Archive
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Tyson Foods appoints new general counsel
Adam Deckinger has been with the company since 2018 NYSE-listed Tyson Foods has appointed Adam Deckinger as general counsel and corporate secretary. Deckinger has been with the company since 2018, most recently as senior vice president and head of law and compliance. In his new role he heads up Tyson’s global law and compliance, government affairs and internal audit services teams.He reports to company president and CEO Donnie King. Deckinger succeeds Amy Tu, who was previously chief legal officer and secretary before being named president for international and chief administrative officer last September. During Deckinger’s time with Tyson his responsibilities…
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Most Canadian large caps tie executive pay to ESG metrics
Study finds ESG issues often ‘lumped in’ with other areas in compensation plans The majority of large Canadian companies link ESG metrics to executive pay, although most lump ESG issues in with other areas rather than considering them on a stand-alone basis, according to new research from Canadian law firm Fasken. The study examines ESG disclosure, management and governance among the TSX 60, Canada’s blue-chip index, and the Climate Engagement Canada Focus List (CEC 40), a group of companies selected for investor engagement given their profile as large emitters of greenhouse gases. The research show that 68 percent of the…
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The week in GRC: Powell says Fed won’t get involved in climate issues and law-firm associate diversity ticks up
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that Rite Aid Corp president and CEO Heyward Donigan left the company. Rite Aid has picked board member Elizabeth Burr to be interim CEO as it conducts a search for a new leader. Burr has previously been chief innovation officer at health insurance company Humana. Donigan was named Rite Aid CEO in 2019, leading the company through the Covid-19 pandemic that put pharmacy chains on the front lines of testing and vaccinations. – According to Bloomberg (paywall), UK financial services firms have…
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Apple faces request for board talks with successful shareholder proponents
Proposal asks for engagement with those bringing resolutions that get majority support Apple faces a potential shareholder vote on a resolution calling for it to have a board member talk to the proponents of future shareholder proposals that garner majority backing. The SEC earlier this month denied a request from Apple for no-action relief if it excludes the resolution, which calls for Apple’s board to adopt a policy that, ‘should holders of a majority of non-insider shares voted support a shareholder proposal… a board member or members, identified by the nominating committee chair, will be made available for a discussion…
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Five disclosure trends to watch for this proxy season
Corporate Secretary speaks to experts about their experiences with proposals and disclosure requirements With the 2023 proxy season approaching, governance professionals this week shared insights on emerging disclosure trends amid regulatory and investor pressures. Here are five developments discussed during the Corporate Secretary webinar. Human capital management ‘With changes in [SEC] rules either proposed or implemented, you’re seeing beefed-up human capital disclosure,’ said Micheal Dobbs, senior vice president and general counsel of Texas Pacific Land Corporation. ‘Different companies have different levels of human capital risk associated with them. Companies that haven’t been looking ahead and tracking those human capital-related risks…
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Boards discussing geopolitics more frequently, research finds
Economic conditions, the war in Ukraine and racial equality among the topics on board agendas A large majority of boards are talking about geopolitical matters more frequently than they did just a few years ago, according to new research from Corporate Secretary. Almost three quarters of all governance professionals taking part in the study report a slight (53 percent) or large (20 percent) increase over the past two years in the frequency of board discussions on geopolitical issues. Just 2 percent report any decrease in frequency. The pattern is broadly consistent across respondents at different company sizes and between those…
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BD names acting general counsel
Michelle Quinn has been with the company since 2019 Medical technology company Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) has named Michelle Quinn acting general counsel.According to the company, the move follows Samrat Khichi announcing that he will leave BD. Khichi will join CVS Health as executive vice president, chief policy officer and general counsel, effective February 13. Quinn will report to Tom Polen, chair, CEO and president of BD, and will become a member of the company’s executive leadership team. Quinn joined BD in 2019 and is senior vice president, deputy general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer. Previously, she…
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WWF urges central banks and regulators to step up on climate
Disclosure of non-achieved environmental and social targets ‘should be mandatory’ under TCFD and TNFD frameworks, group says The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called on central banks, financial regulators and financial supervisors to scale up their efforts on transitioning to a net-zero economy. The global conservation organization’s new Sustainable Financial Regulations and Central Bank Activities 2022 reportsets out 13 recommendations as ‘minimum requirements’ for those institutions, covering transition plans to a low-carbon economy, environmental and social (E&S) expectations and mandatory disclosure of climate risks, among others. The report monitors progress on sustainable financial regulations and central bank activities…
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How the DoL’s new ESG rules affect fiduciaries and companies
Elizabeth Bieber, Pamela Marcogliese and Taylor Todd look at new rules allowing fiduciaries to factor in ESG considerations when investing or voting What do cell phones, DVDs, personal computers, space shuttles, reality television and electric cars have in common? They have all been created in about the last 40 years, which aligns with the timeline during which the US Department of Labor (DoL) has been weighing how to permit Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Erisa) fiduciaries responsible for investment and voting decisions to use ESG considerations in their decision-making. While we think of ESG as capturing the modern zeitgeist within…
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The week in GRC: ISSB plans to complete climate rules this year and NLRB preparing union-friendly changes
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that Ireland’s Data Protection Commission ruled that Meta Platforms cannot use its contracts with Facebook and Instagram users to justify sending them adverts based on their online activity. The ruling also imposed fines of €390 mn ($410 mn) on Meta, arguing that the company violated EU privacy laws by saying such ads are necessary to execute contracts with users. Meta, the parent of Instagram and Facebook, said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal both it and the fines. The…