Daily Compliance News: April 24, 2025, The Made in Malaysia Edition
Innovation in Compliance - Key Board Issues Going Forward with Christina Bresani
This Week in FCPA-Episode 77, the Home for the Holidays Edition
Preparing a Company to Deal With Activist Investors
Why Every Day Is Proxy Season for Public Companies
In this recent podcast, Trends and takeaways from the 2025 proxy season, KPMG Board Leadership Center (BLC) Senior Advisor Stephen Brown and Freshfields Partner Pamela Marcogliese discuss shareholder proposal trends and...more
Proxy voting trends and outcomes, shareholder engagement, activism, and lessons for boards. KPMG Board Leadership Center Senior Advisor Stephen Brown and Freshfields Partner Pamela Marcogliese share their takeaways for...more
Over the past decade, environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics have featured heavily in social and political discourse. ESG has also become prominent in the boardroom as directors navigate how best to address...more
The world of corporate shareholder activism is poised for significant changes and challenges. Activist shareholders have been a driving force in shaping the corporate landscape, pushing for reforms and steering companies...more
Closed-end investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), have proven to be a product sought by many investors, especially individuals. Despite their appeal to long-term...more
The Number of Shareholder Proposals Made by Activist Shareholders, Votes Against Management Proposals and Listed Companies Facing Shareholder Proposals Each Continue to Trend Upward in Japan - During the June 2023 annual...more
Shareholder activism, in the form of proposals, books and records demands, and litigation, is proving to be an increasingly prevalent tool in challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This client alert...more
Alston & Bird will host this live seminar from our Atlanta office in addition to a live webcast. Learn about key developments and issues facing companies and investors and what you need to do to prepare for the 2022 proxy...more
Companies with a history of consistent revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA make attractive acquisition targets for strategic and private equity buyers. Unlike a strategic buyer, which may have on hand a management team capable...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
Shareholder activism remains pervasive in the corporate landscape, as many companies continue to face new, and sometimes more sophisticated, activist situations. Recent activism-related trends indicate that the landscape is...more
M&A was on fire around the world in the first half of 2018, reflecting the impact on business of continued, seemingly unlimited capital availability; competition among buyers; and the relentless pressure of technology. In...more
Companies preparing for their annual shareholder meetings will need to consider a variety of factors, including new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements, guidance from Institutional Shareholder Services Inc....more
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - 1. Cybersecurity threats. Cybersecurity preparedness is essential in 2018 as the risk of, and associated adverse impact of, breaches continue to rise. The past year redefined the upward bounds of the...more
As expected, the level of director communications with institutional shareholders has increased from 2012, up from 62% to 69%. More significant perhaps is the change occurring in the breadth of topics that directors are now...more
Yesterday, UCLA Law School Professor Stephen Bainbridge noted the publication of a recent study that reaches some devastating conclusions for public pension funds. The study by Professor Tracie Woidtke at the University of...more
On January 16, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that, for the 2015 proxy season, the Division of Corporation Finance will not express any views as to whether a company may exclude a shareholder...more
Much is being made of the January 16th statement by SEC Chair Mary Jo White regarding a company’s ability to exclude a shareholder proposal from its proxy statement based on Rule 14a-8(i)(9), which allows exclusion when a...more
Yesterday, Broc Romanek posted on SEC Chair Mary Jo White’s Friday surprise with respect the no-action letter request submitted by Whole Foods Market, Inc. Readers may recall that in December Whole Foods had obtained the...more
In her NYT column this past Sunday, Gretchen Morgenson provides an interesting update on the saga of James McRitchie’s proxy access proposal submitted to Whole Foods....more