Archive
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Proxy campaign outlook: What’s in the activists’ playbook for 2021?
As new activist opportunities emerge, Okapi Partners says there is no substitute for knowing – and regularly engaging with – your shareholders Looking ahead at 2021, corporate management teams will be facing a very different operating environment from the one that prevailed through most of 2020. While the availability of Covid-19 vaccines may allow the economy to return to something akin to normalcy, some changes accelerated by the coronavirus – such as working from home, increased digitization of commerce and shifts in consumer behavior – will leave a lasting impact on businesses. At the same time, a heightened focus on…
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Lincoln Financial recruits successor to general counsel
Leon Roday to retire in February following transition of responsibilities NYSE-listed Lincoln Financial Group has hired Craig Beazer as executive vice president and general counsel. Beazer, who reports to president and CEO Dennis Glass, succeeds Leon Roday, who will retire in February following a transition of responsibilities. In his new role at Radnor, Pennsylvania-based Lincoln Financial, Beazer oversees the legal, compliance, government relations and corporate secretary functions and will provide strategic counsel to the CEO, senior management team and board. He previously worked at Cleveland, Ohio-based KeyBank as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. He joined that company…
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Halliburton picks new CLO from in-house
Van Beckwith joined company last year from Baker Botts Halliburton Company has promoted Van Beckwith to executive vice president, secretary and chief legal officer. He succeeds Robb Voyles, who is stepping down after seven years with the Houston-based company. Beckwith joined Halliburton last year from law firm Baker Botts and during 2020 led Halliburton’s commercial law group and worked with Voyles to transition leadership responsibilities. Beckwith had been at Baker Botts for almost 30 years and was global chair of the firm’s litigation department and a member of its executive committee. In his new role, Beckwith joins the Halliburton executive…
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The week in GRC: Companies condemn DC riot, and COSO planning advice on emerging risks
This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The Wall Street Journal reported that business leaders and trade groups called for an end to the violence in Washington, DC and a peaceful transfer of power after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol where legislators were meeting to certify president-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. CEOs, including the leaders of Google and Bank of America, condemned the violence. BlackRock chair and CEO Larry Fink called the violence ‘an assault on our nation, our democracy and the will of the American people.’ Brad Karp, chair of…
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Mondelēz International finds new general counsel
Gerd Pleuhs is retiring after 35 years with the company Laura Stein is to become executive vice president and general counsel leading corporate and legal affairs with Chicago-based Mondelēz International, effective January 11. She will report directly to chair and CEO Dirk Van de Put. Stein succeeds Gerd Pleuhs, who will retire at the end of April following a transition period. He has been with the company for more than 35 years. Stein previously worked at The Clorox Company, where she was executive vice president, general counsel and head of corporate affairs. She has led Clorox’s global legal and corporate…
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Bank of America’s year-round holistic shareholder engagement
Bank of America received the 2020 Corporate Governance Award for best shareholder engagement At Bank of America, shareholder engagement is well established and supported across the executive and non-executive teams. For many governance teams, engagement is now a year-round activity, and it therefore helps to have such a broad team involved, including the company’s vice chair, chief human resources officer, global general counsel, head of investor relations, global ESG executive and corporate secretary. In addition, the company benefits from robust participation from its lead independent director, Jack Bovender, who is slated to retire from Bank of America’s board of directors…
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Beacon to seek general counsel successor
Ross Cooper has been top lawyer with the roofing distribution company since 2006 Close to half the companies monitored by a major investor initiative on climate change have announced a target to hit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as corporate action on global warming gathers pace. Climate Action 100+ (CA 100), which is backed by 545 investor signatories managing a total of around $52 trillion in assets, engages with the 100 biggest greenhouse gas emitters and a further 60 companies it views as key to tackling climate change. It calls on companies to reduce emissions and align their business…
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How Covid-19 is changing the general counsel’s leadership role
Lauren Boehmke and Matt Hurd explain the key role general counsel can play in helping boards and management address issues raised by the pandemic Even as public companies continue to navigate the effects of Covid-19, they are also confronting longer-term risks brought into sharper focus by the pandemic. Strong oversight and leadership are critical to mitigating and addressing risks, while also positioning the company for long-term success and value creation. The general counsel has a central role to play in managing corporate risk by catalyzing a company’s business continuity planning, substantiating its strategic planning, strengthening its corporate governance practices and…
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Climate Action 100+ sees rise in net-zero targets
‘Clear gaps’ in reporting remain, however Nasdaq-listed Beacon Roofing Supply’s Ross Cooper will this year shift from his role as executive vice president and general counsel to become a special adviser focusing on business strategy and growth initiatives at the company. Cooper will expand his role on the faculty of the Kogod School of Business at American University, where he has been an adjunct professor of business law since 2018. He will help in the search for his successor as general counsel and help with the transition, according to Beacon. Cooper joined Beacon in 2006 as its first general counsel…
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Why PepsiCo is a ‘poster child’ for ESG reporting
PepsiCo won the best ESG reporting category at the Corporate Governance Awards Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is a technology company, and that tech focus is part of its governance team’s DNA. ‘Since HPE’s inception, we have focused on transforming our governance practices by incorporating technological innovations to enhance efficiencies in key areas, such as reducing time spent on administrative matters, offering valuable control points and establishing meaningful collaboration across diverse teams,’ the firm’s submission states. Over the past year, the governance team has shown creativity and dedication in finding new and better ways to work. In September 2019 it began…