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People moves: Gilead Sciences welcomes new EVP, general counsel, legal and compliance
Plus, Parsons. Alithya and Ashford bolsters their legal teams 2025 has been a watershed year across the GRC profession. Deregulation has taken center stage, shifting more power to the boardroom and dialing back DEI and ESG requirements. That pivot is reflected clearly in the stories Governance Intelligence readers clicked on most over the last 12 months. Our most-read piece of the year was a Governance Matters podcast episode featuring Neil McCarthy, co-founder and chief product officer of DragonGC. McCarthy unpacked the SEC’s recent enforcement cases involving disclosures around executive perks – including aircraft use – and why companies now considering…
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The 2026 litmus test: will boards choose chaos or stability?
Shifting political winds in Washington and a regulatory retreat will have unintended consequences for companies Corporate boards and management face a stark and defining choice this proxy season. Shifting political winds in Washington – and a retreat by the SEC from investor protection and enforcement – will offer companies what might seem like a ‘get out of jail free’ card. But this proxy season and the three years that follow will be a litmus test for corporate America. The question on everyone’s mind is How will public corporations behave in a world where the SEC is actively attempting to reduce…
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The week in GRC: Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet shareholder pushes for immigration disclosure as OCC relaxes Citigroup compliance rules
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – A union-aligned investor group SOC Investment Group has urged Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet to disclose how President Donald Trump’s immigration policies affect their finances and supply chains, according to letters seen by Reuters (paywall). SOC, which holds small stakes in each company, has asked for details on how they will handle Trump’s proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a move that could impede hiring skilled foreign workers – especially in the technology and logistics industries. The group also asked Amazon and Walmart to explain how immigration enforcement,…
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Corporate Governance Awards 2025: On the red carpet with Ally Financial
Hope Mehlman reflects on her longstanding career Governance Intelligence recently presented its18th annual Corporate Governance Awardsat a gala ceremony this past November in New York City. Live from the red carpet, we spoke with several esteemed guests from across the world of GRC, includingHope Mehlman, chief legal and corporate affairs officer at Ally Financial. Mehlman was namedthe 2025 recipient of theLifetime Achievement Award. Before the ceremony we asked about what this recognition means to her, the one piece of advice she would give aspiring governance professionals and why teams should consider entering next year. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements by…
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People moves: AIxCrypto names new head of legal following rebrand
Plus Securitize, NW Natural and Hemlo Mining bolster their governance teams On the latest episode of the Governance Matters podcast, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman takes a closer look at the standout moments and major themesemergingfrom the 2025 awards season. In a series of conversations with prominent governance leaders,weexplore how the industry is evolving and what continues to set theCorporate Governance Awardsapart as a benchmark of excellence. Guestsinclude: Brian Breheny, partnerat Skadden John Kim,assistant corporatesecretaryand lead counsel at GeneralMotors Lori Zyskowski,partnerat Gibson Dunn Kevin Bohl,senior vice president, deputy generalcounseland assistant corporate secretary at Ventas Fernando Contreras,VP,chief compliance officer & corporate secretaryatBaker Hughes…
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Privacy emerges as the defining regulatory fault line at SEC crypto roundtable
Regulators and industry voices examine how far financial oversight should extend as digital asset markets mature Earlier this week the SEC’s Crypto Task Force held its sixth roundtable, addressing what chairman Paul Atkins described as one of the most consequential questions for the digital age: whether US citizens ‘can participate in modern finance without surrendering their privacy.’ The event brought together regulators, privacy advocates, industry participants and observers in a wide-ranging discussion about how financial surveillance and individual privacy should coexist in an increasingly blockchain-driven world. In his opening remarks, Atkins said the federal government has a duty to protect…
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As Trump signs executive order targeting ISS and Glass Lewis, experts say change is already happening
Order comes after weeks of rumor that the US administration would formalize scrutiny of proxy vote advisory firms ‘Unbeknownst to many Americans, twoforeign-owned proxy advisors, ISS and Glass Lewis, play a significant role in shaping the policies and priorities of America’s largest companies through the shareholder voting process,’ wroteUS President Donald Trump on Thursday as – after weeks of rumor – he signed an executive ordertargeting the two firms. In it, Trump advises everyone from the SEC to the Federal Trade Commission, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor to put a regulatory spotlight on the big two. The rhetoric…
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The week in GRC: Trump inks executive order to review proxy advisors as Paramount Skydance takes Warner Bros bid to investors
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the SEC to review proxy adviser rules as part of a wider crackdown on ESG influence in corporate governance. According to Bloomberg (paywall), the order instructs SEC chair Paul Atkins to evaluate and potentially revise or rescind regulations, guidance and related rules governing proxy advisory firms that critics say have pushed politically charged agendas rather than focusing solely on shareholder returns. It specifically cites ISS and Glass Lewis, claiming they have backed proposals on racial equity audits, greenhouse-gas…
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People moves: Former Meta CLO joins Apple as new general counsel
Plus, Asana, Everest and Berkshire Hathaway name new legal hires Jennifer Newstead, the former chief legal officer at Meta, will join Apple as SVP from January before transitioning to general counsel by March 2026. Newstead is to succeed Kate Adams who is retiring from her role as general counsel. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO says that he is ‘incredibly grateful to her for the leadership she has provided, for her remarkable determination across a myriad of highly complex issues and above all, for her thoughtfulness, her deeply strategic mind and her sound counsel.’ Newstead was most recently chief legal officer at…
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Glass Lewis tightens US oversight of board powers in broader 2026 proxy rethink
Glass Lewis’ US-led 2026 updates mark a sharper turn toward flexible, investor-driven oversight and stronger shareholder rights Glass Lewis released its 2026 Benchmark Policy Guidelines on December 5, setting out notable changes for its policies for companies in the US, Canada, the UK and continental Europe. The updated guidelines, which apply to shareholder meetings held after 1 January 2026, indicate a shift away from rigid, uniform voting prescriptions and towards one with more customization and sees proxy advisors act more as research providers than as standard setters. This comes weeks after ISS published its 2026 Benchmarking policies, ushering in its…