Broadridge and Korea Securities Depository have entered an MOU aimed at enhancing Korean equity market proxy voting processes for global investors.

Vanguard's latest report reveals a surge in investor participation in the Investor Choice program, highlighting diverse voting preferences among participants.

If you hold a 401(k), an IRA, or a single index fund, you own a sliver of hundreds of American companies, yet you almost certainly let someone else decide how those shares vote. Individual investors hold about https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2023/4/27/esg-proxy-voting-web-app-empower-retail-investors-proxy-season-2023, more than BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street combined, yet only about https://thirdact.org/act/vote-your-shares/; the rest of those ballots get cast by a handful of asset managers and the proxy advisory firms they rely on, deciding who sits on corporate boards, how executives are paid, and what a company owes its workers, its customers, and the climate. This week’s two guests want to put that voice back in owners’ hands. https://www.shareholderdemocracy.org, co-founder of the nonprofit https://www.shareholderdemocracy.org, is building the machinery to let everyday investors delegate their proxy votes to a civil-society organization they already trust, such as a labor union, a faith community, an environmental group, choosing a representative once and changing it whenever they want. https://www.causewayimpact.com, CEO of https://newdayimpact.com and its https://www.causewayimpact.com platform, comes at the same problem from the engagement side, channeling revenue from values-aligned portfolios into work with https://newdayimpact.com and connecting investors and donors to the causes — and companies — they care about. Grant is building the rights layer that gets a vote counted; Doug is building the engagement layer that turns it into a continuing conversation with management. Their conversation brings the challenge into focus. On this episode of Sustainability In Your Ear, learn how the proxy vote problem undercuts foundations whose endowments quietly vote against the shareholder proposals their own grantees are writing — one side of the house funds the change while the other votes it down, because the signal most managers are rewarded for is next year’s return. Coordinating millions of small owners across thousands of ballots was mechanically impossible for most of the last century, but the internet collapsed the cost of communication and AI is collapsing the cost of reading thousands of ballot items at once, which is what makes the idea newly buildable. Grant is quick to add that the vote is leverage, not the destination, because most of the value in corporate governance is created in dialogue with management. He is candid about the limits: one share, one vote will never be pure democracy. The thread the conversation dives into governance ideas pioneered by Dee Hock, the founder of Visa, who built a global network by getting rival banks to share sensitive data around one shared purpose. Hock's “chaordic” thinking blends chaos, and offers a model that Grant and Doug believe is finally buildable for shareholders. To learn more about Shareholder Democracy and delegate your proxy votes — or, if you have a brokerage account, to try the pilot that auto-forwards your ballots to the new voting platform — visit https://www.shareholderdemocracy.org. To explore Newday Impact Investing and the Causeway platform for values-aligned investing and giving, visit https://www.causewayimpact.com. - Subscribe to Sustainability In Your Ear on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/earth911-com-sustainability-in-your-ear/id1384301001?mt=2 - Follow Sustainability In Your Ear on https://www.spreaker.com/user/earth911, https://www.iheart.com/podcast/966-Earth911com-Sustain-29715785/, or https://youtube.com/@elkcreeknotes?si=OYncOJMSzZ857f4L

Silvercorp Metals Inc. announces changes to its meeting proposal and postpones the Annual General and Special Meeting to allow shareholders time for consideration.

Broadridge Financial Solutions expands its proxy voting and disclosure services to accommodate all types of tokenized securities, enhancing governance and compliance.

Vanguard has integrated with Amazon Alexa, allowing investors to easily access its proxy voting program, Vanguard Investor Choice, by voice command.

A recent report by Kekst CNC reveals that AI models increasingly favor shareholder activists in proxy voting, reshaping communications strategies in the financial sector.

Vanguard enhances its Investor Choice program by adding 17 new funds, expanding options for 2 million more investors and promoting responsible corporate governance.

Egan-Jones Proxy Services has launched the Bowyer Policy to enhance its proxy voting solutions, prioritizing shareholder interests and core business performance.

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Monex Securities and Broadridge have launched Japan's first proxy voting service for U.S. stocks, empowering individual investors.

Vanguard's new survey reveals significant interest from investors in participating in proxy voting choice programs, showcasing a desire for more influence over their investments.

Parkland Corporation defends its board's qualifications against Simpson Oil's claims. The strategic review aims to enhance shareholder value, urging voters to select the Blue Proxy.

Converge Technology Solutions is encouraging its shareholders to cast their votes ahead of an important special meeting. Key decisions will be made.

As the proxy voting deadline looms, Converge Technology Solutions urges shareholders to vote on the special resolution for their upcoming meeting.

Broadridge and Upvest announce a strategic partnership to enhance proxy voting and shareholder transparency, driving innovation in corporate governance.