I have received the Annual Report and Notice of the Annual General Meeting for Gamma Communications (GAMA). Despite the fact that this company specialises in electronic communications and actually say in their Annual Report that “This year we have adopted a digital first approach reflecting how we operate as a business”, they expect me to physically attend the AGM in central London at 10.00 am on the 19th May. There is no electronic attendance via web cast or hybrid meeting supported. This is a waste of my time for what is likely to be a routine event. I have written to the Chairman to complain.
Their registrar Link Group also failed to include a proxy voting form with the AGM Notice so I had to use my own. This is a repeated failing recently by Link Group which undermines shareholder democracy. They seem to be trying to force everyone to register for their electronic voting system. I don’t mind voting electronically but that should be provided by a simpler system such as that used by Computershare.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have published a press release that says “The FCA has finalised rules requiring listed companies to report information and disclose against targets on the representation of women and ethnic minorities on their boards and executive management, making it easier for investors to see the diversity of their senior leadership teams”. They have simply gone ahead and implemented new rules that were the focus of a public consultation which I severely criticised – see https://roliscon.blog/2021/08/06/diversity-but-at-what-cost/ . What feedback did they get to the public consultation? They have not said and no report has been published on it. I have asked for more information to see what support they got for these proposals which I consider to be political gestures which will have no benefit but add a lot of costs to listed companies.
Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://twitter.com/RogerWLawson )
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Roger, if you supplied your own proxy form do you think that it was actually counted, or “lost in the post”?