Manifest - I

NEST Appoints Manifest & Co-op in Responsible Investment Partnership

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:48:35 +0000

The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) has appointed The Co-operative Asset Management (TCAM) and Manifest to support its responsible investment strategy. In an innovative joint tender, TCAM...

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Shareholder engagement on pay can work!

Alan Brett — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:45:56 +0000

Today’s announcement by Cairn Energy that it will withdraw resolution 2 at its General Meeting next week, demonstrates that shareholders can act on egregious pay awards when they really want...

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How would a super-majority support requirement impact UK Say-on-pay votes?

Alan Brett — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:03:23 +0000

One of the suggestions made by Vince Cable when answering his parliamentary question in the House of Commons yesterday in relation to his proposals to address executive pay, was that the remuneration...

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Remuneration Committee “Cronysism” – digging deeper

Alan Brett — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:19:09 +0000

Since we published data on the number of executive directors in the FTSE 100 sitting on remuneration committees of other FTSE 100 companies, a common question we received was … what if you look...

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Shareholder Nomination Committees – just a different form of cronyism?

Alan Brett — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:03:33 +0000

Last week, in a speech at a High Pay Commission seminar, the shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna and former Business Secretary Lord Myners both put forward arguments in favour of shareholder...

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Crony capitalism or mass hysteria?

Sarah Wilson — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:37:46 +0000

Journalists and politicians must not have enough to do in the post-Christmas dip. “Action looms to curb executive pay” proclaims the FT on January 5 the day before the UK’s Prime...

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“Remunerationgate” – the median isn’t the message

Sarah Wilson — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:56:11 +0000

Whether it’s a case of “In war, truth is the first casualty” or “Lies, damned lies, and statistics”, sound arguments for reform can easily be undone by the careless use...

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A surprise pre-Christmas bonus

Paul Hewitt — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:16:40 +0000

Holders of common shares in Millicom International Cellular are in line for a surprise pre-Christmas bonus, to the tune of $3 per share. Shareholders at Millicom’s EGM, convened specifically for the...

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Consistency in Climate Change Disclosure – A Step Closer?

Rosie Clarke — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:38:04 +0000

Companies face increasing pressure from governments, investors and other organisations to measure and publish annual greenhouse gas (GHG) production. This rising demand is valuable to encourage...

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The heart of darkness in proxy voting?

Sarah Wilson — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:48:08 +0000

A shorter version of this article appeared in Financial News on Monday, October 10th 2011 The City might sometimes wish it otherwise, but voting rights are central to shareholders exercising...

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Aussie proxy season gets into full swing

Sarah Wilson — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:05:03 +0000

Over 140 of the S&P/ASX 200 companies have June year ends and will hold their AGMs between late September and late November. The busiest dates for AGMs are between 24 and 28 October, with 9 &...

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Manifest branches out in Australia

Publications — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:55:38 +0000

As Manifest continues its increase in global coverage, we are delighted to announce that from October 2011, Manifest has a branch office operating in Melbourne, Australia. We are delighted to be...

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Is ‘Say on Pay’ really global?

Alan Brett — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:16:01 +0000

Manifest Research Manager Alan Brett highlights some of the key issues raised in a recent Manifest report “Say on Pay a Global Perspective”. With the volatility and uncertainty...

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Welcome to Manifest-I

Tim Clarke — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:00:20 +0000

This is the blog of Manifest, the proxy voting agency. Here we take a wide-ranging view of topical governance and responsible investment issues. We aim to be innovative, refreshing and thought...

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Managing Carbon Governance

Sarah Wilson — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:21:37 +0000

By Dr Rory Sullivan Companies need to respond to climate change – both mitigation (emissions reductions) and adaptation – as a strategic business concern, not simply as an operational issue. From an...

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Social and new media: Improving ownership?

Paul Hewitt — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:24:17 +0000

The ICGN Conference in Paris last week included a session on the very interesting topic of new and social media, exploring what are some of the ramifications in the context of corporate governance....

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Kay hopes for “not just another governance review”

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:49:59 +0000

Professor John Kay has formally launched his consultation exercise to examine UK equity markets and long-term decision making. In a launch event at the National Association of Pension Funds the...

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New guidance for issuers on risk

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:19:09 +0000

Understanding corporate risk has shot to the top of the agenda for ESG-focussed investors in recent months. Under the newly expanded Section C of The UK Corporate Governance Code, boards are...

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Manifest-I reader offer – 20% off “Greenhouse Gas Management”

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:32:11 +0000

Manifest-I readers can claim an exclusive 20% discount on Dr Rory Sullivan’s latest report: ” Corporate Greenhouse Gas Management”. This report offers practical recommendations to...

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Running the Stewardship Race: What Will Define London 2012?

Paul Hewitt — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:11:04 +0000

We are already fast approaching the anniversary of the first investor disclosures in response to the UK Stewardship Code: the raft of reviews and evaluations as to its impact is sure to begin soon,...

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Will Integrated Reporting Deliver Value or Values?

Publications — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:01:35 +0000

By Guest Author: Dr Rory Sullivan There is growing support for the idea that companies should produce ‘integrated reports’ that explain how factors such as climate change, resource use or human...

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Voting Discretion: should the chairman have a say on say-on-pay?

Alex Caldwell — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:23:38 +0000

What to do when shareholders elect not to vote on a resolution? Recent legal developments in Australia have raised interesting questions about the common practice of the chairman voting undirected...

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Gender Diversity: Quotas or Targets?

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:00:16 +0000

Gender diversity is proving to be a controversial topic in the marketplace as businesses and investors debate the issues raised by the recent review by Lord Davies on gender diversity in the...

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Underlying profits – useful or misleading?

Philip Vernardis — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:18:16 +0000

The use of underlying profit as an indicator of corporate performance risks misleading investors, according to a recent study conducted by Deloitte. The firm surveyed the 2010 annual reports of 100...

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EU Green paper – Comply or Explain or Else……..

Sarah Wilson — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:00:35 +0000

EU Commissioner Michel Barnier’s Green Paper on Corporate Governance closed for consultation on Friday. The irony of the US declaration that shareholders cannot nominate their own directors...

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