Tim Human
-
Off-season engagement highlights shifting views on ESG
Companies ponder how to keep talking about sustainability We’re coming to the end of ‘off season’ – when many companies go out on the road to engage with key institutional investors ahead of their annual shareholder meeting. According to a recent survey from sister site IR Magazine, around two thirds of IR teams say they have a program of activities focused on governance issues away from AGM season. It’s a practice that has increased as investors have taken a growing interest in ESG issues, offering the chance for senior management including governance professionals – and in some cases board members…
-
As the EU announces CSRD shake-up, our poll shows most companies aren’t ready for implementation
Takeaways from the Governance Intelligence and IR Magazine ESG Integration Forum – Europe, held in London Starbucks Corporation is asking the SEC for the go-ahead to exclude a shareholder proposal about cage-free eggs in China and Japan from its next proxy statement. The coffee company’s AGM is scheduled for March 12, 2025. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed the resolution, which asks the company to ‘disclose details of its implementation plans and timelines for reaching its cage-free egg commitment in China and Japan.’ In its supporting statement the society quotes Starbucks’ Form 10Ks as stating ‘the…
-
Most CEOs still focused on decarbonization but taking long-term view, EY survey finds
A quarter of business leaders say they have deprioritized sustainability issues While some companies have dialed back their ESG goals, CEOs as a whole continue to see sustainability as a growing area of importance, according to a recent survey. Short-term priorities have shifted, however, with investment in technology viewed as more critical than decarbonization efforts in the coming months. In a poll of 1,200 executives, more than half (54 percent) say sustainability is more of a priority now than it was a year ago, reports the quarterly CEO Outlook Pulse survey from EY. Business leaders based in the Americas are…
-
New push to lower 13F filing deadlines
Society for Corporate Governance, NIRI and NYSE write to the SEC calling for new rulemaking process A new effort is under way in the US market to make investment firms disclose their equity holdings in a more timely fashion. The Society for Corporate Governance, NIRI and the NYSE have jointly petitioned the SEC to reduce the deadline for 13F filings, which currently stands at 45 days after the end of each quarter. 13F filings are one of the main ways market participants, from issuers to other investors and academics, understand what buying and selling is taking place within the US…
-
Earth Day poll finds waning global interest in climate change, but most still want businesses to act
Ipsos research notes that younger generations are most pessimistic about tackling climate change Monday this week was Earth Day, the annual event focused on showing support for environmental protection. This year’s celebration appears to have passed with a little less fanfare, at least from the perspective of my inbox. There are notably fewer people getting in touch wanting to talk about their new ESG or sustainability initiatives than I remember from previous years. But what does the bigger picture look like? Market research firm Ipsos carries out a survey every year around Earth Day to look at global attitudes toward…
-
Sun Life aims to save 400 hours of staff time with ESG prioritization tool
Canadian financial services company uses tool to decide which ESG ratings and rankings to focus on How should companies divide their time among the hundreds of ESG ratings, rankings and assessments that request their attention? At Sun Life, the Canadian financial services firm, the sustainability team has come up with a solution: an ESG prioritization tool that ranks providers into different categories. Alanna Boyd, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at Sun Life, tells Governance Intelligence sister publication IR Magazine the tool is expected to free up around ‘400 hours’ a year of internal staff time, which can be…
-
‘How does the experience line up?’: Experts discuss aligning executive pay with stakeholder expectations
Panelists on recent webinar encourage companies to simplify plans, explain their thinking and avoid too many year-on-year changes Investors remain focused on ensuring executive compensation plans deliver outcomes that align the experience of management with other stakeholders, according to panelists on a recent Governance Intelligence and IR Magazine webinar, held in partnership with Alliance Advisors. ‘We’re looking at the experiential aspects of the comp plan,’ said Paul Schneider, director of corporate governance at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which manages around C$250 bn ($184 bn) in assets. ‘How does the executive compensation plan align with the shareholder experience? That really came…
-
UK’s new Stewardship Code could place more demands on debt IR
Updated code now covers all asset classes, including debt Board composition continues to be a primary area of focus, particularly as it relates to diversity and gender, in addition to tenure, overboarding and director skills. Canadian reporting issuers have now completed five years following changes adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) to National Instrument 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices (NI 58-101) and Form 58-101F1 Corporate Governance Disclosure that, among other things, require the disclosure of certain information relating to the representation of women on boards of directors and in executive officer positions. Diversity disclosure in respect of ‘designated…