Cornerstone: “A Voice in the Boardroom” – Executive Summary

Jay OwenSRI/ESG News, Beyond GDP

To Cornerstone Capital Group Clients and Colleagues,

Shareholders have the power to influence companies by engaging them in dialogue around social, environmental and governance concerns. We call this “active ownership.” Active owners have helped bring about change in the policies of thousands of companies on such issues as climate change, board diversity and executive compensation, benefiting companies, investors and society as a whole. Proxy voting, the primary mechanism of corporate democracy, is a key component of active ownership. 

Today we are sharing an Executive Summary of “A Voice in the Boardroom,” which can be foundhere.The full report is available to clients of Cornerstone Capital Group.

Cornerstone’s new report, “A Voice in the Boardroom,” is our proprietary guide to voting proxies. It is a meant primarily for asset owners  –  endowments, foundations, family offices, individuals or others  –  who are long-term stewards of capital on behalf of themselves and others… those who want to use their voice as shareholders to influence companies, but are not sure how to get started. 

While historically many investors saw proxy voting and engagement as a low priority, a growing number now view this oversight function as critical to the effective functioning of the capital markets. This guide is intended to help investors learn how to use the power of proxy voting and engagement to influence companies and bring about a more sustainable economy  and to answer some of the most important questions about how companies govern themselves:  

  • Can investors feel confident that the managers of public corporations, to whom they have entrusted their capital, will act in shareholders’ best interests?
  • Will corporate managers look to build enduring value, rather than pursue short-term profitability that places the institution at greater risk over the long term?
  • Will companies behave responsibly towards other corporate stakeholders such as employees, customers and society? 

The Executive Summary of “A Voice in the Boardroom” can be accessed here. The full report is available to clients of Cornerstone Capital Group.

Look for all Cornerstone Capital Group’s Research (tagged, “CCGR”) on Bloomberg. If you have any questions, pleasecontact us.

My sincere regards,
Erika