Emphasis on high standards of corporate governance is steadily growing

"Attitudes to corporate governance issues have changed significantly over the last decade. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, perpetuated by the collapse of major banks, regulators sought to create a more robust regulatory regime for the financial markets," commented Oliver Parry, Morrow Sodali new corporate governance director on IR Magazine, on November 2nd 2017.

"For listed companies, regulators placed more emphasis on high standards of corporate governance. In the UK, for instance, the UK Corporate Governance Code was amended in 2010 and 2012. A code of governance for investors, the UK Stewardship Code, was also launched in February 2012. As a consequence, both boards and investors had to focus on high standards of governance. But investors have taken it upon themselves to promote and uphold high standards of governance at our largest companies. We have witnessed significant investment in ESG functions and I expect to see this continue over the course of the next five years. Investors are clearly primed to scrutinize remuneration issues but other ESG issues, such as diversity and succession planning, are also being more closely monitored," he continued.

Download the attachment below to read the full interview with IR Magazine.