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Five Investor Voting Trends on Environmental, Social and Governance Proposals
Introduction Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are on the top of executives’ and boards’ minds and continue to capture the attention of the world’s largest institutional investors. Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, in his 2017 letter to CEOs stated, “Companies must ask themselves: What role do we play in…
Read More > 01.17.2019
Briefs
Forbes – Dare To Be Different – Strategic Compensation Plans
I’m often asked why so many executive compensation plans look the same. The answer is that in the post-Dodd-Frank era, proxy advisor policies and even investor guidelines have created a rules-based environment within which to design executive compensation programs. This pushes most companies to adhere to a common formula,…
Read More > 01.03.2019
Briefs
Forbes – Perspectives Of Gwen McDonald, Seasoned Human Resources Executive: A Look Back And Look Forward
By Robin Ferracone This post was originally published on Forbes.com As far back as I can remember, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gwen McDonald. McDonald recently retired from the executive vice president of human resources role at Network Appliances, Inc. (“NetApp”), and prior to that…
Read More > 12.21.2018
In the News
Fortune – Term Sheet Readers Predict a Recession In 2019
By Polina Marinova Thank you to everyone who responded to the question: “What’s your top business-related prediction for 2019?” This year’s Crystal Ball was much darker than years past, with many readers predicting that a recession is around the corner. Below are your predictions: RECESSION: Term Sheet readers…
Read More > 12.21.2018
In the News
Bloomberg – Billion-Dollar Award Made a CEO Uneasy. Now He’s Fixing It
By Anders Melin Some Axon employees could collect multimillion-dollar payouts ‘We figured out how to scale the Elon Musk magic,’ Smith says The prospect of a billion-dollar windfall left Rick Smith uneasy. It crept up on the chief executive officer in February, while he was telling employees about…
Read More > 12.21.2018
In the News
Agenda – How Boards Evaluate Comp Consultants
By Stephanie Forshee Each board has its own way of evaluating its compensation consultant, but most — two thirds, according to Agenda’s latest Directors’ and Officers’ Outlook survey for the fourth quarter — opt for some form of annual evaluation. However, the data also shows that a sizable 14% have no…
Read More > 12.17.2018
In the News
Agenda – ISS Unveils New Financial-Health Measure
By Stephanie Forshee Institutional Shareholder Services is considering a new way of measuring a company’s financial health. The proxy advisory firm announced that it could implement economic value added, or EVA, as a metric in the next two years. EVA, also known as economic profit, measures the value a company generates…
Read More > 12.12.2018
Briefs
ESG Shareholder Proposal Findings That Will Surprise You
Thank you to Proxy Insight Ltd that provided data for this Farient Brief. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) proposals continue to make the rounds. Some of the world’s most influential investors, including State Street, Vanguard and BlackRock, are raising the bar on corporate responsibility. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s…
Read More > 12.05.2018
Briefs
The Seven “Deadly Sins” for Compensation Committee Agendas in 2019
Compensation Committee Agendas. In the spirit of the holiday season that precedes proxy season, we have developed our “Seven Deadly Sins for Compensation Committees in 2019” that are bound to place you on Santa’s naughty list should you make the mistake of not avoiding them. Our list, which includes specific…
Read More > 11.27.2018
In the News
New York Times – Carlos Ghosn Felt Stars Deserved Big Pay. His Accusers Say He Took That Too Far.
By David Gelles and Motoko Rich Shortly after Carlos Ghosn took over in 1999 as chief operating officer of an ailing Nissan Motor, he overhauled the way the company paid senior employees. Abandoning Japanese traditions that rewarded seniority and shunned incentive…
Read More > 11.20.2018
In the News
Agenda – ‘Dark Side’ of Power? Governance Pros Weigh In on Nissan Chair’s Arrest
By Jennifer Williams-Alvarez Once celebrated Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested Monday after an internal investigation revealed he underreported his compensation to authorities in Japan for years and misused company assets. Ghosn and representative director Greg Kelly, who has also been arrested, had been under investigation by the company for several months related to the allegations.
Read More > 11.19.2018
In the News
NACD Directorship – Repartee: Gauging the New Normal of Total ‘Stakeholder’ Return
A conversation between John Trentacoste and Phyllis J. Campbell facilitated and edited by Judy Warner On the fourth day of the 2018 NACD Global Board Leaders’ Summit, a deeply experienced director joined with what some of our NACD members might describe as a rising rock star of a compensation consultant.
Read More > 11.16.2018
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