Abstract
For the 2013 Singapore proxy season, a large volume of public companies are expected to hold their annual general meetings during the third and fourth weeks of April. No changes were made in relation to filing requirements for meeting materials in Singapore. Singapore companies are required to provide meeting notices at a minimum of 14 days before the meeting, while accounts presented at the AGM shall be made not more than four months before the AGM.
In October 2012, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced its responses to the Report of the Steering Committee on the review of the Companies Act. The MOF is seeking public feedback in early 2013 before presenting it to Parliament later in the year.
This year, ISS has launched ISS Governance QuickScore, a quantitatively based scoring and screening solution designed to help institutional investors identify and manage governance risk in companies held in their investment portfolios. Initially, the coverage universe for Governance QuickScore will encompass 4,100 companies across 25 markets. In the Asia Pacific region, public companies included in the MSCI EAFE index will be included in the Governance QuickScore universe.
Several revisions were made to the ISS Voting Policy Guidelines relating to Auditor Remuneration, Director Attendance, Director Overboarding, Board Independence, and Director Tenure.
