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Indra Nooyi (center), former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, was the John L. Weinberg Distinguished Speaker at the symposium. Joining her were, from left, Weinberg Center Associate Director Ann Mule, Weinberg Center Director Charles M. Elson, UD President Dennis Assanis and College of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean John A. Pelesko.
Indra Nooyi, the former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, had some words of advice for current and future business leaders at the University of Delaware on March 20:
Competence. Curiosity. Courage. Confidence.
Developing and relying on such qualities, in addition to “critically important” communications skills, is essential to success, she told the audience at a symposium organized by UD’s John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance.
And remember to be a lifelong learner, she advised the students in attendance, adding, “I’m still a student” today.
Nooyi, who has won acclaim for her highly successful 12 years at the helm of PepsiCo and for her advocacy of corporate social responsibility, shared another thought about leadership.
“Never forget that running a corporation is an enormous responsibility,” she said — not just to the company’s financial bottom line but also to its long-term impact on employees, customers, the environment and society.
UD President Dennis Assanis welcomes the audience.
University President Dennis Assanis welcomed a record crowd of about 350 to the annual event and thanked Nooyi and the symposium’s other speakers and panelists for their participation.
“I’m looking forward to hearing their thoughts and insights into the very important topic of good corporate governance,” he said, noting that the education of UD students is enhanced by having access to such distinguished speakers.
“The Weinberg Center is an important part of the University of Delaware,” Assanis said. “They’ve developed a deep expertise in corporate governance, and they’re known for their thought leadership and independence.”
In her conversation with Elson, who is the Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair in Corporate Governance and a professor of finance at UD, Nooyi also spoke about some of her work in transforming PepsiCo, where she was one of the few female chief executives of a Fortune 500 company. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue more than 80 percent, and the company’s total shareholder return was 162 percent.
She led initiatives to develop healthier snack foods and beverages, and the company experienced an 80 percent growth in sales under her leadership. Nooyi often described herself as a consumer as well as an executive, saying that she visited grocery stores and took note of PepsiCo’s packaging and other features.
Indra Nooyi speaks at the Weinberg Center symposium.
Asked by Elson whether the company had changed consumer preferences or if those new preferences had changed PepsiCo, Nooyi replied, “Both.”
While traditional Pepsi was once the top beverage choice of the company’s customers, that shifted over several recent years to sugar-free soda and then to bottled water, she said.
“The writing was on the wall,” she said about the need for the company to change its strategy and its product offerings. “If that’s not consumer shift, what is?”
She and Elson also spoke about the need for corporations to invest in their long-term success and discussed the responsibilities of boards of directors.
Since stepping down as PepsiCo’s chief executive in October, Nooyi has joined the board of Amazon.
“I’ve been on both sides of the divide” as a CEO and a board member, she said. “It’s very important to understand the roles.”
Nooyi’s talk was followed by special speaker Robert J. Jackson Jr., a commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission, who spoke about such issues as dual-class stock and cybersecurity, then fielded questions and comments from the audience.
SEC Commissioner Robert J. Jackson Jr. (left) takes questions from the audience and from Charles Elson.
Dual-class stock, in which companies issue different types of shares that have different voting rights, has been criticized for giving disproportionate control to a relatively small number of investors. Jackson said he’s taken “a more nuanced view” that such structures might work for a finite period of time but should probably not continue through generations of shareholders.
He also spoke about his concern that companies experiencing data breaches often don’t inform investors in a clear or accessible way about the details of what happened. The information may be posted on a website but not be easy to find, he said.
“Do we really want some people to be better informed than others?” Jackson asked on behalf of “ordinary investors.”
Discussions of issues such as dual-class stock continued during a panel discussion in which experts in various aspects of corporate governance cited issues they felt were currently of critical importance to investors and boards of directors. Those issues included the structure and diversity of boards, corporate environmental and social responsibility and the rights of shareholders.
Aeisha Mastagni, portfolio manager for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, said her members are focused on such issues as low-carbon investments and diversity on corporate boards.
“We know it’s not our job to tell them how to run their company, but we’re asking hard questions,” she said.
Panelist Myron T. Steele, a partner at Potter, Anderson and Corroon LLP and former chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, said the concept of ESG (an emphasis on environmental, social and governance issues) is revolutionizing the role of boards and their relationship with investors.
