Proxy Contests Roundtable

Nov. 21, 2013

Leading academics, senior members of the bar and the vice-chair of the Ontario securities regulator held a roundtable on Proxy Contests last Thursday (November 21).  Professors Anita Anand and Edward Iacobucci of UofT Faculty of Law presented their views on whether special compensation arrangements for director nominees in a proxy contest should be regulated or left to shareholder voting and explored the need for disclosure of these types of arrangements. Panel members, Stephen Erlichman, Exec. Dir., Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, Charles Penner, JANA Partners LLC and James E. A. Turner, Vice-Chair, Ontario Securities Commission and moderator The Honourable Henry N. R. Jackman, commented on vote buying, shareholder activism, director compensation, and the role of the regulator in the context of proxy contests. Academic papers on these issues will be prepared and a WEBCAST of the program is available here.