ISS Releases 2014 Updates to its Benchmark Proxy Voting Policies for the Americas, EMEA, & Asia-Pacific
Rockville, MD; November 21, 2013 – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance solutions to the global financial community, today released 2014 updates to its benchmark proxy voting policies for the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific region.
These global updates are the culmination of a consultation process that included institutional investors and corporate issuers worldwide. The updated policies will be effective for analyses of all publicly traded companies with shareholder meetings as of Feb. 1, 2014. To learn more about the policy updates, please visit the ISS Policy Gateway.
To ensure its voting policies take into consideration the perspectives of the corporate governance community and the views of its institutional clients, ISS gathers broad input each year from institutional investors, issuers, and other market constituents through a variety of channels and mediums.
“Our 2014 benchmark voting policy updates reflect wide-ranging feedback solicited through our annual policy survey, regional roundtables, and direct engagements with groups of investors, issuers, and corporate directors,” said Martha Carter, ISS’ Head of Global Research. “We firmly believe that our commitment to this approach enhances the value of the research we deliver to clients and informs our vote recommendations.”
To aid market participants in understanding the nature and scope of the 2014 policy updates as well as other developments shaping the governance landscape, ISS held the following webinars: Dec. 10, at 2:30 p.m. GMT (3:30 p.m. CET), for a review of EMEA policy updates; Dec. 11, at 11:00 a.m. EST (8:00 a.m. PST), for Americas region policy updates; and Dec. 12 at 10:00 a.m. HKT (11:00 a.m. JST) for a review of the Asia-Pacific region. These webcasts provide valuable insight about the key corporate governance issues investors are likely to grapple with in 2014. To download a replay, please click here.
Separate from its 2014 voting policy updates, ISS is requesting feedback from governance stakeholders globally on potential longer term changes to seven discrete voting policies as part of a new, ongoing consultation period running until February. Comments will be taken into consideration as ISS formulates updates to its policies beyond the 2014 annual meeting season. Items under consideration include auditor rotation and independent chairs in the U.S., stock issues without preemptive rights in Europe and Asia, and equity plan scoring in both Canada and the U.S. To learn more, please click here.
“Our aim is to shift from a seasonal to year-round focus on policy development, keeping us ahead of the myriad changes now altering the governance landscape,” explained Carter. “And as with our existing policy process, we will continue to be inclusive in our efforts to seek diverse feedback.”