Financial journalist, author and former Wall Street trader William D. Cohan delivers the luncheon address at the event.
“Thoughtful investors are interested in these issues,” he said, so corporations must address them in order to be successful.
Other members of the panel, which was moderated by Elson, were: Glenn Booraem, investment stewardship officer and a principal with Vanguard; Steve Odland, president and CEO of The Conference Board; and Eric Shostal, vice president, investor stewardship team, with BlackRock.
The symposium also featured a lively luncheon talk by William D. Cohan, New York Times best-selling author, special correspondent at Vanity Fair and a former senior Wall Street mergers and acquisitions banker. He has written three nonfiction books about Wall Street.
Cohan summarized his in-depth reporting for Vanity Fair about the CBS-Viacom merger and the continuing fight for control over the companies. He detailed some of the personal, financial and family intrigue that has characterized the years-long battles in courtrooms and boardrooms involving billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari, including issues that arose in this fight related to dual-class stock.
About the Weinberg Center and the symposium
The John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, is nearing its 20th year at the University of Delaware.
Indra Nooyi chats with some of those attending the corporate governance symposium in Clayton Hall.
Founded in 2000, it is one of the longest-standing corporate governance centers in academia and the only one in the state of Delaware, the legal home for a majority of the nation’s public corporations.
In his opening remarks at this year’s Corporate Governance Symposium, Assanis said the University is proud of the center’s work. He cited the fact that it is now the successor organization to the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute and has a partnership with the Investor Stewardship Group.
“At UD, we see it as our mission to be this kind of intellectual intersection where academic research meets real-world challenges to create sustainable and socially responsible solutions,” he said.
John A. Pelesko, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, also welcomed the symposium participants and audience.
He noted the important research the center does in areas of corporate governance and capital markets, while providing a range of educational opportunities for UD students.
“The Weinberg Center is increasingly positioned to address these important issues,” Pelesko said.
The Corporate Governance Symposium was co-sponsored by the Weinberg Center and by the Department of Finance in UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.
Academic papers presented
The annual symposium included a presentation and discussion of academic papers, which were selected from work submitted from around the world.
Honored with the Best Paper Award was “Audit Process, Private Information, and Insider Trading,” by Salman Arif and Joseph Schroeder, both of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and John Kepler and Daniel Taylor (presenter), both of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Taylor is a 2003 UD alumnus, with a degree in finance and economics, and a former student of Elson’s.
Leading the discussion of that paper was W. Robert Knechel of the University of Florida’s Fisher School of Accounting.
The other papers presented at the symposium were:
“Investors’ Attention to Corporate Governance,” by Peter Iliev, Penn State University; Jonathan Kalodimos, Oregon State University; and Michelle Lowry (presenter), Drexel University; discussed by Alan Crane, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University.
“Investor-Driven Governance Standards and Firm Value,” by Yonca Ertimur, University of Colorado, Boulder, and Paige Patrick (presenter), University of Washington; discussed by Fei Xie, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware.
“Shareholder Voting on Golden Parachutes: Determinants and Consequences,” by Albert H. Choi (presenter), University of Virginia Law School; Andrew C.W. Lund, John F. Scarpa Center for Law and Entrepreneurship, Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law; and Robert Schonlau, Farmer School of Business, Miami University; discussed by John White, Cravath Swaine and Moore.
Article by Ann Manser; photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and Evan Krape
Center News, IRRCi, IRRCi Research
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) announced that it has selected the Weinberg Center as its successor organization. The Weinberg Center will receive a grant from IRRCi in excess of $1 million as part of the successor transition. With these funds, the Weinberg Center will materially expand its environmental, social, corporate governance and capital market research, and also maintain the full IRRCi research library so that more than 75 research reports remain publicly available at no cost. The Weinberg Center also will continue to fund and manage the annual IRRCi Investor Research Award that recognizes outstanding practitioner and academic research.
