The Chartered Governance Institute, UK & Ireland, has responded to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) consultation on the review of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code) to urge it to protect the huge benefits of the strong governance environment in the UK, balancing the desire to improve the Code against the proportionality of any additional reporting.

An article in the Financial Times on 10 September reported that a group of lawyers and academics had criticised the Financial Reporting Council’s review of the UK Corporate Governance Code for an “extraordinary omission” by not formalising the role of the general counsel in the Code.

CGI welcomes the plan for a new independent regulator in English football which was announced in the King's Speech but we are concerned that expectations of reform are unrealistically high, and that the Football Governance Bill announced in the King’s Speech on 7th November is promising more than it can possibly deliver.

Of general interest to all members.

Paul McCullagh, Company Secretary at Dublin-based Barclays Europe has been named Company Secretary of the Year by ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute at the Institute’s 2020 Awards. Paul was recognised for his drive and commitment to ensure Barclays Europe is at the forefront of best practice corporate governance, something which has earned him the respect and confidence of the Board.

The winners of this year’s ICSA Awards were announced at a glittering awards dinner at the Park Lane Hilton in London last night. Hosted by comedian Simon Evans, the awards welcomed 670 of the UK’s leading governance professionals who were there to celebrate the achievements of those organisations, individuals and teams that are leading the way in good governance and corporate reporting.

The question arises once again of the strange blindness of some of those in public office to the recognition and disclosure of actual or potential conflicts of interest.

ICSA: The Chartered Governance Institute has today published new guidance about company AGMs and the impact of Covid-19, which reflects the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on companies’ ability to hold physical general meetings. Prepared in association with the City of London Law Society Company Law Committee and Martin Moore QC, with the support of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Financial Reporting Council, the guidance offers advice on how listed companies might hold meetings during the 2021 AGM season.

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.