Latest Publications.
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to disrupt business models and not just what we do in our work but also how we do it. In this article, we reflect on some of the conversations we are currently hearing about the impact of AI on boards, corporate governance and the company secretarial profession.
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (“ECCTA”, the “Act”) received Royal Assent in October 2023, heralding the start of a substantial package of reforms aimed at tackling economic and financial crime.
Share options are a common and attractive way to incentivise directors and employees as they allow the company to conserve cash, encourage long-term decision-making and act as a retention mechanism. In this guide we will only consider the accounting valuation requirements under IFRS and UK GAAP which are almost identical in their requirements.
The Quoted Companies Alliance has today published its updated QCA Corporate Governance Code (2023 Code). The QCA Code is specifically designed for small and mid-cap companies, with more flexible governance recommendations than the FRC’s UK Corporate Governance Code.
The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is a mandatory energy assessment scheme which requires certain large organisations in the UK to assess their energy usage every four years.
We were thrilled to participate in LSEG Marketplace’s recent webinar in September 2023 on “Navigating the governance and reporting requirements as a newly listed Plc”. Access the webinar.
Significant progress has been made to improve gender and ethnic diversity in board and senior management positions across UK PLCs; age diversity has been comparatively less well explored.
As many companies plan for their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2023, we consider in this article some of the key areas for Boards to be thinking about as they plan for their next round of shareholder meetings.
Several high-profile corporate failures over the last decade, and the challenging operating environment in which companies are likely to be operating over the short- to medium-term, have placed board performance under renewed scrutiny. Shareholders and stakeholders have much to lose from lacklustre or failing boards. So, why evaluate the board?
Share capital re-organisations, including consolidations and sub-divisions, can be a useful tool for companies seeking to improve the liquidity and marketability of its shares, whilst reducing administrative costs in the long-term.
Once afforded only a relatively minor role in a company’s governance framework, expectations on Nomination Committees continue to increase. Our latest in-depth article looks at the evolving role of the NomCo, some of the drivers for that evolution and sets out considerations for Committee Chairs and members to assess the future role and remit of the NomCo.
As we enter into the New Year, we know that directors and management teams for companies with December year ends will have begun to turn their attention to the drafting of the Annual Report. One relatively new obligation upon large UK companies has been the introduction of a “Section 172 Report” within the Annual Report, which sets out how directors have had regard to their duties under s172 of the Companies Act 2006 over the course of the reporting year.
Completion of a board memorandum (Memo) on the Financial Position and Prospects Procedures (FPPP) of an applicant is a crucial part of London’s IPO process.
This article is intended to give the reader a short summary of what a company can expect when embarking on the process of seeking admission to AIM. It is not intended to be exhaustive and all transactions are different and have their own characteristics and quirks. There is frequently a significant under estimation by directors of the time required to complete the process, their input into it and strain on a company’s resources when trying to achieve a listing.
Since its inception in 1995 over 2,400 companies have joined AIM, raising more than £30bn collectively. Today, AIM attracts a range of dynamic companies from venture capital-backed businesses to more established growing organisations. AIM is open to organisations from all sectors all over the world, although in recent times, oil, gas, and mining have been particularly popular.
In November 2020, the FCA published the findings of its review of MAR compliance and the numbers of delayed disclosure inside information notifications (DDIINs) which had been submitted by issuers
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act (Act) (CIGA) came into effect on 26 June 2020.
The Act introduces new measures to help relive the burden on companies affected by the ongoing impacts of Covid-19.
Listing on a public market can be a part of the corporate story where companies see real growth achieved as a result of having access to the capital markets, an increased shareholder base, access to increased liquidity, the opportunity for diversification and an enhanced corporate profile. For some, delisting may also become part of the lifecycle.
The Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) came into force on 3 July 2016. This required AIM-listed companies to take steps to ensure on-going compliance with MAR with effect from that date.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and aims to increase data privacy to EU citizens, and restructures how many organisations will approach data protection and comes into effect on 25 May 2018.
Under s172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 (Companies Act), a director has a duty to act in the way he considers, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so have regard to various factors including the long term consequences of the decision, the interests of the employees and the impact on the environment (s172 Factors) (s172 Factors – see the Appendix below for a full list).
In light of the challenges presented to companies as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chartered Governance Institute has published guidance to help companies to consider their contingency plans.
Latest News.
We are thrilled to extend our gratitude to all the incredible women who joined us at our Ladies of AIM event held at Balfour at Bow Wine Vaults which was a success!
October is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and honour the accomplishments of Black Britons and celebrate Black heritage and culture across the UK.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are fast emerging as a crucial non-financial boardroom priority. In a recent survey, 31% of boards ranked ESG concerns among the top three emerging risks.
As many companies plan for their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2022, and against a backdrop of evolving expectations on how AGMs can and should be held, we consider in this article some of the key areas for Boards to be thinking about as they plan for their next round of shareholder meetings.
For many companies, the boardroom is a vital source of leadership but getting the formula right for effective Board and Committee meetings can be a significant challenge. Find out more
We delivered exceptionally strong performance in 2021 and are set to continue this into 2022. Last year alone we advised over 100 clients, including 25 IPO engagements. ONE nearly doubled our team of dedicated capital markets professionals with 13 new hires, taking us to a team of 29 across our two divisions: Financial Advisory and Reporting; and Company Secretarial, Governance and Compliance.
On 25 April 2018, a revised edition of the QCA Corporate Governance Code (the “2018 QCA Code”) was released, which is timely given the recently announced requirement for AIM Companies to comply or explain against a recognised corporate governance code by 28 September 2018, and represents the most recent measures adopted which aim to increase corporate transparency and accountability.
At ONE Advisory, we offer a full Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) compliance service to clients. MAR came into force on 3 July 2016 and requires AIM-listed companies to take steps to ensure on-going compliance with MAR with effect from that date.
This article is seeking to update readers on additional changes that will be made to AIM Rule 26, further to an article previously published on our website in February 2018.
In October 2018, the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) issued amendments to IFRS 3 Business Combinations that are effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2020 and are applied prospectively.