Archive
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Raytheon Technologies names new general counsel
Raja Maharajh has been with the company since 2004 Boards have a special part to play in navigating change and corporate secretaries have an increasingly important role to play in making sure directors are prepared to take on this task. In part one of our latest podcast episode, host Jeff Cosette speaks to Evan Barth about change at the professional level following Barth’s move from a successful 13-year career at IBM to his new role as assistant corporate secretary at newly public IBM spin-off Kyndryl. ‘Imagine a start-up that begins with $19 bn in revenue… At the same time, you…
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Companies setting climate goals without tracking emissions, survey finds
More than half of respondents say their company does not measure its carbon footprint Many companies are setting ambitious environmental targets and are confident about their understanding of the issues – but are lagging when it comes to key measurements, new research suggests. Seventy-eight percent of respondents polled by Crowell & Moring say their organization has identified and adopted environmental performance goals that go beyond levels required by environmental laws. The most commonly cited reason for going beyond mere compliance, mentioned by 50 percent of those taking part in the survey, is ‘to improve brand image and reputation among customers.’…
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Governance Matters podcast: Moving to a new governance role and helping boards adapt to change
The latest episode of the Governance Matters podcast takes two different looks at managing change Raytheon Technologies has promoted Raja Maharajh to become general counsel, reporting to chair and CEO Greg Hayes. Previously chief of staff to Hayes, Maharajh joined the company in 2004 and has since held a number of leadership roles including general counsel of Pratt & Whitney, one of Raytheon Technologies’ businesses. In his new role he oversees legal and regulatory affairs, matters such as corporate governance and transactions, ethics and compliance, litigation, contracts and intellectual property. Before joining the company, Maharajh was an attorney with Bazerman…
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Rocket Pharmaceuticals hires general counsel and CCO
Martin Wilson was previously general counsel and chief corporate officer at Ichnos Sciences Nasdaq-listed Rocket Pharmaceuticals has hired Martin Wilson as general counsel, chief compliance officer (CCO) and senior vice president. Before joining the company, Wilson was general counsel and chief corporate officer at Ichnos Sciences, a role in which he oversaw the company’s legal, compliance, business development, human resources and IT functions. He helped establish Ichnos as an independent corporate entity and set up its corporate structure. Before Ichnos, Wilson was general counsel, CCO, corporate secretary and head of human resources at Teligent. He was previously vice president and…
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ESPN appoints next top attorney
Diane Morse to retire at end of 2022 after 25 years in the legal department In late November, corporate secretaries and IR professionals gathered virtually to discuss the future of stakeholder engagement and sustainability reporting at the ESG Integration Forum – Europe. They had plenty to talk about. The forum took place shortly after the UN Climate Change conference in Glasgow, UK, which saw a raft of new commitments but failed to deliver on key hopes such as the phasing out of coal. Delegates also chewed over the IFRS Foundation’s recent launch of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), a…
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‘Investors are seeing the opportunity as much as the risk’: Highlights from the ESG Integration Forum – Europe
Attendees debated COP26, the launch of the ISSB and the future of ESG investment ESPN has appointed Eleanor ‘Nell’ DeVane chief counsel, effective next month. DeVane has spent more than two decades in ESPN’s legal department over two stints and has been a deputy chief counsel since 2012. She will succeed Diane Morse, who is retiring at the end of 2022 after 25 years in the legal department and having led it since 2015. In her new role, DeVane will report to Jimmy Pitaro, chair of ESPN and sports content, and the general counsel of The Walt Disney Company. Alan…
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The week in GRC: Elliott presses SSE on energy transition strategy and FinCEN plans shell company clampdown
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – CNBC reported that Lucid Group disclosed an SEC probe into the electric vehicle company’s special purpose acquisition company deal to go public. The company said it received a subpoena from the SEC ‘requesting the production of certain documents related to an investigation,’ according to a filing. Lucid said that although there is ‘no assurance as to the scope or outcome of this matter, the investigation appears to concern the business combination’ between the automaker and blank-check company Churchill Capital Corp IV. ‘The company is co-operating fully with the…
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More investors view divestment favorably post-COP26, survey finds
Engagement still top preference but support for divestment sees 6 percentage-point increase Thirty-six percent of investors say they support divestment as a tool against climate change, up from 30 percent before COP26. That’s according to a survey of more than 5,000 investors across the US, UK, Italy, Germany and South Africa by investment manager Ninety One in an effort to determine attitudes toward ESG issues and whether investors are willing to modify their approaches following the climate summit. Although more investors (45 percent) still say that working with high-emitting companies for a green transition remains their preference, this is a…
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Should US investors disclose short positions?
The SEC and House Democrats have targeted disclosure of short-sale positions as an area of regulatory focus. Ben Ashwell looks at why it’s a priority – and whether it’s needed In July this year the US House Financial Services Committee passed a bill on to the main chamber that, if ratified, will drastically reform the information investors are required to report to the SEC. The Short Sale Transparency and Market Fairness Act would require asset managers responsible for more than $100 mn in assets under management to file ownership reports with the SEC no later than 10 days after the…
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Best Western picks successor general counsel
Jay Pricher joined the company in 2009 Phoenix, Arizona-based Best Western Hotels & Resorts has promoted Jay Pricher to become general counsel. Pricher joined the company in 2009 and previously was vice president of legal. He succeeds Larry Cuculic, who was senior vice president and general counsel at the company for 12 years before becoming president and CEO last week. Best Western Hotels & Resorts is a brand within the BWH Hotel Group global network. Before joining the company, Pricher was vice president and associate general counsel for Financial American Corporation, a real estate-focused private equity firm. Cuculic says in…
