Tag: Corporate Governance

  • ESG Reporting in India

    The NSE Centre for Excellence in Corporate Governance (CECG) has issued its most recent quarterly briefing titled “Environmental and Social Reporting by Indian Companies”, which I have authored. The executive summary is as follows: Recent years have witnessed a strong focus on long-term sustainable value in companies rather than short-term profitability. The need for greater…

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  • The (Ambiguous) Position of Chairman Emeritus in Corporate Governance

    [Priya Garg is a 5th year student at West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata] When Ratan Tata, the then Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group of companies, allegedly exercised his influence over the Group’s directors to dethrone its then Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, because of the former’s dissatisfaction with the latter’s functioning,[1] a new corporate…

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  • Corporate Governance and Sustainability

    Professor Vikramaditya Khanna has authored the latest edition of the NSE Quarterly Briefing titled “Global Asset Managers and the Rise of Long Term Sustainable Value”. The executive summary is as follows: – The largest global asset managers (e.g., BlackRock, State Street) have stated that long term sustainable value (LTSV) is their key goal with respect…

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  • The IL&FS Crisis: Lessons in Governance

    The situation involving the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) has raised a number of questions revolving around corporate governance. Are governance failures to blame for the predicament in which the company finds itself? A lot has been said about the role of independent directors, nominee directors, auditors and credit rating agencies. However, one…

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  • The Influence of Foreign Investors and Proxy Advisory Firms on Corporate Governance

    Institutional investors have begun taking an active role in companies that have dispersed shareholding. This played out demonstrably in the case of HDFC in July when the chairman Mr. Deepak Parekh retained his position in the company by a narrow margin. This was attributable to a number of foreign institutional investors having voted against his…

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  • National Financial Reporting Authority: Is There Really a Need?

    [Anirudh Singh is a 4thyear B.A LL.B (Hons.) student of NALSAR University, Hyderabad] On 1 March 2018, the Union Cabinet gave its assent to National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), which is considered to be a major development for the regulation of financial auditing in big companies. As recommended by the Standing Committee on Finance in its…

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  • Age-limit Criteria for Non-Executive Directors under Amended SEBI Listing Regulations: Prospective or Retrospective?

    [Gaurav Pingle is a practising Company Secretary in Pune and can be reached at gp@csgauravpingle.com] Introduction On June 2 2017, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (‘SEBI’) constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Uday Kotak for improving the standards of corporate governance of listed companies in India. On October 5, 2017, Kotak…

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  • Demystifying ‘Board Inter-locks’ under SEBI’s Amended Listing Regulations

    [Gaurav Pingle is a practising Company Secretary in Pune and can be reached at gp@csgauravpingle.com] Introduction On June 2 2017, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (‘SEBI’) constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Uday Kotak for improving the standards of corporate governance of listed companies in India. On October 5, 2017, Kotak…

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  • SEBI Order in the USL Case: Lessons on Tunneling

    In countries that are replete with corporate group structures (as in India), it is common to find transactions between a company on the one hand and a counterparty that has some relationship with it on the other. Referred to as a related party transaction (RPT), this could generate benefits if carried out on an arm’s…

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  • Papers on Comparative Corporate Law and Governance in Asia

    Hostile Takeover Regimes in Asia: A Comparative Approach, which I have co-authored with Wai Yee Wan. The abstract is as follows: “The market for corporate control (operating through hostile takeovers) acts as a key corporate governance mechanism to discipline corporate managers. However, the process and substance of regulating hostile takeovers differs remarkably among various jurisdictions.…

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