State Officials’ Letter to Asset Managers Summary California Controller Malia Cohen and Treasurer Fiona Ma, joined by 15 other state financial officers, sent a collective letter to asset managers pushing back against a July 2025 letter from the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF). The signatories argue that fiduciary duty requires active stewardship — voting proxies, […]
Proxy Season Global Briefing : Shareholder Rights & Governance Trends Summary Glass Lewis provides a global roundup of key shareholder rights and governance trends from the 2025 proxy season. The briefing highlights a return to more in‑person meetings worldwide, notable governance reforms across APAC (notably Hong Kong and Korea), a three‑year high in U.S. corporate […]
Here We Go Again: Red States Continue to Focus on ESG Summary On 29 July 2025, 26 state financial officers (mostly from red states, plus Pennsylvania) via the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) sent a letter to 25 large asset managers asserting that consideration of ESG — especially long-term climate risks — dilutes traditional fiduciary […]
Best Practices for Corporate Sustainability Teams Summary This Conference Board/ESGAUGE report, based on a survey of 70 corporate sustainability and ESG leaders, examines how companies organise sustainability teams, how those teams integrate with core functions, and what talent and governance gaps remain. The research shows a clear preference for a hybrid model (a small central […]
Redefining the Role: How Innovative Corporate Investigations Leaders Drive Impact Summary Historically, corporate investigations were reactive and siloed, focusing mainly on compliance enforcement. The article argues that modern investigations leaders are transforming the function by embedding themselves in the business, building relationships across functions, and using investigations to identify emerging risks and control gaps. By […]
Weekly Roundup: August 29-September 4, 2025 Summary This weekly roundup collects the Forum posts published between 29 August and 4 September 2025, covering developments in board interlocks and competition, proxy-season shareholder proposals, Delaware litigation over directors’ investigatory duties, ongoing legal challenges to California’s climate disclosure laws, heightened disclosure scrutiny for public companies, evolving shareholder meeting […]
From Common Practice to Differentiated Design: Turning Stock Prices into Performance Prizes in the S&P 500 Summary Ryan Colucci of Compensation Advisory Partners reviews how relative Total Shareholder Return (rTSR) remains the dominant long-term incentive for S&P 500 CEOs, present in 58% of PSU awards. The article explains key design choices — whether rTSR is […]
How Gray-Zone Hosting Companies Protect Data the US Wants Erased Summary Since early 2025, a spike in US-based clients — including abortion clinics, activist groups, independent newsrooms and whistleblower platforms — have sought refuge with so-called gray-zone hosting providers. Firms like FlokiNET and 1984 Hosting offer privacy-first services by combining anonymous sign-ups and payments, jurisdiction […]
The implications of crypto hacker attacks on financing new ventures Article Date: 29 May 2025 Article URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472778.2025.2503375?af=R Article Image: Cover image Summary This research article (Journal of Small Business Management) examines how major cryptocurrency heists affect the market efficiency and liquidity of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Using a signalling theory framework, the authors apply […]
Rebalancing Retirement: How 401(k) Plans Exacerbate Inequality and What We Can Do About It Summary This article, authored by Quinn Curtis, Leo E. Strine, Jr., and David H. Webber and based on a recent working paper, argues that the current US 401(k) system magnifies wealth inequality despite generous tax subsidies (about 1.5% of GDP). The […]
