Environmental, Social and Governance and Human
Capital Management issues lead focus areas
CHICAGO, Sept. 26,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Donnelley Financial Solutions
(NYSE: DFIN), a leading risk and compliance company, today released
its annual Guide to Effective Proxies, U.S. and Canadian editions.
These comprehensive editions help companies design proxy statements
and proxy circulars that communicate vital information about
business objectives to investors, while also complying with U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Canadian Securities
Administrators (CSA) regulations.
DFIN will host its annual webcast focusing on the impact of the
SEC's final rule on pay versus performance and demonstrating how to
navigate the guide. Click here to register for this event, to be
held on September 28, 2022.
The guides provide key insights about critical investor topics
addressed in corporate proxies, including Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG) and Human Capital Management (HCM).
The searchable, annual publications — the tenth edition of the
U.S. guide and the fifth of the Canadian guide — offer innovative
and shareholder-friendly best practices derived from DFIN's deep
experience managing the public filings of its extensive blue-chip
client base, including over one-third of North American public
companies. The guides also provide helpful tips for how companies
can prepare for their upcoming proxy season. Organized by proxy
section, topic and feature, the guides can help transform proxy
statements from traditional compliance documents to more compelling
shareholder communications pieces.
Key and notable trends from this year's guides include growing
interest in ESG and HCM issues on the part of investors and other
stakeholders:
- Expanded Focus on Board Oversight of ESG: The SEC and CSA have
proposed new climate disclosure rules that may require disclosure
around climate impact, board oversight and director competencies in
this area. Both the U.S. and Canadian guides, which have covered
these topics for years, can be an invaluable resource for companies
needing to comply with these proposed new requirements.
- Expanded Focus on the Environment and People: Human Capital
Management (HCM) continues to drive corporate value and success.
Along with recent 2021 10-K human capital disclosures requirements,
companies are increasingly disclosing workforce diversity metrics
when discussing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I).
- The Humanizing of Executive & Board Leadership: Critical
board functions and processes are becoming more transparent. This
can be done via the proxy, investor presentations, sustainability
reports and other documents and channels.
- The Approach to Compensation: Executive compensation practices
continue to be tied to the business strategy and increasingly
incorporate non-financial and ESG related metrics.
- Reevaluating Resilience: If the global pandemic has taught us
anything, it's that the key to success is learning from the past so
we are prepared for the future in business. Applying lessons
learned from disruptions, where applicable, and adjusting processes
and resources are required to build a more resilient
enterprise.
"Resilience is everything in today's global business, which is
why proxies, ESG and HCM are so critical to an organization." said
Ron Schneider, Director of Corporate
Governance Services at DFIN. "Investors are interested in
ESG-related risks and opportunities, and how resilient companies
respond and communicate in the face of unpredictable events. You
can have the best practices and processes, but you must also
effectively disclose them to the investor community. Because we've
been tracking and reporting on these topics for years, these guides
contain hundreds of useful examples to help companies comply with
proposed new rules and regulations requiring additional climate and
board oversight disclosure."
"Corporate communications, specifically annual proxy statements
and proxy circulars, have become much more than compliance
documents. Today, they help investors measure risks and
opportunities, and help companies enhance investor communications,"
said Craig Clay, President of Global
Capital Markets at DFIN. "We are proud that our annual guides have
become a trusted resource for all our stakeholders. We look forward
to continuing to support our existing and future clients now and in
the years to come."
About Donnelley Financial
Solutions (DFIN)
DFIN is a leading global risk and compliance solutions company.
We provide domain expertise, enterprise software and data analytics
for every stage of our clients' business and investment lifecycles.
Markets fluctuate, regulations evolve, technology advances, and
through it all, DFIN delivers confidence with the right solutions
in moments that matter. Learn about DFIN's end-to-end risk and
compliance solutions online at DFINsolutions.com or you can also
follow us on Twitter @DFINSolutions or on LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Donnelley Financial Solutions