Dealing with Activist Hedge Funds and Other Activist Investors Introduction Regardless of industry, size or performance, no company should consider itself immune from hedge fund activism. No company is too large, too popular, too new or too successful. Even companies that are respected industry leaders and have outperformed the market and their peers have come … Continued
SEC to Study Quarterly Reporting & Earnings Guidance and their Contribution to Short-Termism In a potentially significant step for public companies and the U.S. economy, the SEC today launched a formal comment process aimed at optimizing the periodic reporting system for U.S. companies. The SEC’s review is wide-ranging, reaching whether reforms could and should be … Continued
Some Thoughts for Boards of Directors in 2019 By Martin Lipton, Steven A. Rosenblum, Karessa L. Cain, Amanda S. Blackett and Kathleen C. Iannone December 14, 2018 In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the activism-driven corporate world is relatively fragile and is proving to be unsustainable, particularly when viewed in the broader … Continued
Dutch cooling-off period in face of shareholder activism or hostile take-over On December 7, 2018, the Dutch government published draft legislation aimed at promoting a careful decision-making process in case of shareholder activism or a hostile takeover. If enacted in its current form, the proposal would introduce a statutory cooling-off period of up to 250 … Continued
Spotlight on Boards The ever-evolving challenges facing corporate boards prompt an updated snapshot of what is expected from the board of directors of a major public company—not just the legal rules, but also the aspirational “best practices” that have come to have equivalent influence on board and company behavior. Today, boards are expected to: Oversee … Continued
Shareholders’ Rights Directive implementation bill now before Parliament On 16 October 2018, the bill for the implementation in Dutch law of the revised Shareholders’ Rights Directive (EU 2017/828) was submitted to the lower house of the Dutch parliament (Tweede Kamer). In this newsletter, we will describe the changes in the bill compared to the earlier … Continued
The Future of the Corporation A project of the British Academy—“The Future of the Corporation” reached a major milestone on November 1, 2018 with the public discussion of a framework and supporting papers. The project is led by Oxford Prof. Colin Mayer. In his framework, Prof. Mayer puts forth a radical reinterpretation of the nature … Continued
Board Ready: Shareholder Activism, Corporate Governance and the Hunt for Long-Term Value * A modified version of this article was recently featured in a publication for public company directors, CEOs and general counsels. As the spotlight on boards, management teams, corporate performance and governance intensifies, as articles like the Bloomberg and Fortune profiles of Elliott … Continued
Spotlight on Boards The ever-evolving challenges facing corporate boards prompt an updated snapshot of what is expected from the board of directors of a major public company—not just the legal rules, but also the aspirational “best practices” that have come to have equivalent influence on board and company behavior. Today, boards are expected to: Oversee … Continued
Main Article: This week witnessed two very significant developments in the new paradigm for corporate governance, one in the U.S. and one in the U.K. Both will have cross-border impact. Both have the purpose of promoting investment to achieve sustainable long-term investment and growth. In the U.K., government proposals for corporate governance reform center on … Continued
