The Chartered Governance Institute and Slaughter and May have today published guidance about company AGMs and the impact of Covid-19 in order to support British businesses and their shareholders during the coronavirus pandemic. Supported by the FRC, GC100, the Investment Association and the Quoted Companies Alliance, and reviewed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the guidance suggests that companies consider their contingency plans in light of the spread of Covid-19.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland has today published guidance for listed companies about the withdrawal or amendment of the dividend resolution at their Annual General Meetings. Prepared with the assistance of Slaughter and May and members of The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland, the guidance forms part of a series of guidance that the Institute has published offering advice on the options companies have to run their AGM in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chartered Governance Institute has today published ‘Trust me, I’m listed: Why the annual report matters, and how to do it well’ – an essential guide for anyone involved in corporate reporting.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has today published a white paper looking at ‘The virtuous circle of good charity governance’. Compiled by Louise Thomson, Head of Policy (Not for Profit) at the Institute, the paper considers what governance is and how it works in relation to the charity sector, including linking good governance to organisational performance.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute today welcomed the Financial Reporting Council’s 2020 review of governance reporting.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has welcomed the extension of flexibilities around company meeting arrangements included in the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act), which the government has extended to 30 March 2021.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland has today published guidance on the role of lead charity trustees in England and Wales. The guidance reaffirms the importance of collective responsibility and highlights certain considerations charities should take into account when appointing a lead trustee. It also provides a specimen lead trustee role description to help charities with effective governance practice in this area.

Baroness Berridge, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System, has acknowledged the vital role that governance professionals play in academy trusts and confirmed that more widely promoting and supporting the role of the governance professional in trusts is at the top of the DfE’s priorities for this year.

Governance professionals in 2021 will be focusing their attention primarily on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters, remote working risk, climate change and diversity this year, according to a poll by ICSA: The Chartered Governance and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership. Of these, ESG is seen as the top priority, with the majority of respondents stating that it would be the biggest area of governance focus for 2021.