Two Decades Later, Trillium Still Engaging Companies on Diversity
By Susan Baker and Randy Rice Trillium Asset Management believes that diversity, inclusive of gender and race, is an essential component of sound governance and a critical attribute to a well-functioning organization. We strive to achieve diversity at all levels and seek to invest in companies that are doing the same—from the mail room to the board room. Using tools including shareholder dialogue and advocacy, our founder, Joan Bavaria, helped establish and promote the concept of using stock ownership to improve corporate outcomes on the environment, human rights, workplace diversity, and other areas. Many of America’s largest corporations have programs …
Board Diversity – Angiodynamics, Inc. (2014)
Resolved: Shareholders request that the Board of Directors adopt a policy on Board diversity that requires the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consistent with its fiduciary duties to: include women and minority candidates in the pool from which Board nominees are chosen; expand director searches to include nominees from both non-executive corporate positions and non-traditional environments such as government, academia, and non-profit organizations; report to shareholders by February, 2015, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, its efforts to encourage diversified representation on the Board and the manner in which it will assess the effectiveness of its efforts and policy. …
Trillium Successfully Withdraws Land Rights Shareholder Proposal at PepsiCo
APRIL 2014 // BOSTON, MA: Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) is pleased to announce the successful withdrawal of our 2014 shareholder proposal at PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) following the company’s public adoption of a zero tolerance policy for illegal activities in its supply chain regarding land displacements of any legitimate land tenure holders. Trillium co-filed this shareholder proposal with Oxfam America requesting that the company address land rights issues throughout its supply chain. As the demand for sugar cane increases, there is concern over large-scale land grabs in developing countries that evict traditional farmers through coercion or fraud. Oxfam’s leadership and …
Winston-Salem Journal: Duke Investors Call for Internal Probe of Spill
Trillium is one of many concerned investors that have called on Duke Energy to launch an independent investigation into the recent Dan River coal ash spill. Taft Wireback, of The Winston-Salem Journal, writes: “[C]oncerned investors include the state treasurers of Connecticut, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and leaders of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System and the Illinois State Board of Investment. ‘Duke’s recent environmental problems suggest serious lapses in oversight as well as failures in risk management by the board of directors,’ said Bill Dempsey, senior vice president of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, which is leading the shareholder initiative… Other investors …
Trillium’s Shareholder Proposal with National Fuel Gas to Update Non-Discrimination Policy Receives 33.6% of Votes
March 20, 2014: During the last quarter of 2013 Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) filed a shareholder resolution with National Fuel Gas Company (NYSE: NFG) asking the company to include “gender identity or expression” in its written non-discrimination policy. It was the first time that Trillium filed this resolution with NFG. The Security and Exchange Commission requires that shareholder resolutions receive a minimum of 3% in the first year in order for shareholders to re-file the next year. Trillium’s resolution received 33.6% of shareholder votes – 11x the percentage needed to re-file. Trillium introduced the resolution at NFG’s annual meeting on …
Nathan Cummings Foundation: Grant Makers are Ignoring One of their Most Powerful Tools
Laura Campos, Director of Shareholder Activities for the Nathan Cummings Foundation, recently wrote an opinion piece for Philanthropy.com that highlights recent shareholder activism. Ms. Campos writes: “Over the past year, shareholder activists racked up a list of accomplishments that would be the envy of many foundations. They secured agreements from some of the world’s largest companies to set targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. They persuaded companies to be more transparent and accountable with corporate political spending and to abandon support for controversial organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC. They pushed companies to adopt plans to increase …
Trillium’s 2012 Corporate Engagement Highlights
Susan Baker, Vice President, Trillium Asset Management Over the course of 2012, Trillium engaged with over two dozen major U.S. and foreign corporations to address a wide range of concerns, including climate change, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, Indigenous rights and environmental justice, political spending, labor and human rights, diversity and non-discrimination, and a free and open Internet. Below are a few important highlights. Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture Trillium’s shareholder proposal at J.M. Smucker on the sustainability of its coffee supply chain received 30% support. We re-filed the proposal, focusing on the well-being of coffee-farming families and a sustainability strategy. …
Board Diversity Policy – Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (2013)
BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Directors consistent with their fiduciary duties: 1.) Take every reasonable step to ensure that women are in the pool from which Board nominees are chosen; 2.) Publicly commit itself to a policy of Board inclusiveness to ensure that women are routinely sought as part of every Board search the company undertakes; 3.) Publish a report by November 2013, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, on its efforts to encourage diversified representation, inclusive of gender, on its Board, and the manner in which the nominating committee or board of directors will assess the …
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