Tag Archives: Caroline S. Kim

SEC Approves Nasdaq Board Diversity Listing Standards

by Brian V. Breheny, Raquel Fox, Marc S. Gerber, Andrew J. Brady, Caroline S. Kim, Ryan J. Adams, Andrew T. Bond, Leo W. Chomiak, Jeongu Gim, Blake M. Grady, and Khadija Lalani

On August 6, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved[1] the Nasdaq Stock Market’s (Nasdaq) proposal to amend its listing standards to encourage greater board diversity and to require board diversity disclosures for Nasdaq-listed companies. Subject to transition periods and limited exceptions, Nasdaq-listed companies will be required to (i) publicly disclose board-level diversity statistics on an annual basis using a standardized matrix template under Nasdaq Rule 5606 and (ii) have, or disclose why they do not have, a minimum of two diverse board members under Nasdaq Rule 5605(f).[2]  The mandatory “board diversity matrix” disclosure and the “comply or explain” board diversity framework are described in greater detail below. This post reflects updates from Nasdaq guidance issued August 13, 2021.

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ESG: Key Trends in 2020 and Expectations for 2021 (Part III of III)

by Marc S. Gerber, Scott C. Hopkins, Simon Toms, Helena J. Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam M. Howard, Greg P. Norman, Damian R. Babic, Zoe Q. Cooper Sutton, Kathryn Gamble, Sym Hunt, Caroline S. Kim, Abigail B. Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, and Eleanor F. Williams

This is Part III of a three-part post. For Part I, looking back at important trends and topics in 2020, please click here. For Part II, discussing the first 5 of 10 key trends expected in 2021, please click here.

Below are the final 5 of 10 key environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends and topics that we expect to be prominent in 2021, some of which are continuing trends from 2020, while others may emerge in response to the events of 2020.

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ESG: Key Trends in 2020 and Expectations for 2021 (Part II of III)

by Marc S. Gerber, Scott C. Hopkins, Simon Toms, Helena J. Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam M. Howard, Greg P. Norman, Damian R. Babic, Zoe Q. Cooper Sutton, Kathryn Gamble, Sym Hunt, Caroline S. Kim, Abigail B. Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, and Eleanor F. Williams

This is Part II of a three-part post. For Part I, looking back at important trends and topics in 2020, please click here. 

Below are the first 5 of 10 key environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends and topics that we expect to be prominent in 2021, some of which are continuing trends from 2020, while others may emerge in response to the events of 2020.

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ESG: Key Trends in 2020 and Expectations for 2021 (Part I of III)

by Marc S. Gerber, Scott C. Hopkins, Simon Toms, Helena J. Derbyshire, Louise Batty, Adam M. Howard, Greg P. Norman, Damian R. Babic, Zoe Q. Cooper Sutton, Kathryn Gamble, Sym Hunt, Caroline S. Kim, Abigail B. Reeves, Patrick Tsitsaros, and Eleanor F. Williams

In a tumultuous year, one of the key clear messages to emerge from 2020 was that environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns are here to stay. As mentioned in our 31 July 2020 article “ESG in 2020: A Half-Year Review,” although many investors feared that the focus on ESG policies would fall away in the face of an economic crisis, the opposite appears to have occurred. The pandemic instead has triggered a debate on what societies really value, and at the same time exposed the extent of global interconnectedness and the “tragedy of the horizon” whereby societies fail to plan in the longer term and only address issues when it is too late. This focus continued throughout 2020 and, as a result, many now regard the coming months and years as an opportunity to rebuild economies with ESG matters, corporate purpose and sustainability firmly placed at the fore. In this three-part post, we review the key trends that emerged in 2020 and continued to develop in the second half of the year. We then set out our expectations for the trends that will emerge or continue in the ESG sphere over the coming year.

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