ISS | Institutional Shareholder Services

Change will mark the 2025 annual meeting season, and you can be prepared.?Download our in-depth analysis, “Top Governance & Stewardship Trends for 2025,” which examines important trends and key themes that institutional investors should know as they get ready for this year’s voting season. Important 2025 Topics include: ?? Compensation and Say-on-Pay ?? Director Elections ?? Environmental & Social Issues ?? Governance Shareholder Proposals ?? M&A and Activism ?? DExit and Delaware’s Response ?? Exculpation of Officers ?? Virtual Meetings ?? Regulatory, Competitiveness & Other Developments Read the full report at: https://lnkd.in/eyp3HPtR #CorporateGovernance #Investors #Regulatory?

2025 United States Proxy Season Preview: Governance & Compensation According to a new report by ISS | Institutional Shareholder Services, fewer boards are tasked with demonstrating robust say-on-pay responsiveness. Last year’s higher say-on-pay support levels mean that fewer boards are tasked with demonstrating robust responsiveness to low vote results. Core pay-for-performance areas are expected to remain in focus, such as the proportion of performance-conditioned pay, goal rigor, clarity of disclosure, and one-time awards. Separately, investors may see increases in security-related perquisites throughout 2025. As many companies reevaluate the need for new or enhanced security protections for their top executives in the wake of recent events, security-related perquisites are likely to come to the forefront for many companies. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on 2025 proxy disclosures or how investors will evaluate potential increases in such perquisites, which often include executives’ personal use of company aircraft. Read more of the analysis at: https://lnkd.in/eyr2YmTV Learn more about our governance research and voting services at: https://lnkd.in/dE2Y6pVQ #UnitedStates #CorporateGovernance #ExecutivePay

Activism in the UK – The Saba saga and implications for the investment trust sector According to recent analysis by ISS | Institutional Shareholder Services, one of the more interesting phenomena to appear in recent months is Saba Capital Management’s campaigns targeting several members of the UK’s investment trust sector. The New York-based hedge fund initially targeted seven UK investment trusts, disclosing that it held stakes ranging from 19 to 29 percent in December 2024. Saba urged shareholders to replace the trusts’ directors with its own nominees, and, in some cases, eventually to replace the investment manager with itself, on the grounds that the trusts had failed to perform versus their benchmarks, resulting in deep trading discounts to net asset value. In response, the Association of Investment Companies wrote to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to raise concerns regarding shareholder protections for retail investors, and the possibility of conflicts of interest if Saba eventually controlled both the boards and investment management responsibilities of the trusts. It also called on the FCA to review how board independence is determined under the regulator’s Listing Rules. Read more of the analysis, authored by Tom Inchley, at: https://lnkd.in/eZzP4B72 Learn more about our governance research and voting services at: https://lnkd.in/dE2Y6pVQ #CorporateGovernance #Activism #UnitedKingdom ?

?? ISS STOXX is growing globally! We're hiring talented professionals across the globe. If you're ready to join a dynamic and client-focused organization at the forefront of delivering world-class data, research, and technology solutions to capital market participants worldwide. Here are a few exciting roles to explore: APAC - Administrative Assistant - Client Success Executive - Governance - Client Success Manager - Governance - Desktop Engineering Manager - IT Asset Manager - IT Sr. Analyst (Cloud Tech Support) - Techno Functional Business Analyst - Workday HRIS Specialist North America - Reporter, Financial Services and Retirement - Compliance Associate Come grow your career with us! ?? https://bit.ly/3RePuDb #WorkforUsWednesday #Hiring #GlobalCareers #APAC #NorthAmerica #EMEA #ISSSTOXX

The investment landscape around the globe is constantly evolving and client needs fluctuate over time. Having a partner with global governance experience, and local market knowledge, is essential. This year, partner with a trusted leader to help you make informed Stewardship decisions with quality data, expert global analysis, and local knowledge of company-specific governance practices. ISS’ Global Reach and Local Support: ??? 50,000 proxy analyses produced annually supported by a worldwide network? ???? More than 60 experts globally help facilitate your day-to-day workflow? ???? Governance specialists based in local markets producing high-quality research on over 35,000 companies in 100+ markets Contact us to set a meeting ahead of proxy season to discuss your stewardship program at:?https://lnkd.in/exKG3N_q #CorporateGovernance #ProxySeason #Proxy

ISS STOXX was excited to sponsor International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)'s 30th Anniversary Conference - Asia in Tokyo. To keep the global dialogue going, please check out our latest article on The Governance of Geopolitical Risk in 2025 below and contact us to learn more about how ISS STOXX can support your investment stewardship objectives. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ezQfAx7A #corpgovernance #ISSSTOXX #TopTrends #corporategovernance?

