These days it seems a U.S. official can mention climate change only when they’re outside the country. A case in point is William Hinman, who heads the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance and addressed climate risk at a conference in London. Mr. Hinman spoke about the disclosure of complex risks, and he mentioned climate risk […]
Shares in Pacific Gas & Electric took a beating this week as investors reacted to its potential financial exposure to wildfires in California. It is risk the company has openly identified, but investors seemed caught by surprise. The episode could mark the end of investor complacency about climate risk. Earlier this week, the big […]
Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon are at it again. The pair joined forces today on a WSJ op-ed to call for an end to earnings guidance. Is this really the best advice they have to offer given the issues that dominate boardrooms today?
Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder letter was full of folksy charm and investment wisdom. But it had little to say about how he and the Berkshire Hathaway board are handling climate risks for the sprawling conglomerate.
This is the time of year when corporate directors sweat. They are anxiously finalizing the annual report and proxy materials that will present the company’s financial results and risks for all to see. This year directors have an added challenge: meeting investor expectations to disclose material climate-related risks. The pressure from investors is real. Blackrock, […]
With the stock touching levels last seen 20 years ago, this isn’t the transition GE shareholders were hoping for. But it is also a warning of what could be in store for another iconic conglomerate when its long serving CEO steps down.
Government task forces suffer from a bad reputation. Stuffed with members who have big titles but little appetite for hard work, such groups often are formed to bury an issue, not promote it. But the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is an exception. Its report, issued in late June, is substantive and serious. […]
President Trump’s attacking style of communications propelled him into office but lately has become less effective. Can organizations use an attack-based media strategy or is it now discredited?
It was easy to miss the news about the $864 million legal payout by Moody’s Investors Service over its ratings of crisis-era mortgage securities. It was announced on a Friday afternoon, just as the last of the Obama Justice Department staff was cleaning out their desks to make way for the new administration.
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf announced his immediate retirement today. He wasn’t the first bank CEO to preside over a scandal, so why did he fall when others survived? There are four reasons.