Say on pay: a job for corporate secretaries, IROs or both?

IR Insight, the research arm of IR magazine, has released Say on pay, a report of its survey of 181 corporate readers of both IR magazine, the global voice of investor relations, and its sister publication Corporate Secretary, the governance, risk and compliance monthly. The research report reveals what US IROs and corporate secretaries truly think about the recently introduced legislation on executive compensation: its effect on their workload, their respective roles in the practice of say on pay, and their predictions for the future.

This latest report from IR Insight, downloadable at the Corporate Secretary and IR magazine websites provides insights that will not be found anywhere else. A total of 181 individuals took part in the survey: 108 corporate secretaries and 80 investor relations officers.

Here are some of the headline findings:

92 percent of corporate secretaries and 41 percent of IROs were involved in say on pay in 2011: When IROs are involved, they typically work closely with the corporate secretary, most often in areas like shareholder outreach and preparation of the compensation discussion and analysis (CD&A). Of the IRO respondents to the survey who have been involved in say on pay, more than half report the conversation coming up with investors.

Saying when on pay: Looking to the future, more than nine in 10 companies have opted for an annual vote on executive compensation.

55 percent of companies surveyed used proxy solicitors in 2011: The companies that did not use a proxy solicitor last year received higher support than those that did, albeit by only a narrow margin. Just 7% of companies not using solicitors last year plan to do so in future.

76 percent of the companies surveyed are subject to proxy adviser recommendations: Advisers like ISS and Glass Lewis made recommendations in respect of the pay plans of more than three-quarters of the companies surveyed – more than half of which received positive recommendations.

Download the full report now – FREE >>