- To read a copy of the Press Release, click HERE
- To read the UDaily article, click HERE
- To read the CorpGov.net article, click HERE
- To read the Delaware News Journal article, click HERE
- To read the Delaware Business Times article, click HERE
- To read the Citizen Tribune article, click HERE
- For more information about IRRCi, visit their current website. Click HERE
Weinberg Center to Receive Grant in Excess of $1 Million, Expand Research Initiatives and Sustain Full Public Access to IRRCi Research Library
NEW YORK, NY, July 18, 2018 – The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) today announced that it has selected the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance (Weinberg Center) at the University of Delaware as its successor organization. The Weinberg Center will receive a grant from IRRCi in excess of $1 million as part of the successor transition. With these funds, the Weinberg Center will materially expand its environmental, social, corporate governance and capital market research, and also maintain the full IRRCi research library so that more than 75 research reports remain publicly available at no cost. The Weinberg Center also will continue to fund and manage the annual IRRCi Investor Research Award that recognizes outstanding practitioner and academic research.
“The IRRCi has become the preeminent source of objective and relevant research examining the intersection of investments with environmental, social and governance issues. From day one, our plan was to fund innovative research with our seed money, and then transition the remaining assets to another well-respected organization aligned with our mission. We selected the Weinberg Center because it is a highly respected corporate governance thought leader, will sustain IRRC’s important work, and will take our vision to the next level by further expanding unbiased and objective investor research,” said Linda E. Scott, the IRRCi Board Chairwoman.
“The IRRCi Board is confident that combining the strengths of the Weinberg Center and the IRRCi will provide investors, corporate boards, executives, regulators, academics, finance experts, attorneys, and other interested parties with fact-based information and data on how to best improve our capital markets and govern public companies.”
“The Weinberg Center is honored to have been selected as the successor organization to the IRRCi. The Center looks forward to continuing the outstanding work and legacy of the IRRCi,” said Charles M. Elson, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr., Chair in Corporate Governance, Professor of Finance and Director of the Weinberg Center at the University of Delaware.
“The University of Delaware and the Weinberg Center share the IRRCi’s mission to provide the highest quality research that informs and empowers decision-makers in the complex arena of corporate governance,” said Dennis Assanis, President of the University of Delaware. “This announcement is a testimony to the thought leadership and recognized excellence of the Weinberg Center in the field of corporate governance and social responsibility. We are proud that the Weinberg Center will carry on IRRCi’s important work.”
The selection of the Weinberg Center culminates a planned multi-year succession process undertaken by the IRRCi Board that included consideration of more than 25 organizations. The grant and the transfer of IRRCi’s intellectual property to the Weinberg Center is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2018. Until then, the IRRCi will continue to publish research, including studies that benchmark microcap public companies and examine the governance of data privacy.
IRRCi also anticipates announcing the winners of the 2018 Investor Research Award prior to the transition. IRRCi was formed following the 2005 sale of IRRC to Institutional Shareholder Services to act as a catalyst for thought leaders, and to sponsor research on corporate governance and corporate responsibility issues that are important to the linkage of broad societal issues to investment performance. Since that time, IRRCi has issued 75 research reports, is in the seventh year of its Investor Research Award, and has become a trusted source of objective and impactful investor research. Its research has been cited by regulators, lawmakers, academics and leading investors.
The IRRC Institute is a nonprofit research organization that funds academic and practitioner research that enables investors, policymakers and other stakeholders to make data-driven decisions. IRRCi research covers a wide range of topics of interest to investors, is objective, unbiased and disseminated widely.
More information is available at the IRRCi Website. Follow IRRCi on Twitter at @IRRCResearch.
The John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance was established in 2000 at the University of Delaware and is part of the College of Arts & Sciences. It is one of the longest-standing corporate governance centers in academia, and the first and only corporate governance center in the State of Delaware, the legal home for a majority of the nation’s public corporations.
IRRCi Media Contact: Kelly Kenneally | +1.202.256.1445 | kelly@irrcinstitute.org Weinberg Center/University of Delaware Media Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett | +1.302.831.1421| aboyle@udel.edu
Center News
Article by Ann Manser Photo by Thomas E. Rogers, courtesy of Philadelphia Bar Association June 25, 2018
Weinberg Center associate director recognized for contributions to corporate governance
Ann C. Mulé stands only 5 feet 3 inches tall, in 3-inch heels, but the associate director of the University of Delaware’s John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance has been recognized as a giant in the field of business law.
The Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association honored her June 19 in a special event, “Giants of the Business Bar: A Conversation with Ann C. Mulé.”
In introducing her to the audience, Joseph J. Hamill Jr., a member of the Business Law Section’s Executive Committee, called Mulé “a rock star” in her profession.
“We’re here to learn a little bit about corporate governance [and] a little bit about how she did it—became a giant of the bar—and how much she’s given back,” he said.
