EU Commissioner Michel Barnier will address 2013 Corporate Governance
Conference ‘Actions for Better Business’ in Dublin in May
As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union for
the first half of 2013, the 12th European Corporate Governance and Company
Law Conference, ‘Actions for Better Business’, will take place on Thursday
and Friday, 16 and 17 May 2013, at the Convention Centre, Dublin. The
conference is organised by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation and is sponsored by Arthur Cox, PwC and the Irish Stock
Exchange.
The conference will be addressed by Michel Barnier, European Commissioner
for Internal Market and Services, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs,
Enterprise and Innovation, and Peter Sutherland, former European
Commissioner, and Director General of the World Trade Organisation. The
conference chairperson on day one will be Pat Cox, former President of the
European Parliament, and day two will be chaired by Danny McCoy, Director
General of the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC).
The conference will discuss and debate the European Commission’s plans to
modernise corporate governance and company law as set out in the recently
published Action Plan: ‘European company law and corporate governance – a
modern legal framework for more engaged shareholder and sustainable
companies’ which was adopted by the Commission on 12 December last.
Having an overall objective of making companies more competitive and
sustainable, the Action Plan has three key elements- increasing
transparency between companies and shareholders, initiatives aimed at
encouraging long-term shareholder engagement, and company law initiatives
to encourage growth and competitiveness. It is anticipated that the Action
Plan will shape Commissioner Barnier’s work in corporate governance and
company law during the second half of his mandate. The event will also
highlight corporate governance best practices and will discuss the key role
corporate governance plays for sustainable business and future economic
stability and investment.
Speaking at the conference launch, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs,
Enterprise and Innovation, said:
“I am very happy to announce that the Irish Presidency is hosting this
prestigious conference, which will place Ireland at the centre of the
discussion on the most important corporate governance issues on the
international stage. The quality of the speakers guarantees that this will
be a valuable conference for policy makers, investors, practitioners and
academics, and I am very encouraged by the eager interest shown for the
event not just within Ireland, but also at European and international
level. Corporate governance is vital to ensuring the effective management
of companies in the best interests of the wide range of stakeholders. In
Ireland, through the Action Plan for Jobs, we have taken major steps in
this direction with in particular the recent publication of the landmark
Companies Bill. Achieving best practice at European level will make a major
contribution to competitiveness and ultimately facilitate growth and
job-creation”.
At the event, Professor Blanaid Clarke, Chair in Corporate Law at Trinity
College Dublin and Deirdre Ahern, Professor at Trinity College Dublin
specialising in Company Law, Corporate Governance and Commercial Law will
reveal the results of a specially commissioned piece of research to examine
whether a ‘comply or explain’ approach can inspire an effective commitment
to board diversity.
Ronan Murphy, Senior Partner, PwC said: “Public trust is key to developing
responsible and sustainable businesses that can contribute to growth in the
European economies. PwC’s 2012 CEO Pulse Survey highlighted an increased
focus on effective corporate governance and the importance of the role of
the board of directors to ensure that this public trust is achieved. This
conference, which we are delighted to sponsor, will provide an excellent
forum to discuss and debate the way forward for corporate governance as
organisations continue to adapt their business models in this changing and
challenging business environment”.
In addition, the conference will host a special session on short-termism
led by the prestigious European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) with
speakers Professor Patrick Bolton of Columbia Business School, and
Professor Alex Edmans, of Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
addressing the audience.
Other speakers and participants will include:
· Amra Balic, Head of Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment
(EMEA), BlackRock;
· Ugo Bassi, Director for Capital and Companies, DG Internal Market,
European Commission
· Professor Niamh Brennan, Michael MacCormac Professor of Management,
UCD
· Daryl Byrne, Head of Regulation, Irish Stock Exchange
· Peter Cassells, Director, Edward N Kennedy Institute for Conflict
Intervention, NUI Maynooth, and former General Secretary, Irish
Congress of Trades Unions
· Dr Thomas B Courtney, Partner, Head of Company Compliance and
Governance, Arthur Cox
· Danuta Gray, former CEO, Telefonica 02 in Ireland and Executive
Director
· Chris Hodge, Director of Corporate Governance, UK Financial Reporting
Council
· Myles Lee, Group Chief Executive, CRH plc
· Paul Haran, Chairman, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of
Business, and Director, Glanbia plc
· Professor Patrick Bolton, Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of
Business, Columbia Business School
· Professor Alex Edmans, Assistant Professor of Finance, The Wharton
School. University of Pennsylvania
Commenting at the conference launch, Brian O’Gorman, Managing Partner,
Arthur Cox said: “The debate on, and development towards, better corporate
governance is vital to create an effective and viable platform for
corporate activity in Ireland and Europe. We are delighted to be involved
in what promises to be a very important and insightful conference on this
key topic.”
Deirdre Somers, Chief Executive, the Irish Stock Exchange, added:
“Corporate failures in the last decade illustrate graphically the critical
role corporate governance can play in market stability and long term
investment return. To rebuild investor confidence in equity as an asset
class, and to deliver sustainable yields to investors, to manage risk
objectively, and communicate adequately with the market, governance is key,
and it is important that Europe leads the debate. The ISE is delighted to
be a joint-sponsor of this event.”
Cotact Details
Patrick Cluskey, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation –
087-3748301
Photographs
Photographs available from Maxwell Photograpy TEL: +353 1 8308072
office@maxwellphotography.ie
Ends
Notes to Editor:
Access www.corpgov2013.com to download conference details and register
The European Corporate Governance Conference is an event which was first
held in 2004 as part of the Dutch Presidency and 11 such conferences have
since taken place in various EU member states during their respective
Presidencies.
The particular focus of the Irish event is against a background that
Commissioner Barnier launched a Comprehensive Plan on Corporate Governance
and Company Law (The Action Plan) in December 2012. This brings together
the Commission’s work in both the company law and corporate governance
fields. The action plan will lead the progress which will be made by
Commissioner Barnier in both areas during the second half of his mandate.
This provides the principal focus and discussion topics for the Irish
Presidency event on 16 and 17 May 2013.
Other
Supporters
The conference is supported by the European Commission.
Other Supporters are:
European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
The ECGI is an international scientific non-profit association providing a
forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators and
practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance issues and thereby
promoting best practice.
ecoDa (The European Confederation of Directors’ Associations)