Contents

The future of the AGM

Four out of five FTSE 350 companies opted to hold their 2020 AGMs ‘behind closed doors’ with no external participants allowed to attend and ask questions to the board, other than by email, according to a new report by ShareAction.

More trust placed in business

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a wave of mistrust in all institutions including government, business and the media. The annual survey of more than 33,000 people across 28 countries asked respondents how much they trusted various institutions.

CEO compensation trends

The ethics of diversity

Board reviews: the governance box of chocolates

Chris Stamp, Founder Member of The Board Effectiveness Guild, presents the Guild’s view of the current state of board reviews and argues for a rigorous discussion about how to make them more meaningful.

ESG in quoted SMEs: Closing the gaps

Filipe Morais and Jenny Simnett report on research commissioned to examine the reality of ESG adoption in smaller quoted companies.

What really happened to Ant Group’s IPO?

Lyndsey Zhang reviews China’s suspension of Ant Group’s initial public offering in 2020, explains the role recent regulation reform in China played in the suspension and examines the suspension’s impact on China’s corporate governance development.