Corporate Governance
Corporate Governance – Tick Box Culture or Catalyst for Growth?
IN-PERSON ONLY AFTERNOON MEETING, LONDON
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
What is the purpose of corporate governance? Is it something you do to appease existing investors or to attract new ones? Does it encourage a tick box culture or is it a guiding star for responsible management supportive of performance and growth? Is it a way of hedging against reputational damage or a way of enhancing your company’s image among investors and the wider public?
To date, most of the focus on corporate governance has been on listed companies. But why? If good corporate governance is a genuine business asset, it should be of vital interest to all companies – as is becoming the trend in many jurisdictions. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive may be a signal of what is to come – with wide-ranging targets and an extension of its reach outside the listed sector. It will extend to large unlisted companies by 2026 and non-EU owned subsidiaries by 2029.
This event will allow our members to debate the current state of corporate governance and its impact, plus opportunity, for the work our member teams do and their organisations.
EVENT CONTENT
As public expectations of companies have increased, so has the scope of corporate governance. Over recent decades, there has been a gradual extension of its remit, vertically, to include investors as stewards and horizontally, to extend the definition of ‘stakeholders’ to include employees, customers, suppliers, the wider public, and the company’s environmental impact. The public expects companies to be governed responsibly, and those that are not become less attractive to investors.
With 2024 becoming a historic year for elections, the political and economic landscape in many countries is shifting. This is a critical moment to take stock of the wider regulatory framework for the way corporations are governed, whether current regulation is truly fit for purpose, and what is the likely direction of travel for corporate governance and stewardship in the wider global context. What is the opportunity for internal governance?
We will look at corporate governance in its historical and international context, anticipate what we might expect from the inevitable next round of reforms, and examine what actions companies might need to take in response. We will have a focus on the ‘opportunity’ of governance.
ANYTHING ELSE?
This event will be accompanied by a research report, drawing on the expertise of Corporate Boards and their Committees, Government bodies, academics, and HR/Reward professionals. Our expert panel will contribute their considerable insight to challenge and prompt a wider discussion.
LOCATION
The Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, London W1J 7PY
SPEAKERS
Renée Adams
Professor of Finance at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute
Renée Adams is a Professor of Finance at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute. She currently holds the vice presidency of the Midwest Finance Association and is VP-Financial Education at the Financial Management Association. Renée is an expert on corporate governance, bank governance and gender. Her work has a strong policy orientation and draws on economics, finance, management and psychology. In her work, she explores group decision-making and how group identity (typically gender), information, culture, preferences and values moderate decision-making. Her 2009 co-authored paper Women in the Boardroom and their Impact on Governance and Performance is the most cited paper in the literature on board diversity. Renée’s interest in diversity is not limited to research. She co-founded AFFECT, the American Finance Association’s committee for women, in 2015 and chaired it until 2020. In 2022, she created and taught the first ever MBA and EMBA classes on diversity and inclusion at Saïd Business School.
Ian Burger
Chair of the ICGN Board, and Head of Stewardship and Integration at Universities Superannuation Scheme
Ian is currently Chair of the ICGN Board and, since September 2024, is Head of Stewardship and Integration at Universities Superannuation Scheme (Ltd).
Previously Ian worked for Newton Investment Management and in 1998 was appointed as its first Head of Corporate Governance and, latterly, was the Head of Responsible Investment.
During his 24 years with the firm, Ian developed and expanded, globally, Newton’s approach to responsible investment, which included determining the house views and approaches in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. As Head of Responsible Investment, Ian was responsible for ESG considerations throughout Newton’s investment process. This included establishing, implementing and communicating all ESG policies, principles, engagement, voting and research.
Aided by his team of Responsible Investment Analysts, Stewardship Analysts and ESG Data Analysts, together with the wider investment staff; Newton conducted investment research on ESG matters, engaged with companies, reported on stewardship activities and made active voting decisions, globally. In addition, Ian played a key role in determining Newton’s approach to sustainable investment and the evolution of fund strategies. Ian is also involved in shaping the debate on matters relating to ESG and stewardship through his membership of a variety of formal and informal groups.
Dr. Dionysia Katelouzou
Reader in Corporate Law at Kings College London
Dr. Dionysia Katelouzou is a Reader in Corporate Law, having joined The Dickson Poon School of Law in July 2013. She was previously a Lecturer in Law at the University of East Anglia.
Dr. Katelouzou holds a PhD and an LLM (first class) from the University of Cambridge, and an LLB (summa cum laude) from the University of Athens. She is a member of the Bar of Athens and a Research Associate at the Centre of Business Research at the University of Cambridge, while in the past she had been a Visiting Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and a Visiting Lecturer at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (London), among others.
She is leading the ECGI-supported Global Shareholder Stewardship project, consisting of more than 100 academic and non-academic members across 24 countries around the world and she has received research funding from the British Academy and the Economic and Social Research Council. She has authorship of approx 30 research outputs (including 1 edited handbook, 8 journal articles, 9 book chapters) with >190 citations and has been presented extensively at meetings and conferences around the world.
She was awarded the Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP prize for the best ECGI Law Working Paper in 2020 for her co-authored paper, “The Global Diffusion of Stewardship Codes”.
