Category Archives: Special Reports

Preparing for proxy season

Think like an activist...be prepared...know your shareholders...earn their vote...expect the unexpected. These days, when it comes time for proxy season and your annual AGM, a little paranoia goes a long way
By Paul Brent
 December 20th, 2012

Proxy season used to be a straightforward, no-drama exercise for Canadian issuers. True, it’s been a while since information and opinions traveled a one-way street from company to shareholder, when issues and director slates were put up for vote and … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

The changing face of risk management

That suit at the last executive meeting throwing around terms like “impact pathways?” Meet your company’s CRO. As Canadian issuers wake up to the harsh realities of today’s commercial and regulatory workspace, a new breed of senior risk executive is emerging to steer them straight
By Mark Anderson
 September 20th, 2012

Risk management, once the redheaded stepchild of corporate governance, is coming in from the cold—and coming with it is a newly empowered executive class of chief risk officers (CROs), vice-presidents of risk and other assorted risk-related personnel. Who better to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fall Report, Features, Top Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Extreme communicating

Companies are always talking to investors, employees, customers and the media, but it’s what they say and do in a crisis that people remember
By Celia Milne
 June 18th, 2012

It’s not what happens that’s important, it’s how you handle it. This old adage certainly rings true for issuer communications and investor relations in urgent and unexpected situations. Take U.S. electronics mega retailer Best Buy. Failure to address a festering … Continue reading →

Posted in Special Reports, Summer Report | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Learning IS the job

Certain big-name programs may get the headlines, but director education is actually a world of different practices and standards. The one constant: as demands on directors from shareholders and regulators keep growing, the need for knowledge keeps increasing, too
By Celia Milne
 March 16th, 2012

IT IS WELL KNOWN that corporate directors of publicly traded companies face sharper scrutiny and disclosure duties than ever before. Education is or should be a critical ingredient in the excellent performance that corporations, shareholders, the public and regulators expect. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Spring Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

2011 Report on M&A: Welcome to Splitsville

M&A? For some, 2011 was the year of the breakup. Here’s how Toromont caught the wave
 January 6th, 2012

Interview by Paul Brent What do Tyco, McGraw-Hill, Hewlett-Packard, Abbott Laboratories, Kraft Foods, ConocoPhillips and Sara Lee all have in common? In 2011, all of those giant U.S. corporations discussed or executed company-rending spinoffs, splits or demergers. All the action … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Deals 2011; Top Banks, Law Firms

Top 10 M&A deals in 2011 by Canadian acquirers
 January 3rd, 2012

Rank: 1 Target: Equinox Minerals Ltd. Buyer: Barrick Gold Corp. Value: $7.7 billion** Investment Banks: Barrick: RBC Capital Markets; Morgan Stanley Equinox: CIBC World Markets; Goldman Sachs; TD Securities Law Firms: Barrick: Clayton Utz; Mallesons Stephen Jaques (advising Morgan Stanley; … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , , , , ,

2011 Report on M&A: Crisis? What crisis?

Final results are still coming in, but 2011 will surely go down as a strong year for M&A in Canada, despite a shaky global economy. Here’s Listed’s look at the top deals and dealmakers
By Paul Brent
 December 29th, 2011

DESPITE SOVEREIGN DEBT and currency worries in Europe and about-even chances of a double-dip recession in the U.S., the market for mergers and acquisitions has been strong in Canada in 2011. Our status as an international M&A haven can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , ,

Deal of the year: Cash flow is colour-blind

After Barrick’s US$7.7-billion purchase of Equinox Minerals, 20% of the world’s largest gold miner’s revenue comes from copper. The CEO and chairman say that’s right where they should be
By Robert Thompson
 December 28th, 2011

PETER MUNK’S YEARLY address to Barrick Gold Corp. shareholders at the company’s annual meeting always has the tone and atmosphere of a preacher speaking to his congregation. He leans on the podium, speaking slowly in unscripted passages, his glasses dipping … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Putting risk in its place

Escalating expectations, obligations and unwelcome surprises have directors losing sleep worrying about risk oversight. The solution lies in a mix of tried-and-true leadership and the latest knowledge and tools
By Cooper Langford
 November 23rd, 2011

WHEN YOU’VE SPENT close to two decades as a CEO, held more than a dozen positions on high-level boards, and have board or executive experience in four distressed situations, you’ve earned the right to the first word on risk. “Risk … Continue reading →

Posted in Fall Report, Features, Top Stories | Tagged , , , , , ,

Rules of engagement

SPECIAL REPORT: PREPARING FOR PROXY SEASON - It’s never too early to start planning for next proxy season. Use the time to get to know your shareholders and help them get to know you. You’ll be on your way to owning the AGM
By Dana Lacey
 September 15th, 2011

Every proxy season, there are a few quintessential stories. A leading contender in the most recent season was the showdown between the board and management of Research In Motion Ltd. (TSX:RIM) and a small institutional shareholder, Northwest & Ethical Investments LP … Continue reading →

Posted in Fall Report, Top Stories | Tagged

Two teams, many audiences, the same message

SPECIAL REPORT ON INVESTOR RELATIONS AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: One size never fits all. But when it comes to to the parallel practices of corporate communications and investor relations, coordination has never been as critical
By Celia Milne
 June 25th, 2011

If you think of the way your company manages corporate communications and investor relations, does the following anonymous account sound familiar? I am director of corporate communications and manage a corporate marketing communications group. We do product advertising for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Summer Report, Top Stories

How to land a monster

Kinross Gold's $7.1-billion purchase of Red Back Mining and its massive African gold deposit has the power to transform the company—and be the defining deal of CEO Tye Burt's career
By Robert Thompson
 December 25th, 2010

Sometimes the deal of the year actually is a long time coming. Such was the case with Kinross Gold Corp.’s $7.1-billion mid-summer bet on Red Back Mining Inc., which, through the end of November, was the largest Canadian-led merger or … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Winter Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

The do’s and don’ts of corporate social media

Sidebar to "Communicating at the speed of now"
By Celia Milne
 June 25th, 2010

There are a lot of misconceptions about social media. Mark Evans, principal with ME Consulting, a digital marketing and social media strategist, offers these dos and don’ts for any company planning its next step. Don’t • Don’t look at social … Continue reading →

Posted in Summer Report

Communicating at the speed of now

Corporate communications is an evolving challenge for public companies. Try these expert strategies to stay in control and on message
By Celia Milne
 June 25th, 2010

Corporate communications practice is constantly evolving. Some days, it evolves more than others. Feb. 13, 2010, was one of the latter, at least for those in the American air travel industry. That’s the day news broke that funny, feisty American … Continue reading →

Posted in Summer Report