Karen V. Danielson SSA President
I have a great job as Manager, Shareowner Services of The Coca-Cola Company. Not only do I work for a great company, I have the plea- sure of working with some of the most knowledgeable people in the Shareholder Services industry. How did I get to know these experienced people and become educated in the industry? Through the Shareholder Services Association (SSA), of course.
If your company has shareowners, regardless of how many, someone in your company is responsible for handling Share- holder Services, whether they actually know it or not. The responsibilities, as well as the department under which the responsibilities fall, may vary; but the responsibility exists and someone should be minding the store. The SSA con- centrates on educating and training individuals responsible for those duties and provides networking opportunities with professionals who are willing to share their experiences.
With that said, please read on to hear first-hand from SSA board members, past and present, regarding the benefits of membership. It’s interesting to note that each individual contributing to this piece heard of the SSA through word of mouth. Pass it on, it’s a powerful thing!
Tom Boin, Governance Specialist, Shareholder Services Exelon Corporation
The shareholder services function at my company was part of the Investor Relations Department. I was on the Corporate Secretary’s staff and interfaced with IR once a year through the annual meeting process. Eventually, through a restructuring, I was given responsibility for the entire shareholder services function. I knew of the transfer agent and relationship manager; I knew there was the dividend reinvestment plan and that dividends were paid quarterly, but that was about it.
My company, like many large companies, had a policy of benign neglect of its shareholders. It trusted the transfer agent to serve as the face of the corporation to its registered shareholders. While the transfer agent did the job well, what had been missing was clear direction from the corporation on how that relationship should be managed. The default thinking was to have the transfer agent provide the minimum level of service that still complied with applicable laws, and then let the transfer agent at their discretion take initiative to provide any level of service over and above the legal minimum. Although management’s desire was to move beyond the default and improve shareholder services, it wasn’t clear to me how to go about it. The SSA was there to educate me and give me direction.
Maritza Vicole, Manager Shareholder Relations PepsiCo, Inc.
Given PepsiCo’s significant role in the retail consumer packaged goods space and its “shareholder hand-holding” culture, it became
clear to me that I would need to become more experienced with shareholder relations and the industry as a whole. What better way to increase my competency than join a professional organization such as the Shareholder Services Association.
I wasn’t aware there was an organization geared towards individuals that work in the shareholder services industry until my introduction to the SSA by my former manager when I joined PepsiCo. I learned that the SSA is a careerfocused organization that provides a number of benefits for professionals at all levels and at all stages of their career growth. I view membership in the SSA as a long-term investment with time well spent on bettering yourself and your company. As a member I have a direct impact on the
SSA’s performance and direction.
The SSA makes my job easier by providing me with consistent updates on current industry trends, informative presentations, and helps me expand my professional network with a diverse group. My SSA membership also gives me direct access to notable professionals throughout the industry and allows me to benchmark PepsiCo’s services and discover new solutions and best practices. The monthly meetings are a great venue for sharing and learning through lively and interesting discussions.
The SSA website offers a wealth of information with the Member Connect, News, and Resources sections. The annual conference is informative, caters specifically to the needs of its members, and is fun!
Jay Ernst, Group Manager – Global Ethics and Compliance at Procter & Gamble
I joined the Shareholder Services Association in 1997, a few months after being assigned responsibility for the in-house securities
transfer operation at American Financial Group, Inc. Being new to the industry, I wanted to learn as quickly as possible, so I read the Securities Transfer Association (STA) and Midwest STA newsletters and publications. Doing so was generally helpful, but the focus of the newsletters limited their usefulness to me as manager of an in-house issueragent operation.
Sometime that year, I had a conversation with the shareholder services manager at Cincinnati Gas & Electric who said, “You really ought to consider CTA (SSA).” “Why’s that?” I asked. “It’s the industry group that’s focused on the in-house transfer agent, so you’ll really pick up some information you’ll find useful.” It seemed like an excellent idea, so I joined. I had no idea at the time how much of an understatement his comment was!
When I joined Procter & Gamble in 2004, I decided to attend the SSA 2005 Annual Conference at Squaw Valley, CA. It was a really good first experience. Everyone I met was very friendly, but it felt a little like I was crashing a family reunion. It was apparent the personal and professional relationships in the SSA were longstanding. Thinking back, the decision to get out of my cube and attend the meeting led to so many positive things.
First, I grew professionally because of the SSA. I had opportunities to hone communications skills through participation on discussion panels at several annual conferences. I also had the opportunity to lead and to learn from leaders as a director of the association. All of it was new territory for me and these experiences helped me grow my skills and confidence.
Additionally, my membership in the SSA helped me grow my industry expertise in a way that could be applied immediately for the benefit of my company. Whether it was a corporate action or an overhaul of the fee structure for P&G’s DSPP/DRIP or the analysis and decision on Notice & Access, I was able to successfully lead or contribute to the success of these projects due
in large part to the SSA and the willingness of those colleagues to share their thoughts and experiences with me. Besides the benefits enjoyed by our company from the successful execution of these projects, I also gained a great deal of personal credibility at P&G for having industry expertise. I think it’s true that no one really succeeds alone and that notion is really at the heart of
what SSA is all about.
Finally, and no less importantly, I met a lot of great friends through SSA, had a lot of fun and made a lot of fond memories. To me SSA is not only unique, it’s special. Becoming a member was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made – professionally and personally.
The Shareholder Services Association (SSA) is a professional organization whose purpose is to support corporate issuers in effectively meeting their responsibilities for shareholder record-keeping and service. For more information on the SSA, please visit www.shareholderservices.org.
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