We were deeply saddened to learn that Cal Donly - the life-and-business partner of Ellen Philip, who survives him - passed away on October 18th. Everyone who was anyone in the Shareholder Servicing world over the past 60 years knows Cal and Ellen - two of the finest, most reliable and most generous people we’ve ever met. Both of them were 60+ year members of the Corporate Transfer Agents Association - that evolved with their help into the indispensable Shareholder Services Association. Perhaps their most notable contribution came when they turned their huge, annual holiday party into an annual “Party With a Purpose” - turning their beautiful office spaces into an art gallery for an evening to showcase and benefit the work of Fountain Gallery – a groundbreaking arm of Fountain House that literally works miracles for people suffering with Serious Mental Illnesses. Click here to see an inspiring review of one of the ten benefits they ran, raising more than $1.3 million and please consider making a donation to Fountain House, earmarked for the Gallery, in Cal’s honor. www.fountainhouse.org
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.
Recent
- FOUR TOP ISSUES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE 2026 AGM SEASON
- MAJOR PROXY SOLICITORS WILL RECOMMEND OUR “VOTES HAVE VALUE” BOOKLET TO CLIENTS THIS SEASON
- THE RISKS OF LAWSUITS FROM “DISSED PROPONENTS” ARE REAL ONES, ISSUERS: DON’T LET MORE SHAREHOLDER DOLLARS GO TO WASTE, WE SAY, BUT STAND FIRM IF A PROPOSAL IS WEAK
- Reinventing Proxy Voting: Empowering Shareholders in the Digital Era
- Podcast Alert: Annual Meeting Season 2026 — Expert Advice from Carl & Peder Hagberg

Topics
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- Annual Meetings
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- Best & Worst Practices
- Board Services & Tools
- Compliance & Ethics
- Corporate Governance
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- The Basics
- Transfer Agents
- Virtual Meetings
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