The Virtual Shareholder Meeting Q&A – and How to Tackle It
The most troublesome issues at 2020 VSMs - by far - have revolved around the Question and Answer Period: Just as we had warned, many activist investors took pains to submit questions - both in advance, via an e-mail to the company’s Investor-Page - or by typing into a...
The Long and Sometimes Checkered Past of the Proxy Solicitation Business… An Article for Our History File, with Several Lessons Worth Learning
Following the announcement that EQ, the relatively new owners of Wells Fargo Shareholder Services was entering the proxy solicitation business, our good friend, loyal reader and fellow history lover Michael Mackey, President of Alliance Advisors, sent us an outline of the many comings and goings there have been in this fascinating and hotly contested space.
Our Short-List Of Must-Listen VSMs
Topping the list - and the very best VSM we listened to - is STARBUCKS - where we provided some background info and wrote up in detail in our last issue. They put “the shareholder experience” first and foremost, worked hard to make it engaging and informative, and...
Our Hall Of Shame For VSM “Bounders”
Topping our 2020 Hall of Shame list is the Transfer Agent that advised all its clients to postpone their Annual Meetings until July at the earliest…simply because they were not able to handle the work involved…and shamelessly implying that this advice was pursuant to...
Our Predictions On The Fate Of Virtual Meetings In 2021
First we should note the key assumption, and one we fervently wish for; that ‘the Covid coast will be sufficiently clear’ by year-end to allow people to plan for the possibility of in-person meetings. If not, all bets are off, and likely, there will be many more VSMs...
A Word To The Wise: Big Brother Is Watching – And Listening To Your VSMs… Taking Notes… and Gearing Up To Push Back
Yes, a number of “Big Brothers” ARE listening in - some of them to offer constructive criticism and even a few words of praise - but some looking to name and shame - and even, in one extreme case, reported below, to actually threaten executives of companies they...
Our “Insider’s Summary” Of The Big Picture At Shareholder Meetings Through June – With A Special Focus On VSMs
From January through June, 2020, the CT Hagberg LLC Team of Inspectors of Elections will have served at 477 Shareholder Meetings - a pretty hefty sample, we’d say, that included a big number of Fortune 500 companies, lots of well-known large-cap companies and a great...
Some Timely Reminders On Meeting Etiquette – At In-person And Virtual Meetings
Way back in 2013 we published “A Little Primer on Annual Meeting Etiquette: Our Top Ten Tips on Meeting Manners, Plus One to Think On” - noting that “We’ve never done so from the perspective of meeting-attendees…And, after all, that’s what etiquette is all about, no?...
Postpone Your Meeting? Only In The Direst Circumstances, We Advise
We see no reason whatsoever for a company to postpone its annual meeting – unless the company itself becomes overwhelmed during the crisis.
Learn From The Best: Check Out The Starbucks Webcast For A VSM How-To “Playbook”
Starbucks Corporation held its first-ever virtual only shareholder meeting on March 20th, mobilizing quickly to address the looming impact of COVID-19 on its 2020 annual meeting
