Natalie Bannerman
Authored articles
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IPOs, crypto and deregulation: The SEC prepares for a shift in 2026
Hot off the heels of his NYSE address, SEC chair lays out his vision for the Commission in 2026 and beyond On December 2, 2025, SEC chairman Paul Atkins rang the opening bell at the NYSE and delivered a keynote address titled Revitalizing America’s markets at 250. In a sweeping vision for the future of […]
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SEC steps back from no-action reviews, leaving proxy season on unstable ground
Regulator will reduce oversight of shareholder proposal disputes in a step critics say will leave investors in ‘legal limbo’ The SEC has changed its rules around how companies seek permission to exclude certain shareholder proposals from proxies, in a move that will make it more difficult for activists to force votes on contentious issues. Earlier […]
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Five things IROs can learn from the 2025 Corporate Governance Forum
The New York event brought together top governance professionals in an era when change can be quick and new stakeholders are entering the arena The 2025 Corporate Governance Forum brought together governance professionals, board members and advisers for discussions that included proxy disclosure, shareholder activism and the politicization of corporate decision-making. Across all panels, one […]
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‘A chatbot can’t capture the CEO’s voice’: The real role of AI in earnings prep
The technology can streamline the earnings process, experts agreed on a recent IR Impact briefing How can AI best be employed in your earnings preparation? According to leading IR experts, it’s best not to make a facsimile of your CEO, but the technology can certainly help save time and leave you to concentrate on more […]
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Despite political noise, the stats clearly show the anti-DEI movement does not have shareholder support
The movement fell flat in 2025’s proxy season with most proposals receiving less than 2 percent investor backing Shareholders sent companies a clear message this proxy season: anti-DEI proposals do not have their backing. At 30 of the largest US companies, together worth over $13 trn, every anti-DEI proposal was rejected, with most receiving less than […]
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How the SEC’s ‘pendulum swing’ has realigned rules with market realities this proxy season
DE&I, ESG proposals trends and regulatory changes take center stage at Governance Intelligence briefing How is the proxy season evolving? During a recent Governance Intelligence briefing on Lessons from the 2025 Proxy Season – held in partnership with BetaNXT – Amanda Thrash, senior counsel and assistant corporate secretary at The Williams Companies, said that DE&I issues were still of […]
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Muted mics, loud protests: how the rise of AGM protests is forcing companies to rethink shareholder meetings
Are we witnessing a rise in AGM protests? While often a forum for disagreements with shareholders, this year’s AGM season was characterized by a marked rise in public campaigns targeting annual meetings – particularly in the UK – each of which gained significant press attention.
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‘Prevention is better than remedy’: majority of investors say governance gaps attract activists, research shows
The majority of institutional investors credit poor governance practices as the biggest driver of shareholder activism, a new study from shareholder advisory firm SquareWell Partners has found. Some 84 percent of investors polled, who hail from North America, Europe (including the UK) and Asia, said that poor governance was the main driver of activist investor attention. The findings of SquareWell’s report, titled The Long and the Short of It: Institutional Investors’ Views on Activism, center around three key themes, views on activism, evaluation criteria and engagement dynamics. This finding means that the quality of a company’s governance framework is paramount and…
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