financial reporting council

Marks & Spencer has changed the terms of its £1.1bn pension funding partnership after the Financial Reporting Review Panel expressed concerns over amendments made to the arrangements.

Hannah Brenton reports from the International Corporate Governance Network conference, held in London last week.

Proxy voting agencies are undermining the governance efforts of investors who try to to engage more effectively with firms they are invested with, a policy chief says.

Andrew Short looks at the issues involved in ESG investing

Onerous pension accounting and regulatory standards could be driving funds to take a shorter-term view on investments, undercutting responsible ownership, delegates heard.

The Financial Reporting Council is set to encourage fund managers to avoid conflicts of interest and pursue more collective engagement to boost stewardship standards.

The Financial Reporting Council wants to boost the strength of the UK Stewardship Code by monitoring the quality of communication between companies and shareholders.

Corporate schemes must increase transparency and demand more responsible investing from their asset managers to keep pace with pension funds outside the UK, UKSIF says.

The Financial Reporting Council has published a series of recommendations in a bid to improve communications between company boards and shareholders, such as pension funds.

The success of the UK stewardship code is vital in preventing more onerous regulation of shareholders, delegates heard.