On 26 Jan 2021, at 17:00 CET, ShareAction is hosting a webinar "What does the Future of the AGM hold?".
At a time when there are many urgent new questions for corporate boards to answer, two-thirds of FTSE 100 companies opted to hold their 2020 AGMs 'behind closed doors', with no external participants allowed. Yet even before this crisis, company AGMs had shortcomings. Many FTSE 100 companies held AGMs with less than a handful of attendees present, and occasionally no questions asked at all. Institutional investors, who generally own over 90% of the company’s shares, are frequently absent. At the other end of the spectrum, some AGMs suffer from heated exchanges and unmet expectations as the major - but very brief - forum for contact between stakeholders and company staff each year. Even the value derived by boards themselves has not always been clear. Many AGMs have ossified in style and content - but the AGM is not beyond redemption.
This January, ShareAction is releasing a report which sets out a bold new vision for the purpose of the AGM of the future. It addresses how companies, shareholders, stakeholders and policy-makers can play their part in making the AGM of the future the backbone of corporate governance and investor stewardship. Attend this panel discussion to hear about the report's vision and recommendations, and to take part in a Q&A.