Archive
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Marsh McLennan names next general counsel of Marsh business
Mikhail Vanyo has been with company since 2017 Marsh McLennan has promoted Mikhail ‘Misha’ Vanyo to become the new general counsel of its Marsh business. He now leads all legal and compliance strategy for Marsh globally. Vanyo joined Marsh McLennan in 2017 as the firm’s chief competition counsel. The company’s four businesses are Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. He later took on the role of Marsh’s chief counsel for global placement and specialty. Before joining the company, Vanyo was a federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice, where he focused on antitrust, fraud and other white-collar crime.…
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Female CEOs face more aggressive questioning from male analysts, research finds
University of Exeter Business School analysis uncovers gender bias in US company conference calls When male analysts question femaleCEOsthey are 7.9 percentage points ‘more aggressive’ than when questioning maleCEOs. That’s according to researchers from the University of Exeter Business School, who analyzed recordings of 39,209 earnings conference calls with US firms over a 13-year period to 2018. The researchers behind the study, titled The role of gender in the aggressive questioning ofCEOsduring earnings conference calls, also say male analysts’ questions are more aggressive than those of female analysts by a score of 10 percentage points. The study assesses ‘verbal aggressiveness’…
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How the pandemic has shaped share registers
The acceptance and adoption of virtual investor meetings is the pandemic’s enduring legacy for listed companies around the world. This has made it easier for companies to attract global shareholders to their register, but has it resulted in a more diversified shareholder base? No one will be surprised to read the stats on in-person meetings from last year: according to Corporate Secretary sister publicationIR Magazine’s Global Roadshow Report 2021, limitations on human movement as a result of the pandemic led to a substantial reduction in one-on-one,in-person meetings between companies and investors. The results show that companies held just a handful…
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The week in GRC: UN announces group to scrutinize net-zero pledges and SEC releases exam priorities
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that Tesla said it will seek shareholder approval at its AGM for an increase in the number of shares of the company to enable a stock split, although it did not specify when such a split would take place or what the ratio of shares would be. The company typically holds its AGM in the fall. The move comes after Amazon.com recently said it would split its stock 20-for-1. Google parent Alphabet said on February 1 that it will enact a 20-for-1…
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United Natural Foods appoints McDonald’s veteran as general counsel
Mahrukh Hussain currently McDonald’s chief commercial and privacy officer Providence, Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods (UNFI) has recruited Mahrukh Hussain to become general counsel and corporate secretary, effective May 16. She will report to UNFI chief executive Sandy Douglas. Hussain is at present McDonald’s senior vice president and chief commercial and privacy officer. She has spent more than two decades at the fast-food company in a variety of positions, most recently overseeing global responsibility for commercial transactions, marketing, intellectual property, technology, privacy and safety, security and intelligence. Hussain was previously McDonald’s US general counsel from 2013 to 2020, Europe general…
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IFRS Foundation and GRI to co-ordinate on sustainability disclosure
Part of global moves toward consolidation The IFRS Foundation and GRI are taking the latest step toward a more closely aligned set of global ESG reporting frameworks. The organizations last week announced an agreement under which their respective standard-setting boards – the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) – will co-ordinate their work programs and standard-setting activities. The news came just days after the SEC proposed highly anticipated rule changes that, if approved, will require companies to make climate-related disclosures including on climate-related risks that are expected to have a significant impact on them.…
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The many successes of Marsh McLennan’s Brennan
Why Kate Brennan is the winner of Corporate Secretary’s 2021 governance professional of the year (large cap) award Kate Brennan has worn many hats, often simultaneously, during her time at Marsh McLennan as a champion for governance, ESG, compliance and crisis management. In recognition of her feats, last June she followed her tenure as deputy general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer (CCO) for Marsh McLennan by becoming general counsel of the company’s Marsh business. Then just this month she was promoted to become senior vice president and general counsel of the Marsh McLennan company. Brennan was named Corporate…
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Cerence appoints former Lenovo attorney as general counsel
Jennifer Salinas starts with the company next month Burlington, Massachusetts-based Cerence has recruited Jennifer Salinas as its new senior vice president and general counsel, effective April 4. She will report to CEO Stefan Ortmanns. Salinas most recently was general counsel of the infrastructure solutions group and global head of litigation at Lenovo. Her experience includes advising management and boards on matters including corporate governance, commercial and strategic transactions, M&A, litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment and regulatory and compliance matters. During her time with Lenovo, she was responsible for joint ventures, M&A opportunities and due diligence, strategic partnerships, brand protection,…
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The week in GRC: Executives predict costs under SEC climate plan and Biden urges companies to strengthen cyber-defenses
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – Reuters reported that Kohl’s Corp said its board was reviewing multiple preliminary offers from buyers. The company has previously rejected buyout offers from Sycamore and Starboard Value-backed Acacia Research. Kohl’s, which is facing pressure from activist investors to sell itself, said the proposals received are non-binding and without committed financing. Activist hedge fund Macellum Advisors last month said it was seeking to take control of the company’s board and had nominated 10 directors. Kohl’s, in a letter to shareholders on Monday, urged them to vote in favor of…
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Wendy’s faces vote on treatment of pigs
Company had requested no-action relief for omitting the shareholder proposal Shareholders in The Wendy’s Company appear set to vote this spring on a proposal regarding the fast-food firm’s treatment of pigs. The SEC recently declined a request from Wendy’s that it be given no-action relief for excluding the Humane Society of the United States’ (HSUS) proposal from this year’s proxy statement. Specifically, the proposal requests that Wendy’s ‘confirm [that] the individual crate confinement of gestating pigs will be eliminated from its North American supply by the end of 2022. If Wendy’s cannot so confirm, shareholders request: 1) its percentage of…