This Month
Let ASIC police big four conflicts: Samuel
Former ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel says the big four’s governance changes looked good on paper, but would not fundamentally change the culture of the firms.
- Maxim Shanahan and Ronald Mizen
Gender of directors added no financial value: study
A study by the Australian National University has found that the gender of directors appointed to company boards had no impact on the financial performance of those businesses.
- Patrick Durkin
Former APRA chairman Wayne Byres joins ASX board
His appointment comes as the exchange faces a range of governance questions after its failure to replace ageing clearing and settlements infrastructure.
- James Eyers
NBN fixer Stephen Rue to restore Optus’ credibility
Stephen Rue has been charged with restoring Optus’ reputation with consumers and improving its services when he leaves the NBN to run the beleaguered telco group.
- Jenny Wiggins
- Analysis
- Japan
Japan turns up the focus on profit growth
The Japanese aren’t known for risk-taking, but fledgling signs in the corporate world show a huge shift could be under way as non-core businesses get spun off.
- Jessica Sier
April
Ex-SFE boss warns ASX a threat to financial stability
Former SFE boss Les Hosking says ASX is a ‘single point of failure risk’ threatening financial stability. Joe Longo says he’s ready to act.
- James Eyers
ASIC chairman ‘very disturbed’ about CBA’s bonus move
Joe Longo said he had raised concerns about CBA’s breach of bonus caps directly with the bank’s chairman Paul O’Malley and urged the bank to reconsider.
- James Eyers and Lucas Baird
Activist funds to push Karoon Energy on dividends
Samuel Terry and Sandon Capital will target the oil and gas producer’s board before May’s annual general meeting and push for more dividend payments.
- Jonathan Shapiro
Corporate directors warned over Musk behaviour
AFP boss Reece Kershaw says better corporate standards are needed to enable co-operation between social media giants and law enforcement.
- Tom McIlroy
- Analysis
- Transurban
A hot tip for CEOs – reputation counts for everything
Woolworths, Qantas and AMP are among once-loved brands that have faced customer ire. Now they’ve added reputation metrics to executive pay calculations.
- Jenny Wiggins
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Star’s ‘lost’ six months could cost it dearly
Star’s failure to change its culture after a series of scandals could now cost it the chance to win back its casino licence.
- James Thomson
British shareholder LGIM piles more climate pressure on Woodside
The $2.3 trillion asset manager will vote against not only the gas giant’s climate plan but also against chairman Richard Goyder’s re-election.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Analysis
- Opinion
The slow death of Magnis Energy shows plenty wrong with the ASX
Over many years, the EV play has shown nothing but contempt for shareholders, most of them small investors. In its inaction, so too has the market operator.
- Kylar Loussikian
- Analysis
- Carbon challenge
Woodside treads impossibly fine line on climate demands
Whether new oil and gas projects can align with the Paris Agreement is central to the oil and gas producer’s stoush with activists and some proxy advisers.
- Updated
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why we should celebrate the climate stoush at Woodside
An adult, active and thoughtful debate about Woodside’s climate transition plan is precisely what we want to see in corporate Australia.
- Updated
- James Thomson
How directors can avoid protest votes against executive pay
Boards should consult more with investors and governance experts to avoid protest votes against remuneration reports, says the new chairwoman of the AICD.
- Sally Patten
NAB’s new chief executive shuffles leadership team, promotes rival
Rachel Slade, who was overlooked for the top job in favour of Andrew Irvine, will run the pre-eminent business banking division. Ana Marinkovic will run retail.
- James Eyers
High-profile analyst accuses CGI Glass Lewis of activism on Woodside
Saul Kavonic, of MST Marquee, said the influential proxy advisory group “appears to have lost objectivity and equity in its work”.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Deloitte to appoint independent members to board
Deloitte Australia will appoint independent members to its 10-person board to provide an external perspective on the way the big four firm operates.
- Edmund Tadros
- Updated
- Gender equality
Age, diversity on company boards plummets, gender stalls
There are more directors with an Anglo-Celtic background than seven years ago on the ASX 300, a new survey has found, and the average age of a director is creeping upwards.
- Hannah Wootton
