This briefing is the third in our series of briefings on corporate governance and is designed to provide a synopsis of topical corporate governance matters impacting companies in the United Kingdom. This briefing tracks the...more
Refinitiv, Q1 2022 Adviser Rankings, US law firms, September 2021 We continue to track the approach FTSE 350 companies are taking to the holding of their AGMs. We have set out in our snapshot the approach companies have taken...more
Long-term consumer behavior triggered by the pandemic continues to catalyze deal activity -
While initially hit hard by the 2020 outbreak of the COVID pandemic, global retail M&A rallied throughout 2021 and the start of...more
5/11/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Consumers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Food Marketing ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Luxury Goods ,
Mergers ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers
2021 has been an exceptional year for the London Corporate team at White & Case, with a strong performance across the practice, including White & Case advising on nearly 50 deals involving publicly listed companies in the UK...more
1/5/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
UK
Key Trends:
◾ Since August 2021, AGMs where shareholders were actively encouraged not to attend have become less common. Most companies are instead holding their meetings with physical attendance neither actively...more
Favorable valuations are fueling opportunistic purchases by overseas bidders-
Spiraling COVID rates, supply chain issues and food and fuel shortages have all hit the headlines in the months since the end of the Brexit...more
11/17/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Bids ,
Buyers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Financing ,
Global Market ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Sellers ,
Supply Chain ,
Takeovers ,
UK
The Chartered Governance Institute (ICSA) recently issued a guidance note on "2021 general meetings and the impact of COVID-19", written with input from Martin Moore QC and the support of the Department of Business Energy and...more
This briefing is the second in our series of briefings on corporate governance and is designed to provide a synopsis of topical corporate governance matters impacting companies in the United Kingdom. This briefing tracks the...more
11/30/2020
/ BEIS ,
Board of Directors ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Reporting ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SMCR ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
As companies look to plan their FY 2020 annual report and prepare for the 2021 AGM season, we have reflected on our experience in 2020. We summarise below key learnings and what we think will undoubtedly be on the agenda and...more
10/27/2020
/ Annual Meeting ,
Annual Reports ,
CIGA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Pensions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Remuneration ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholder Votes ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK ,
UK Insolvency Act
On 6 October 2020, the Financial Reporting Council ("FRC") published a report on the holding of annual general meetings ("AGMs") by FTSE 350 companies between 10 March - 30 July 2020 following the start of the COVID-19...more
On 20 March 2020, the UK Government published its Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill (the "Bill") which amends certain aspects of current insolvency and governance legislation to provide businesses with the flexibility...more
COVID-19 has put dealmaking in the already disrupted retail industry under further strain. Some retailers, however, have proven resilient and those that survive will see opportunity to vertically integrate supply chains and...more
5/28/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delays ,
Financial Distress ,
Food Products . ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Internet Retailers ,
Mergers ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retail Market
Since our last Client Alert on Practical considerations: the impact of COVID-19 on the holding of annual general meetings, the UK Government has issued its compulsory "Stay at Home Measures" prompting ICSA to issue...more
The steps recommended by the Government to combat the effects of the Coronavirus ("COVID-19"), in particular the recommendation to avoid large public gatherings, are likely to have an impact on the format of annual general...more