Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Lyndon Park, Managing Partner, Global ESG Advisory & Shareholder Activism, ICR – Boardroom Balancing Act: Governance, ESG, and Shareholder Power
Navigating the intricate landscape of ESG and shareholder activism requires a deep understanding of both market dynamics and investor expectations. That's why expert guidance is indispensable for companies looking to build lasting value and trust with their stakeholders.
Today we're sitting down with Lyndon Park, Head of ICR Governance Solutions. Lyndon advises boards and management teams on complex corporate governance, ESG and shareholder activist event-driven issues to align clients with investor and market expectations.
Before joining ICR, Lyndon was Head of Global Corporate Governance at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where he oversaw the firm's global stewardship and ESG initiatives. Prior to Dimensional, Lynden was a partner and Head of Governance and Listing Standards at EQX, a capital market startup. He began his career in governance at BlackRock by supporting BlackRock's board of directors on intercompany governance matters before serving as one of BlackRock Investment Stewardship teams' lead governance analysts, overseeing portfolio companies representing about 450 billion of BlackRock's AUM.
Lyndon is a recognized thought leader in ESG and shareholder activism, frequently participates on panels, and his perspectives have been published or quoted in numerous leading media outlets like the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.
Highlights:
- Takeaways from the 2024 proxy season (3:25)
- What companies can do differently to avoid Executive comp challenges (6:00)
- What companies can do do differently when under duress during proxy season (8:58)
- Lyndon discusses the effects of the Universal Proxy Card (11:45)
- Themes surrounding proxy contests (13:53)
- Lyndon discusses MNA-driven attacks (16:06)
- Examining the recent Starbucks ESG activist campaign (17:25)
- The current anti-ESG movement, and Lyndon's take on that (19:24)
- Lyndon's advice on what are easy wins in ESG strategy in this moderating DEI climate (21:50)
- Lyndon shares what he sees coming for 2025 (25:05)
- How the best boards and management teams tackle this landscape (28:17)
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If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.