People: 2019 Q1
George H. Beehler, a longtime printing salesman at Security Bank Note Company – who was lucky enough to retire when stock certificates were still a big business – passed away on March 26 at the age of 92. George was one of the longest-serving members of the old Corporate Transfer Agents Association – and he remained active until fairly recently in its new incarnation as the Shareholder Services Association as well. According to SSA guru Jimmy Smith,
Is Glass Lewis Adding Proxy Solicitation to its Expanding Private “Access” Services?
That’s the allegation from our friend and frequent noisemaker Gary Lutin, following the announcement of a new service, posted to the Harvard Governance Blog by Katherine Rabin, Glass, Lewis & Co., on Sunday, March 31, 2019…just in time for Lutin’s April Fool’s Day re-post and riposte.
Board Portals: Time for a Fresh Look, We Say
Two developments this quarter convinced us that companies should be taking a fresh look at the Board Portals they are using…and how, exactly, Directors are thinking about them…and using them…or not….
Big Transformations in the Employee Stock Ownership World… Including A Quick “Who’s Who” Analysis
We literally jerked to attention when we saw the news on page-one of the WSJ that Morgan Stanley is acquiring Solium Capital, Inc. – a Canadian firm “which manages the stock that employees receive as part of their pay”… for a whopping $900 million … “the largest takeover by any Wall Street firm since the [financial industry] crisis.”
A Few “Early Returns” From the Annual Meeting Front… And Maybe A Late-Breaking Shocker
Let’s start with the potential shocker: Just as we were locking up this issue came news from Vanguard, which is rolling out a new policy to vote in most cases against directors who hold two or more board seats in addition to their own company’s seat…starting now. We haven’t seen firm numbers yet on just how many director candidates will be affected – but we guess there will be a lot.
Transfer Agency Fees: Are You Paying High 20th Century Fees for Low 21st Century Activities … And For Things You Don’t Need?
Right now, most of our readers are up to their eyeballs in Annual Meeting-related activities…So it might seem weird to run this article right now.
An Update on What’s Up – And What’s New – In the Hurley-Burley Transfer Agent World
Ordinarily, we lead off the 1st quarter issue with our “Early Returns” from the Annual Meeting front. But since our last update on the Transfer Agency world in our year-end Special Supplement - focusing on “Transforming Shareholder Relations” - there has been an...
THE HOTTEST NEW ISSUES ON ACTIVISTS’ 2019 MEETING AGENDAS
The number-one new issue for issuers to focus on as they prepare for their 2019 proxy disclosures, and their all-important “early engagement” activities is - and we say this with very mixed emotions - your company’s management of “Human Capital.” On the one hand, the...
People: 2018Q4
Donna Ackerly, who had, for many years, been one of the busiest, most popular and most client-oriented people at Georgeson, has signed-on as a Senior Vice President - Business Development at Laurel Hill Advisors. We are so happy for Donna, and for Laurel Hill as well,...
Hot Topics, Trends, and Tips for Transforming Shareholder Relations in 2019
Some practical advice, cost savings tips, and details of the hot topics and trends in the field of proxy solicitation and governance advisory work: As a proxy firm, our business brings us in contact with the most influential institutional investors in the world and...
Podcast Alert: Annual Meeting Season 2026 — Expert Advice from Carl & Peder Hagberg
Carl and Peder Hagberg of The Shareholder Service OPTIMIZER join Meredith Ervine from TheCorporateCounsel.net to discuss proxy season risks, virtual meetings, and shareholder engagement for 2026.
Listen to hear their insights on this year’s annual meeting season.