Ben Maiden and Ben Ashwell
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SiriusXM hires former Airbnb top lawyer
Richard Baer has also been CLO at Liberty Media and UnitedHealth Group SiriusXM Holdings has hired Richard Baer as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective March 3. He will succeed Patrick Donnelly, who is retiring. Baer is a former chief legal officer (CLO) at Airbnb, where he oversaw the company’s legal, community policy and ethics and compliance functions. Before joining Airbnb, Baer was CLO at Liberty Media, UnitedHealth Group and Qwest Communications. A SiriusXM SEC filing last month stated that, to help with the transition, Donnelly would continue to be a full-time employee until April 4, 2025…
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AMC veteran to retire as general counsel
Kevin Connor has been with the movie theater company since 2002 Kevin Connor, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary with movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, will retire from the company effective March 13 after more than two decades. AMC has appointed Edwin Gladbach, vice president for legal, as interim general counsel and corporate secretary. According to an AMC statement, the company will decide on its pick for the long-term general counsel position later in the year, with both external and internal candidates including Gladbach, being considered. Connor joined AMC in 2002 and has been involved in major…
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SEC nixes 14a-8 guidance that widened path for ESG proposals
‘[This] moves the goalposts smack dab in the middle of this year’s shareholder proposal process,’ says commissioner Caroline Crenshaw The SEC has dropped Biden-era guidance on the parameters by which companies may seek the agency’s go-ahead to exclude shareholder proposals from their proxy statements. It is a move that will likely lead to fewer ESG-related resolutions making their way to a vote at future AGMs and comes as many companies are awaiting word from the agency on whether they will have to face certain proposals at their 2025 meetings. Many governance experts had predicted that the division would take such…
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SEC seeks pause in litigation over climate disclosure rule
Agency had been defending the rule but Republican commissioners oppose it Acting SEC chair Mark Uyeda has asked an appeals court to pause litigation over the agency’s high-profile climate risk disclosure rule. The commission adopted the rule on a 3-2 vote last March. It has subsequently been challenged in litigation consolidated in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The SEC under former chair Gary Gensler, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, had stayed the effectiveness of the rule pending an outcome to the litigation in which it defended the rule. Uyeda and fellow Republican commissioner Hester Peirce have long…
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The week in GRC: Trump pauses FCPA enforcement and Missouri AG sues Starbucks over DEI policies
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The BBC reported that President Trump halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that allows the prosecution of Americans accused of bribing foreign officials. The law prohibits US companies from trying to retain or win new business with other countries by bribing government figures. A White House statement said ‘over-expansive’ and ‘unpredictable’ enforcement of the FCPA risked the ‘economic advancement of the US.’ Trump has also directed US authorities to review current and past actions related to the law and to find new guidelines for the…
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Advance Auto Parts names new general counsel
Jeff Vining to succeed company veteran Tammy Finley, who is retiring NYSE-listed Advance Auto Parts has appointed Jeff Vining as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective March 2. He will report to Shane O’Kelly, president and CEO. Vining will succeed Tammy Finley, who is retiring and will stay with Advance in an advisory capacity as part of the transition. According to his LinkedIn profile, Vining is joining Advance from Unifi Manufacturing, where he has been general counsel and corporate secretary. Before that he spent 15 years at Lowe’s Corporation, most recently five years as senior vice president,…
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The week in GRC: Google drops DEI hiring targets and Treasury secretary orders work freeze at CFPB
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ordered a stop to work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after being named its acting director by President Trump, who had removed Biden appointee Rohit Chopra. In an internal email, Bessent’s office directed CFPB staff to cease much of the bureau’s work, including on enforcement actions and decisions about active litigation. The email also instructs staff to suspend the effective dates for rules that had been completed but are not yet in effect. Bessent’s appointment is…
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Governance Intelligence invites professionals to join survey on succession planning
Results to be shared as actionable benchmarking information One of the most important responsibilities for any board is picking the right leadership for its company and ensuring there are effective processes in place for this to happen – either in a prearranged manner or in the event of an unexpected departure. This responsibility has never been more pressing, with reports of potentially record levels of CEO turnover last year. There are no signs that this trend will abate in 2025 as executives face increasing scrutiny from the markets, the political world and their own boards during what is already shaping…
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McDonald’s seeks to exclude proposal on reaching its climate goals
Proponent wants to know if the company is on track for 2030 and 2050 emissions targets McDonald’s Corporation is asking the SEC for the go-ahead to exclude from its 2025 proxy statement a shareholder proposal addressing the fast-food chain’s ability to reach its climate goals. Green Century Equity Fund, which is advised by Green Century Capital Management, has filed the resolution. It requests that McDonald’s ‘disclose an assessment of whether its current climate transition plans and related resource commitments can reasonably achieve its 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets, or whether additional plans or commitments are necessary.’ The proponent recommends…
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Hilton hires former top CIA and DoD lawyer as general counsel
Caroline Krass has held several senior legal positions in government Hilton has recruited Caroline Krass to become executive vice president and general counsel, effective March 17. She will report to the hotel company’s president and CEO, Christopher Nassetta. Krass is joining Hilton having spent almost three decades in various US government roles over the course of her career. Most recently she has been general counsel of the US Department of Defense. According to her LinkedIn profile, between 2014 and 2017 she was general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Before her time with the CIA, her government work included…