Webinar: Proxy Voting Power
How asset owners can activate their shares and make meaningful change this spring
April 21, 2020
Voting rights attached to common shares have the power to change markets for the better. Shareholder voting rights allow asset owners to influence the behaviour of companies on issues that hold implications for workers and their communities. These include executive pay, supply chain transparency, worker health and safety, and workforce oversight – issues that are critical as the current pandemic unfolds.
Using voting rights to drive meaningful change at the company level can be a challenge for asset owners because of how the investment chain has evolved. Institutional investors often delegate proxy voting to managers with minimal oversight, complicating the task of voting in a responsible and coherent way.
This webinar looks at how asset owners can ensure that their fund is seizing the power of proxy voting. Drawing on examples of past and present initiatives, it helps trustees learn about tools to exercise effective oversight in both pooled and segregated funds, how responsible voting has driven changes on the ground, and why this oversight is essential in responding to company practices in these uncertain times.
Speakers:
Shannon Rohan, Chief Strategy Officer, Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE)
Colette Murphy, Executive Director, Atkinson Foundation
Emma Pullman, Capital Stewardship Officer, BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BC GEU)
Moderator:
Hugues Létourneau, SHARE/Canadian Capital Stewardship Network
