Board Communications
Video: The Sharon Merrill Approach
What makes Sharon Merrill Associates excel in the world of strategic communications? Trust. Experience. Resilience. Passion. Vision. Perspective. Partnerships. Take a look at our story and see how we leverage these qualities to help you build value.
When It’s Time for a Change: CEO Succession
Whether it’s the longtime CEO’s retirement or the recent hire’s sudden exit, communicating the transition of the top executive is one of the most critical messaging tasks a company can undertake. So let’s discuss them both: the transitions that are well-planned, thoughtful and strategic, and those that are likely to catch investors by surprise. Here…
SEC Guidance on Reg G: Q&A with Howard Berkenblit
On May 17, 2016, the SEC issued new Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations related to Regulation G. The Podium discussed the new guidance on the reporting of non-GAAP financial measures with Sullivan & Worcester Partner Howard Berkenblit. The Podium: What do you see as the most significant changes that came out of the new SEC guidance…
Communicating a CEO Transition The Right Way
Whenever I speak about properly communicating a CEO transition, I talk about the importance of having a plan. But not all companies undergoing a management change have the advantage of foresight. So let’s discuss them both: the transitions that are well-planned, thoughtful and strategic, and those that must be managed on the fly. Here are…
Getting Investors Ready For Your New CEO
By Maureen Wolff, President and Partner When The Men’s Wearhouse dismissed George Zimmer, the company’s high-profile pitchman and executive chairman, this summer, observers were left wondering what had caused the split. The company announced it had parted ways with Zimmer, who founded The Men’s Wearhouse in 1973, on June 19, five hours before its annual…
Notes from a NIRI Annual Conference Attendee
By Dennis Walsh, Senior Consultant & Director of Social Media Last week, I attended the NIRI Annual Conference. It was very educational and an incredible opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with many of the approximately 1,300 investor relations professionals from more than 20 countries that attended the event in Seattle. NIRI organized more than…
Activists and Boards Share Common Ground on Communications
When it comes to corporate governance, board members and shareholder activists are usually on opposite ends of the spectrum. But at separate conferences in New York and Boston this month, the two camps expressed a surprisingly similar view about the most effective way to deal with the anticipated increase in shareholder activism in 2011: better…
Grab the Tiger by the Tail in 2010
Earlier this week I moderated a NIRI webinar with three senior-level investor relations officers representing the finance, real estate and retail industries. The panelists highlighted some new initiatives that IROs should consider in 2010 which, according to the Chinese calendar, is The Year of the Tiger. This just might have been the world’s only “Tiger”-related…
Board-Shareholder Communications
To whom is the corporation accountable? Before SOX, majority voting, proxy access and “say on pay,” director elections were democratic in name only, and the lines between board and management were blurry at best. Except for the occasional gadfly at an annual meeting, boards rarely communicated with shareholders directly. Today, after nearly a decade of…
Proxy Access: Time to Get Ready for Profound Changes
Recently, Sharon Merrill Associates President Maureen Wolff and I spoke on “Navigating the New Proxy Access Rules” at the NYSE Euronext’s “Building Blocks for Successful Investor Relations” conference. The event attracted great attendance from CEOs, CFOs and investor relations officers – despite some obstacles getting downtown with the Yankees World Series victory parade taking place…