A retired corporate and securities law attorney with Sunoco Inc., where she served as chief governance and compliance officer and corporate secretary, Mulé joined the Weinberg Center in 2012, after previously serving on its advisory board. She is also a former chair of the bar association’s Business Law Section.
In announcing the event, organizers described Mulé as “a recognized leader in the corporate governance field, whose expertise and insights have helped to shape the governance landscape for companies, boards of directors, shareholders and many other governance constituencies.”
“In large part due to [her] stewardship, the Weinberg Center is a recognized thought leader in the governance field, with a national and international reputation,” they wrote.
For her talk, Mulé was interviewed by Charles M. Elson, who is director of the Weinberg Center, the Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair in Corporate Governance and professor of finance at UD.
Mulé described her career path, highlighted some aspects of corporate governance and ways in which the field has changed, and spoke about the mission, growth and accomplishments of the Weinberg Center.
Elson began with a basic question: What is corporate governance?
“At its very essence, it’s about the balance of power … between the management team, the board of directors and the shareholders,” Mulé said.
She added that she’s seen that balance shift dramatically over the years. Where boards once deferred to their company’s chief executive officer on many matters, offering very little oversight in some cases, directors now have become much more active in overseeing and monitoring management, she said.
And, even more recently, she said, institutional investors—those whose mutual funds or pension funds own significant stock in a company—have used that power to elect board members and wield a great deal of influence in holding those board members accountable.
“The power today is increasingly in the hands of the large institutional investors,” Mulé said, “… and they are ‘finding their voice.’ ”
Mulé, who worked for Sunoco for 30 years, began her career there in the corporate and securities law area and later moved into the corporate governance arena when she was promoted to the position of corporate secretary. She took the job and “really discovered my passion,” she said.
Her work in that position led Sunoco to be among the first companies to adopt governance standards and guidelines for its board and numerous practices to enhance the board’s effectiveness. Mulé said that as chief governance officer, she and her team became very proactive in investor outreach and engagement. All of these initiatives led Mulé, her team and Sunoco to be recognized with numerous awards.
She said she became familiar with Elson’s research and writing about best governance practices and joined the initial Weinberg Center advisory board shortly after the center was founded.
After retiring from Sunoco, Mulé became the center’s associate director.
“I love the mission of the center, which is to bring everyone in the governance field together,” from CEOs and directors to investors, academics and students, she said. “And I knew the great work they did and the reputation they had.”
Mulé highlighted some of the expanded activities and initiatives that have been undertaken since she joined the center. Its expert panel discussions, which were once held in a classroom, had to be moved to larger venues due to increased attendance. The center’s annual symposium now routinely draws audiences of 250 with a waiting list for more who want to attend.
Also in her talk, Mulé described many of the center’s “thought leadership” initiatives that she led or was part of since becoming its associate director.
She discussed an article she and Elson co-authored in 2014 for the journal Directors and Boards, titled “A New Kind of Captured Board,” which focused on board composition, director skill sets and the importance of having at least one director on a board who has “industry expertise” and thoroughly understands the company’s business. This thought leadership, subsequent center programs and speaking engagements around the country by Mulé and Elson helped to make the issue of board composition one of the most important issues for investors and boards by 2018, she said.
And last year, the center was honored to be selected as the partner and home for the Investor Stewardship Group (ISG). That group, Mulé told the audience, consists of large institutional investors that in the aggregate invest over $22 trillion in the U.S. equity markets.
ISG established a framework of basic standards of investment stewardship and corporate governance for U.S. investor and boardroom conduct. The group and the framework are focused on promoting long-term value creation for U.S. companies and the capital markets.
Mulé said the ISG partnership has now uniquely positioned the Weinberg Center to fulfill its collaborative mission in a way that never before existed—bringing together the corporate and investor communities to solve some of the most important and pressing governance issues.
More about the Weinberg Center
The Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance was established at UD in 2000 and is part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
It is one of the longest-standing corporate governance centers in academia, and the first and only corporate governance center in the state of Delaware, the legal home for a majority of the nation’s public corporations.
The center’s mission is to provide a forum for business leaders, members of corporate boards, shareholders, the judiciary, the legal community, academics, students and others interested in corporate governance issues to interact, learn and teach, with the goal of positively impacting and improving the field of corporate governance and the capital markets.
