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Corporate Governance Awards 2010 - The categories
The awards are open to all corporate secretaries, general counsel, governance and compliance officers at any company listed and domiciled in the US.
Small to mid - cap includes companies with a market cap under 10bn
Large cap includes companies with a market cap over 10bn
Governance professional of the year (small to mid - cap)
The judges will be looking for the most outstanding individual in a governance, compliance or legal function. Entrants should be able to show exceptional performance in advancing governance and compliance activities at their company. Areas of consideration include, but are not limited to: board structure, shareholder communications, regulatory filing, annual reports and all other areas of the company’s governance operations.
Governance professional of the year (large cap)
The judges will be looking for the most outstanding individual in a governance, compliance or legal function. Entrants should be able to show exceptional performance in advancing governance and compliance activities at their company. Areas of consideration include, but are not limited to: board structure, shareholder communications, regulatory filing, annual reports and all other areas of the company’s governance operations.
Corporate governance team of the year (small to mid - cap)
The size and scope of teams involved in achieving sound governance are growing. Some companies have dozens of people working solely on compliance and governance. This award will look at the best overall governance team in the country, and what they have achieved in the past 12 months. How does the size of the team compare with the size of the company? How have team numbers changed in recent years? Who is involved and what training do they get?
Corporate governance team of the year (large cap)
The size and scope of teams involved in achieving sound governance are growing. Some companies have dozens of people working solely on compliance and governance. This award will look at the best overall governance team in the country, and what they have achieved in the past 12 months. How does the size of the team compare with the size of the company? How have team numbers changed in recent years? Who is involved and what training do they get?
Most effective shareholder communication
Getting your governance story in front of investors is almost as important as the governance itself. This category will consider the accessibility of the corporate secretary or GC, how regularly the individual or team has contact with investors and the quality of information distributed. Willingness to provide direct access to the board of directors or executives, where appropriate, will also be considered. Judges will also look for public filings that are easy to read and contain more than the mandated minimum disclosure.
Most innovative CSR disclosure policy
This entry should comment on the quality and robustness of corporate social responsibility reporting. This includes exposure to environmental risk factors such as global warming, employee health and safety, foreign corrupt practices, consumer safety, social responsibility and corporate sustainability. The judges will also look at a company’s understanding of the role it plays in the community, both locally and globally.
Best legal team in an M&A transaction
This entry will highlight outstanding work in a merger or acquisition and will examine due diligence, management of outside counsel, communication between involved parties, compliance and regulation aspects, use of virtual data rooms, and post-merger integration of business and governance cultures.
Best overall governance, compliance and ethics program (small to mid - cap)
This award will look at coordination of governance, compliance, ethics and risk management processes across the entire corporation (including all subsidiaries).The judges will consider the level of understanding and integration of good governance principles across all disciplines and a truly non-silo approach to achieving an ethical governance environment.
Best overall governance, compliance and ethics program (large cap)
This award will look at coordination of governance, compliance, ethics and risk-management processes across the entire corporation (including all subsidiaries). The judges will consider the level of understanding and integration of good governance principles across all disciplines and a truly non-silo approach to achieving an ethical governance environment.
Best proxy statement
This award will examine the completeness of legal disclosures, effectiveness of communication elements, readability, timeliness of filing, visual design elements and overall layout. Specific elements such as compensation discussion and analysis, MD&A, director profiles and ESG challenges will be given particular consideration.
Rising star
The judges will be looking for the best newcomer to a governance or compliance role. This person will have been in the profession less than five years, achieving demonstrable success in driving good governance or implementing change at his or her company, advancing academic thinking or making a significant contribution to the governance community at large.
The 2010 winners will be revealed in November in New York - check back frequently for more updates.