Q: What is one thing you never want to hear in engagement and one thing you always want to hear about?
A: My big no-no is don’t ask if I’m familiar with what ISS or Glass Lewis has done. As we’ve said time and time again, we have our own policies and procedures. While we are, of course, aware of their research, we want to spend as little time as possible on the proxy advisors and as much time as possible on what the board and company are doing and what we believe they are doing well or not well.
We like to hear from companies how the board is getting information and is being active in that process. It’s a simple premise – board directors are our representatives as shareholders. Whether it’s directly from them or from management, we want to hear and understand how they’re involved in decision-making, how they ask for new information and what the key topics on their agendas are.