The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland has published guidance about virtual board meetings, which aims to help companies struggling with the impact of COVID-19. Drafted in conjunction with Lorraine Young Board Advisory Services, the guidance highlights the key points to bear in mind so that companies can use virtual meetings to good effect while the ban on public meetings is in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland has today published new Terms of Reference for risk committees, which are intended as a guide for companies to adapt to their needs where the board decides it is necessary or desirable to have a separate risk committee.

The Chartered Governance Institute has today published guidance about ‘Shareholder meetings under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020’. The guidance has been drafted by a Working Party of the City of London Law Society Company Law Committee and the Institute, with the support of GC100, the Investment Association and the Quoted Companies Alliance. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Financial Reporting Council have both endorsed the guidance, which is an updated version of guidance about AGMs issued by the Institute in March 2020.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute is pleased to announce details of the newly elected branch council for its Isle of Man branch, which supports members and students of the Institute living and working on the island. The branch plays a crucial role in promoting good governance on the Isle of Man, something which enhances the island’s reputation as a good place to business.

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland has today welcomed the publication by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) of the UK Stewardship Code 2020 (the Code), believing that the revised version reflects the changing needs of asset owners and public expectations. The governance body believes, however, that the increased focus on reporting to asset owners may have an impact on the quality and quantity of engagement with companies and the emphasis on ESG issues risks provoking more ‘policy statements’ than the ‘outcomes and effectiveness’ focus recommended by the Kingman review. The FRC and its successor will need to monitor asset manager reporting and activity to ensure that this is not the case, the Institute stresses.

Geoff White, co-creator of Edinburgh Fringe Festival sell-out show The Secret Life of Your Mobile Phone, is confirmed as the guest speaker at this year’s ICSA Guernsey Awards 2019. An investigative journalist, prolific writer and accomplished keynote speaker, Geoff will treat guests to a live, interactive phone hacking stage performance, which will show how the global technology industry is harvesting the data leaking from people’s handsets.

The Chartered Governance Institute has today welcomed the Government’s proposals to reform the UK audit market and strengthen the country’s corporate governance regime, but stressed that the proposed legislation around audit has to be evaluated on how well it addresses core concerns on the role of audit, the degree of professional scepticism exercised by auditors and the lack of trust in the ability of auditors outside the Big Four.

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Governance professionals in 2021 will be focusing their attention primarily on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters, remote working risk, climate change and diversity this year, according to a poll by ICSA: The Chartered Governance and governance recruitment specialist The Core Partnership. Of these, ESG is seen as the top priority, with the majority of respondents stating that it would be the biggest area of governance focus for 2021.