Governance

What makes good ESG? Whitepaper ESG Implementation Methodology What's in this whitepaper from Speeki: The challenge for many companies starting out on an ESG journey is determining exactly where to begin. There are a lot of areas to cover, and it can be somewhat overwhelming. This report covers issues like: How to define a company with “good ESG” Why is...

A step-by-step approach to ESG materiality assessments ESG Materiality Assessments An Essential Part of Your ESG & Sustainability Strategy What's in this whitepaper from Speeki: Conducting a materiality assessment is crucial when building your ESG strategy. Learn more about the critical two-part process to developing a materiality assessment: Material areas to focus: The first stage of a materiality assessment is...

Organizational buy-in of sustainability goals must go all the way to the top, including the board of directors, if those goals have any hope of being met. As ESG columnist John Peiserich explores, there are some nuances board directors should be aware of regarding greenhouse gas emissions. Boards of directors are the lynchpin to effective sustainability programs. Effective sustainability programs...

When making decisions, transparency and potential consequences are powerful influencers. For directors and CEOs — as well as for their personal brands — this is a key question: What will decision makers in their organization do in critical situations when no one is watching? Protiviti’s Jim DeLoach shares advice on how company leaders can instill and reinforce ethical practices. When...

Shareholder proposals focusing on ESG matters have gone up for the fourth straight year, according to a 2023 proxy season analysis by governance consultancy Georgeson. While the analysis found that a record 951 ESG shareholder proposals have been submitted so far in the 2023 proxy season, the year-over-year increase was much smaller than in previous seasons and — most notably...

Although deal activity during 2022 and early 2023 has slowed compared to a record-setting 2021, many companies are assessing their options for M&A to drive growth and increase resilience. At the same time, a range of evolving challenges including macroeconomic volatility, regulatory pressures and heightened scrutiny from shareholders and other stakeholders may increase uncertainty around deal success. BDO’s Amy Rojik...

The vast majority of Americans get their drinking water from public water systems, which are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attack thanks to reliance on automated, connected systems. ESG columnist John Peiserich explores a new EPA mandate designed to ensure these systems are secure. About nine in 10 people in the U.S. get their drinking water from a public water system,...

ESG-driven initiatives in the corporate sector continue to expand. In response, controversial policy proposals are gaining traction in statehouses around the country, along with the newly formed Anti-ESG Alliance, a collection of 19 states pledged to protect their constituents from what the group calls a radical movement. And yet, for several states in the alliance, the drive to maintain or...

As a keystone provides integrity to an arch structure, culture infuses the shared values and attitudes that frame how an organization thinks and behaves. Culture gives each organization its particular character. Good or bad, culture is almost always at the root of all reputational and financial performance outcomes, as it is a potent source of strength or weakness for an...

Ringing the opening bell on the Nasdaq or NYSE floor represents the culmination of a long and potentially risky IPO process. Securities lawyer Megan Penick of Michelman & Robinson offers an insider’s view of what it takes to get there. For public securities lawyers like me, nothing is quite as satisfying as celebrating a company’s listing during an opening or...

What do corporate board directors see on the horizon? SPRING 2023 BOARD PULSE SURVEY Expanding Roles, Risks and Opportunities for Boards in Another Disruptive Year What's in this report from BDO: Another year of disruption and economic headwinds means formidable challenges for public company boards — but it has also opened new realms of opportunity for directors willing to adapt....

It’s in the very title of the show, so it should come as no surprise that HBO’s hit series “Succession” is about, well, a succession. Like other pop-culture depictions of transfers of power, the show is imminently watchable, but does it stand up to real corporate scrutiny? To find out, CCI’s Jennifer L. Gaskin asked a pair of experts for...