US: Bestyrelsens Top 10 dagsorden I 2018
Det anerkendte amerikanske advokatfirma Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld har opstillet en Top 10 liste over bestyrelsernes vigtigste dagsordener i 2018. Flere af dem har vi hørt om før, men de er flyttet op eller ned i forhold til tidligere år. Øverst står: ”Cybersecurity threats. Cybersecurity preparedness is essential in 2018 as the risk of, and associated adverse impact of, breaches continue to rise. “The greatest threat to our markets right now is the cyber threat.” No crisis should go to waste. Boards should learn from others’ misfortunes and focus on governance, crisis management and recommended best practices relating to cyber issues.” Som en nyere dagsorden er bestyrelsens stillingtagen til, hvordan man håndterer fem generationer i virksomheden: ”Managing five generations of employees. In the coming years, employers will face the unprecedented challenge of having five generations of employees in the workplace. Companies and their boards can help address these tensions by better understanding employee expectations, encouraging cross-generation mentorship, and setting an example of generational diversity with respect to company leadership and members of the board. If managed correctly, boards and companies alike can benefit from the wisdom, collaboration and innovation that comes with generational diversity.”
UK: Store investorer etablere oversigt over selskaber med mange nej-stemmer
Engelske Investment Organisation vil efter anbefaling fra de engelske myndigheder fremover være med til at skabe større åbenhed om, hvilke børsnoterede selskaber, der får mange nej stemmer på de årlige generalforsamlinger: ”The Investment Association (IA), which represents the UK’s asset management industry, has launched its public register of listed companies which have had significant shareholder rebellions. The register includes FTSE All-Share companies which have received votes of 20% or more against any resolution or withdrew a resolution prior to their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2017. The IA said by publishing this information for the first time in one central location, the register aims to increase transparency, accountability and scrutiny of listed companies by shareholders, media and the wider public. The IA added that a key purpose of the register is to focus attention on how these companies respond to the concerns of their investors. It will highlight the public statements made by the companies on the register, on how they have addressed shareholders’ concerns. Almost one third (31%) of companies named on the register have provided a public response explaining how they are addressing their shareholders’ concerns.”
Fire ud af Top 10 Asset Managers I USA støtter klimaresolutioner
“Four of the top ten largest asset managers in the US voted in support of a climate change-related shareholder resolution for the first time ever during 2017 research by Fund Votes for the pressure group, Ceres has found. The asset management firms that voted for the first time in favour of a climate-related proposal were BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, and American Funds. Rob Berridge, director of shareholder engagement at Ceres, in his analysis of the research said that these large fund managers had been waking up to climate risk. As well as in their proxy voting, this could be seen in their engagement where they raise climate risk, and in their public state – ments and relevant background papers. Climate risk is now truly recognised as a mainstream issue impacting financial risk and return, Berridge suggested. He said given this development it was remarkable that five fund management firms – American Century, Cohen & Steers, Lord Abbett, Pioneer, and Putnam – still failed to vote in favour of a single climate-related proposal,” skriver Manifest.
Tendens i governance: Fortsat streng fokus på bestyrelsens kvalitet
Russel Reynolds har gennemført et globalt surveyrettet mod virksomheder og investorer, som særligt påpeger seks tendenser. To af de højest prioriterede er endnu mere fokus på bestyrelsens kvalitet og aflønning af selskabets topledelse: “Board Quality & Composition: Institutional investors will continue to prioritize gender diversity, director skills and experiences, composition refreshment, and the appointment of directors who have enough time to dedicate to the company as key indicators of board quality. Boards and nominating and governance committees in certain markets should expect increased votes against directors where there are fewer than two women on the board. Activists and some institutional investors will pay close attention to the number of directors with direct industry experience when assessing composition and quality.”
