Archive
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How starting with the right ESG data is crucial to effective corporate storytelling
Professionals examine how to drive stakeholder engagement with ESG reporting With regulators beginning to align their requirements for corporate reporters in the ESG space, getting started with the right data – and approach – is crucial for telling a strong and consistent corporate story. This was the throughline of a recent IR Magazine Webinar, held in partnership with Morrow Sodali, titled ‘How anchoring your approach to ESG reporting in business strategy can drive investor and stakeholder engagement’. Harry Etra, managing director at HXE Partners, a Morrow Sodali Company, and a panelist on the webinar, told an audience of IROs, ESG…
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Alex Tselentis of Finex on AI practices within an ESG strategy
Alex Tselentis, partner at Finex, was one of the panelists at the latestESG Integration Forum – Autumn, hosted by Governance Intelligence and IR Magazine. His session looked at ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance an ESG strategy and performance and discussed how to better adopt AI-powered solutions in IR programs, such as data analysis, reporting, engagement and communication. After the session, Tselentis sat down with Governance Intelligence to answer some of the burning audience questions and to debrief on the way AI is transforming the investor relations landscape. When asked how AI will help enhance specific aspectsof companies’…
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The week in GRC: Elliott pushes for changes at Crown Castle and Microsoft to gain non-voting seat on OpenAI’s board
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web American International Group (AIG) has named Rose Marie Glazer as general counsel, effective immediately. Glazer had been interim general counsel since October 1 following the promotion of Lucy Fato from executive vice president, general counsel and global head of communications & government affairs to the newly created position of vice chair. Patricia Walsh, who had previously been announced as due to join AIG as general counsel on December 1, recently decided to remain at Stripe, according to an AIG announcement. A Stripe spokesperson declined to comment. A request for…
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Clifford Chance’s David Alfrey talks TNFD adoption, rising anti-ESG sentiment and contextual disclosures
David Alfrey, lawyer at Clifford Chance, was one of the speakers at the latestESG Integration Forum – Autumn, hosted by Governance Intelligence and IR Magazine. His panel session reflected on the key ESG takeaways of 2023, including supply-chain challenges, increased shareholder scrutiny and the impact of new reporting frameworks. It also cast an eye over what 2024 has in store in terms of ESG trends and what companies should prepare for. After the session, Governance Intelligence sat down for a one-to-one chat with Alfrey to get an overview of which part of the ESG acronym businesses of all sizes should…
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Edward Jones hires Keir Gumbs as general counsel
Gumbs was previously chief legal officer for Broadridge Financial Solutions Edward Jones has hired Keir Gumbs as general counsel to lead the firm’s legal and compliance teams. He reports to managing partner Penny Pennington. Gumbs was previously chief legal officer for Broadridge Financial Solutions. In that role, he oversaw the company’s legal, compliance and physical security teams. He also co-led Broadridge’s regulatory and government affairs activities and was the primary legal adviser to senior management and the board on all legal and regulatory aspects of the company’s business strategy. In addition, Gumbs was an executive member of Broadridge’s ESG committee…
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Airbnb hires former Biden chief of staff as CLO
Ron Klain has held several high-profile roles at the White House Airbnb has recruited Ron Klain as the company’s chief legal officer (CLO). He will start at Airbnb on January 1, 2024, and will report to CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky. Klain is joining Airbnb from O’Melveny & Myers, where he is a partner in the law firm’s Washington, DC office. He previously held several senior White House roles. Between 2021 and 2023, he was chief of staff to President Joe Biden. He was chief of staff to then-vice president Biden between 2009 and 2011 and later co-ordinated former president…
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‘Like watching paint dry’: Buyback announcements slowest in years despite surprises from Snap, Bumble and Ferrari
This year on track to be weakest for global corporate buyback announcements since tracking began in 2016 Monitoring the market for share buybacks in 2023 has been likened to ‘watching paint dry’, as even the Q3 earnings season failed to ignite confidence. With the cost of equity and debt capital far higher than a year ago, investors reportedly prefer company executives to shore up balance sheets. This environment has driven down the number of buyback announcements. The year as a whole is on track to be the weakest year for buyback announcements, although Q4 is well below all quarters in…
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The week in GRC: Wall Street seeks legal pushback against regulations and Altman to return as CEO of OpenAI
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that more than 500 employees of OpenAI threatened to leave the company if the board doesn’t resign and reinstate former CEO Sam Altman and former president Greg Brockman. ‘Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,’ the employees wrote. ‘We are unable to work for or with people [who] lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.’ The employee letter also demanded the addition of two independent board members Microsoft said late on Sunday that…
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Fox Corp names Campbell Soup general counsel as CLO
Adam Ciongoli will become chief legal and policy officer on December 1 Fox Corporation has appointed Adam Ciongoli as chief legal and policy officer, effective December 1. In his new role, Ciongoli will report to Lachlan Murdoch, executive chair and CEO, and head up all legal, compliance and regulatory matters as well as oversee government affairs for Fox Corporation. Ciongoli is moving to Fox Corporation from Campbell Soup Company, where he has been executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability, corporate responsibility and governance officer. Before his time with Campbell, he was executive vice president and general counsel of…
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Investors ‘cautiously optimistic’ about M&A outlook for 2024
Highlights from the recent Governance Intelligence and IR Magazine M&A Forum Although 95 percent of directors acknowledge artificial intelligence’s (AI) future significant impact on their businesses, only 28 percent indicate that AI is a regular feature in their board’s conversations, according to a survey by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). It is imperative that boards assess the opportunities and risks the technology presents and establish processes that address AI’s impact on issues ranging from directors’ and officers’ (D&O) insurance to the oversight responsibilities for management’s adoption and implementation of AI. This imperative is created by an imminent rise…