ISS STOXX was proud to be a Legacy sponsor of this year’s Council of Institutional Investors Spring Conference in Washington DC. A big thank you to all who attended our Member Hosted Meeting Tuesday, covering “Contested Situations: A Look at Activism Trends and Upcoming 2025 Proxy Contests.” We capped off a collaborative, and informative week with a peek into the world of international intrigue as a sponsor of the CII Member reception at the Spy Museum. It was great to see so many of our clients ‘undercover’ in such a fun setting! Looking forward to next year! #CorporateGovernance #CorpGov #CIISpring2025 #Investors #InstitutionalInvestors #SpyMuseum?

Ongoing Investment in Innovation For nearly 40 years, ISS | Institutional Shareholder Services has been providing objective, high-quality governance research and vote recommendations and end-to-end proxy voting solutions, helping investors achieve their governance and sustainability goals. Our ongoing investment in innovation provides institutional investors with improved accessibility to research and content, expanded reporting functionality, increased integration of related content, and more streamlined voting workflow tools.? See how what ISS Governance can do for you to: ?? Simplify the process? ?? Streamline workflows? ?? Scale with market demands? Contact a solutions expert to to learn how our enhanced solutions can help you, at: ?https://lnkd.in/eShbEsTJ? ? #CorporateGovernance #Investors #Proxy

The Governance of Geopolitical Risk in 2025 In a follow-up analysis of a December 2023 article, ISS | Institutional Shareholder Services looked at the concept of geopolitical risk in relation to corporate governance in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the revival of instability in the Middle East. More than a year later, the international order has yet to return to something approaching post-Cold War stability, and there are questions as to whether it ever will. While tensions have dampened for now between Israel and Hamas, the collapse of Assad’s regime revives the possibility of Syria’s return to civil war, which could spill over into the wider region. Attritional warfare continues in Ukraine, with North Korean troops recently joining the fray. Islamist groups and Russian mercenaries continue to operate in the African Sahel region. Finally, US-China strategic competition in various areas (access to rare minerals, microchip technology, and AI, to name just a few) continues to cast a long shadow over international trade and supply chains. In a survey conducted by The Conference Board found that company CEOs ranked geopolitical risk as their main concern for 2025. Additionally, geopolitical strategist Tina Fordham warned in October 2024 that the international system may be slipping backward into a “geopolitical risk supercycle” after decades of relative peace that had seen widespread economic expansion and integration worldwide. Read more of the analysis, authored by Tom Inchley, at: https://lnkd.in/ezQfAx7A Learn more about our governance research and voting services at: https://lnkd.in/dE2Y6pVQ #CorporateGovernance #Globalization #RiskManagement

Change and Uncertainties Will Mark 2025 Annual Meeting Seasons, ISS Governance Forecasts ISS Governance today announced the release of its annual global outlook report,?Top Governance & Stewardship Trends for 2025,?an in-depth analysis examining trends and many key issues institutional investors and companies are likely to face in 2025. The main 2025 annual meeting, or “proxy,” seasons across the northern hemisphere will this year occur against a backdrop of fast-shifting regulatory environments and uncertain geopolitical risks, including potential trade wars and ongoing regional conflicts. “Many investors and their portfolio companies alike will face challenges during the annual meeting seasons this year reflecting economic and political changes and uncertainties, and the impact they may have on key governance and stewardship issues such as corporate risk oversight, supply chain management, M&A activity, executive compensation, climate risks, human capital management, as well as board oversight and accountability,” predicts Georgina Marshall, Global Head of Research for ISS Governance. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eHKm4pS9 Access our report on the Top Governance & Stewardship Trends for 2025 at: https://lnkd.in/eTG_vY2i #CorporateGovernance #ProxySeason #ExecutiveCompensation?