance director, Penny James, whose pay is 38% more than her predecessor’s. The Melrose and Direct Line protests extend a series of recent clashes between UK companies and investors that have resulted in bloody noses at Unilever and the housebuil – der Persimmon , and forced the satellite firm Inmarsat to rewrite its pay plans.”