Boardroom Brief: Week commencing 13 November 2023

This is a service specifically targeted at the needs of busy non-executive directors (NEDs). We aim to give you a ‘heads up’ on the things that matter for NEDs in the week ahead - all in two minutes or less. In this edition, we discuss the significant number of “first strike” votes against remuneration reports during the 2023 annual general meeting (AGM) season and the release of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ (AICD) Director Sentiment Index, which indicates that company directors are more pessimistic about macroeconomic conditions in the second half of 2023. We also look at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) oversight of the penalties paid to retail consumers by major Australian over-the-counter (OTC) derivative issuers, and the commencement of reforms to laws regarding unfair contract terms. In Over the Horizon, we discuss the reopening of dialogue between Australia and China following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent visit to China.