Proxy Season Preview: Recent Developments in Corporate Governance and the Importance of ESG Considerations

Overview

Fasken's Securities, Mergers & Acquisitions practice group, together with Laurel Hill Advisory Group and the Toronto Stock Exchange cordially invite you to join us as we review recent regulatory developments and address current topics as public companies prepare for the 2021 proxy season.

Our panels will explore the following themes, among others:

Recent Developments: Noteworthy developments in Canadian public issuer governance and disclosure, including the growing importance of board diversity disclosure, an analysis of the 2021 proxy advisory firm guidelines and understanding the lasting repercussions of COVID-19 on public issuers.

Panel One: Recent Developments in Corporate Governance

An update from Proxy Advisory Firms
An update from the TSX
Diversity Disclosure & ISS guidelines
COVID-19: lasting repercussions (e.g., virtual shareholder meetings)
Ontario Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce

Panelists: Bill Zawada (Laurel Hill), Valérie Douville (TSX), Neil Kravitz (Fasken), Sarah Gingrich (Fasken) and Gordon Raman (Fasken, moderator)

ESG: There has been a surging movement calling on companies to enhance disclosure on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. Institutional investors are demanding more disclosure and activist investors may seek out companies with weak practices as targets. We will review these topics and the growing importance of ESG and discuss recent developments and perspectives from stakeholders.

Panel Two: ESG – Growing Importance, Developments and Perspectives from Stakeholders

Disclosure and how to measure ESG (e.g., climate change)
ESG as a factor for activists looking for targets
How to address ESG issues proactively before they become a crisis

Panelists: David Salmon (Laurel Hill), Emilie Bundock (Fasken), Stephen Erlichman (Fasken), Grant McGlaughlin (Fasken), and Gordon Raman (Fasken, moderator)

Agenda

12:00 - 1:45 pm Pre-recorded webinar

Type

This event is a pre-recorded webinar and will be released on January 14th.

1.75^Hours

Note: This programme contains 1 hour and 45 minutes of Substantive content for the purposes of the Law Society of Ontario's annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.