Archive
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Zomedica appoints general counsel
Karen DeHaan-Fullerton was previously at Exactech Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Zomedica Corp has hired Karen DeHaan-Fullerton as general counsel and corporate secretary. She joined the Zomedica team on May 31. According to her LinkedIn profile, DeHaan-Fullerton joined Zomedica from Exactech, where she had been associate general counsel. The profile states that she previously worked as in-house counsel at Elanco and before that at Zimmer. Earlier in her career she was a partner at law firm Sommer Barnard, now known as Taft. In her new role, DeHaan-Fullerton is responsible for all Zomedica legal functions across regulatory, risk and compliance matters. NYSE-listed Zomedica…
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Governance Matters podcast: Gearing up for the governance road ahead
This episode of the Governance Matters podcast looks at how boards are preparing to tackle the ever-growing list of often fundamental questions posed by ESG matters A pair of long-discussed and highly anticipated regulatory changes affecting activist investors and the US companies they target are coming down the pike. But advisers say that rather than creating a fundamental power shift, the reforms are likely to underscore the importance to each side of having effective engagement and a good story to tell. The value of playing well with others is becoming more widely accepted, they say. Back in February, the SEC…
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Lowe’s shareholders vote for pay-gap report
Disney shareholders backed similar proposal earlier this year Shareholders in home improvement company Lowe’s have backed a proposal seeking a report on pay differentials between different employee demographics. According to a regulatory filing, 58 percent of the votes cast at the company’s May 27 AGM supported a resolution requesting that Lowe’s ‘report on unadjusted median and adjusted pay gaps across race and gender, including associated policy, reputational, competitive and operational risks and risks related to recruiting and retaining diverse talent.’ In its supporting statement, proponent Arjuna Capital writes that such a report could, at the board’s discretion, integrate base, bonus…
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Senior PPG attorney adds corporate secretary role
Joe Gette joined paint company in 2005 NYSE-listed paint company PPG has promoted Joe Gette to become vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary, effective June 1. Gette was previously assistant general counsel for M&A and securities. He continues to report to Anne Foulkes, senior vice president, general counsel and – until this month – corporate secretary. In this new role, Gette takes over the corporate secretary responsibilities while continuing to provide oversight and support for the company’s global M&A activities, according to PPG. He also has oversight responsibility for securities, labor and employment and commercial legal activities for…
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The week in GRC: Amazon criticizes looming antitrust bill and Elizabeth Warren eyes Spac clamp-down
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that Unilever said it would add Nelson Peltz to its board. Peltz said Unilever had ‘significant potential’ and that he wanted to work collaboratively with the company. Unilever chair Nils Andersen said the company had held ‘extensive and constructive discussions’ with Peltz and that he believed the investor’s experience in the consumer goods sector would prove valuable. Peltz has previously sat on the boards of Procter & Gamble, Kraft Heinz Co and Mondelēz International. Unilever said Peltz would be joining the board…
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Political congruence proposal for AT&T sees strong support
Measure looking at whether public positions and spending line up A large slice – though not a majority – of Chevron shareholders have backed a proposal seeking a look into the impact on the energy company of getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. According to an SEC filing, almost 39 percent of votes cast at Chevron’s May 25 AGM backed the proposal, which was filed by As You Sow. Governance professionals widely view that level of support as significant. Specifically, the proposal asks Chevron’s board to release ‘an audited report addressing how application of the assumptions of the [International Energy…
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Net-zero proposal gains significant support at Chevron AGM
Almost 39 percent of votes cast back report request More than four in 10 votes cast at AT&T’s recent shareholder meeting supported a proposal seeking disclosure about how the company’s political spending aligns – or does not align – with its stated positions on issues. According to a regulatory filing, 44 percent of votes cast at the company’s AGM on May 19 supported the measure brought by As You Sow. Although not a majority, such levels of support are widely seen within the governance community as significant. The resolution calls for AT&T to produce a report ‘analyzing the congruence of…
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DocuSign hires new legal chief
Jim Shaughnessy spent 10 years in executive roles at Workday Jim Shaughnessy is joining DocuSign as chief legal officer (CLO). Most recently, Shaughnessy spent 10 years at Workday in roles such as general counsel and senior adviser for corporate affairs. Before that, he spent four years as chief administrative officer and general counsel at Orbitz Worldwide, according to his LinkedIn profile. Previously, Shaughnessy was general counsel at Lenovo Group and before that at PeopleSoft. He was deputy general counsel at Hewlett Packard and before that spent 14 years in senior legal roles at Compaq. According to his profile he began…
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The week in GRC: Amazon shareholders reject 15 proposals and SEC targets disclosures by ESG funds
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – Reuters said that, according to people familiar with the matter, Toshiba Corp plans to propose giving two of its major hedge fund shareholders seats on its board. Toshiba plans to nominate the executives from Elliott Management and Farallon Capital Management for board seats ahead of its AGM in June, the people said. Three of the people said Toshiba will propose Elliott, and two of them said it would also propose Farallon. A Toshiba spokesperson said the company hasn’t finalized its board director nominees, adding that it will promptly…
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Home Depot shareholders back deforestation and racial equity proposals
Racial equity audit resolutions continue to attract support Shareholders in The Home Depot have voted in support of a proposal seeking a report on the company’s impact on deforestation and another seeking an independent racial equity audit. At the company’s May 19 AGM, a proposal seeking disclosures about deforestation garnered 64.7 percent of the votes cast. The resolution, filed by Green Century Capital Management, asks Home Depot to issue a report ‘assessing if and how it could increase the scale, pace and rigor of its efforts to eliminate deforestation and the degradation of primary forests in its supply chains.’ Green…
