Natalie Bannerman
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The week in GRC: SEC’s Atkins outlines regulatory priorities as Elliott pushes PepsiCo to refranchise
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web —The SEC has published its first regulatory agendaunder new chair Paul Atkins, detailing the short and long-term rules updates that the agency plans to make. The proposals span five key areas, with the first covering cryptocurrency regulations, under which the SEC plans to define clearer rules for issuance, custody, trading and open pathways for exchange listing. The second concerns deregulation, where the agency says it will streamline compliance, modernize rules and facilitate capital raising. The third area is around shareholder proposals, with the SEC saying it will amend Rule…
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Opposition to remuneration policies overtakes rejection of pay reports at European AGMs for first time since SRD II
Investors are now taking a more direct and confrontational stance on executive compensation, Georgeson data shows Shareholders across Europe are sharpening their focus on executive pay. For the first time since the EU’s Shareholder Rights Directive II (SRD II) mandated annual remuneration votes, average opposition to remuneration policies has overtaken opposition to remuneration reports. This insight comes from Georgeson’s 2025 European AGM Season Review, which analysed voting trends at AGMs across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and Belgium. In the UK, opposition to remuneration policies rose to 12 percent, up from 7 percent in 2024,…
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People moves: Atlantic Power & Infrastructure brings Stephanie Williams into new hybrid governance role
Plus, GE Vernova, Zentalis and Corteva welcome new legal chiefs Environmental technology provider Atlantic Power & Infrastructure (AP&I) has appointed Stephanie Williams to the role of secretary of the board, officer of government affairs, officer of environmental affairs and officer of corporate governance. As secretary of the board, Williams will oversee board documentation, shareholder records and governance deliverables, while her new role as officer of government affairs will see her engagement with regulatory bodies, manage compliance pathways, support industrial bond initiatives and guide AP&I’s policy positioning. Asofficer of environmental affairs,she will lead sustainability integration, including wildfire remediation and green technology…
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Mind the gap: confronting the global shortage of governance talent
Experts say that companies must build a culture where GRC is ‘understood, valued and actively developed’ to combat a skills crisis In boardrooms across industries, from financial services to technology to healthcare, a growing concern is beginning to surface, one that is less headline-grabbing than market volatility or geopolitical risk, but just as structurally threatening: the escalating global shortage of professionals in governance, risk and compliance (GRC). Companies need a steady stream of skilled GRC professionals to keep their operations not just compliant, but also ready for emerging threats. The talent pipeline is lagging behind, however, with the consequences becoming…
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The week in GRC: DOJ’s Galeotti changes stance on criminal cryptocurrency transmission
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – Active Ownership, the second-largest shareholder in German manufacturer Gerresheimer, has called for a full strategic review of the company following its acquisition of a 5.31 percent stake earlier this year. As reported by Reuters (paywall), the investor called for a quick conclusion to the sale of Gerresheimer’s molded glass division, to boost cash flow and reduce debt. The demands also include portfolio restructuring, administration cost savings and the establishment of a strategy committee. The investor says the moves will raise the company’s return on sales by five percentage…
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What the SEC’s launch of Project Crypto means for governance teams
Regulator seeks to strike a balance between innovation and addressing long-standing uncertainties Last month, SEC chairman Paul Atkins delivered a speech at the America First Policy Institute during which he unveiled Project Crypto, an initiative designed to position the US as the global leader in digital finance. Through it, Atkins seeks to modernize the US regulatory framework for digital assets in collaboration with various government entities, including the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The launch of Project Crypto occurred one day after the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets (PWG) released its report…
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Boards are spending too much time looking backwards, survey of UK and US governance professionals finds
Board Intelligence says there is a critical need for boards to shift to forward-thinking innovation and strategic growth. Standard Lithium has welcomed Michael Lutgring to the company as general counsel, effective August 18. Lutgring brings over two decades of legal and strategic advisory experience across corporate law, regulatory compliance and commercial transactions. Before joining Standard Lithium, Lutgring served as vice president and deputy general counsel at Albemarle Corporation. Prior to Albemarle, Lutgring held senior legal roles at Amedisys. Meanwhile, US real estate company Douglas Elliman has appointed Bradley Brodie as its new general counsel and corporate secretary. As confirmed in…
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People moves: Standard Lithium welcomes new general counsel as Douglas Elliman appoints new corporate secretary
The Andersons and WesBanco also grow their legal teams Founded to address the frustrations of executive teams, corporate directors and independent board members over ineffective board meetings, Board Intelligence (BI) was established with a clear mission: to understand what was driving frustration in boardrooms, identify what was going wrong and determine what needed to change to foster more meaningful, value-driven conversations. BI’s latest survey, the Board Value Index, highlights the key challenges boardrooms face today. According to its findings, 46 percent of directors in both the US and UK believe their boards do not add enough value to the organization.…
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The week in GRC: Trump hit with climate suit while 7Square eyes Nürnberger deal
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web —The Environmental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over use of a secretively convened group of climate skeptics to prepare a report in its attempt to undo the Endangerment Finding. The two environmental groups allege are challenging the activities of the ‘Climate Working Group,’ which is a group of hand-picked climate skeptics convened months ago by Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright. They allege that the Trump administration used the report published by the group unlawfully, called A Critical Review of…
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People moves: Legal head of Elon Musk’s AI venture resigns as Galaxy Digital appoints former Cognizant and Chevron exec
PNC, PPG and Cognizant also bolster their senior governance teams Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based banking company PNC Financial Services Group has made two appointments to its legal and risk teams. As of September 8, Amy Wierenga will serve as chief risk officer and will join PNC’s executive committee. Wierenga currently serves as head of financial and model risk for IRM, before which she worked for BlueMountain Capital Management as partner, chief risk officer and head of risk and portfolio construction. Reporting to directly to chairman and CEO William Demchak in her new role, Wierenga succeeds Kieran Fallon, who is moving into a…