Aaron Lipson, Associate Regional Director of Atlanta Office, to Leave Agency After 14 Years of Service

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Aaron Lipson, Associate Regional Director for enforcement matters in the Atlanta Regional Office, is leaving the agency this month after 14 years of service.

Mr. Lipson joined the SEC in 2004…

SEC Adopts FAIR Act Rules Promoting Research Reports on Investment Funds

The Securities and Exchange Commission today adopted rules and amendments designed to promote research on mutual funds, exchange‑traded funds, registered closed-end funds, business development companies, and similar covered investment funds. …

Two Celebrities Charged With Unlawfully Touting Coin Offerings

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music producer Khaled Khaled, known as DJ Khaled, for failing to disclose payments they received for promoting investments i…

Jina L. Choi, Regional Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Office, to Leave the Agency After Over 16 Years of Service

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Jina L. Choi, Director of the agency’s San Francisco Regional office, will leave the agency at the end of this month after more than 16 years of service. Under Ms. Choi’s leadership since 2013…

SEC Charges Self-Described Promoter With Microcap Market Manipulation Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a self-described penny stock promoter and an entity he controlled with orchestrating a scheme to manipulate trading in at least 97 microcap stocks.

According to the SEC’s complaint, Eric Landis of C…

Kurt Gottschall Named Director of Denver Office

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Kurt L. Gottschall has been named Director of the Denver Regional Office.

Mr. Gottschall began working in the Division of Enforcement in the Denver office in 2000 as a staff attorney before b…

Two ICO Issuers Settle SEC Registration Charges, Agree to Register Tokens as Securities

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against two companies that sold digital tokens in initial coin offerings (ICOs).  These are the Commission’s first cases imposing civil penalties solely for ICO securities offe…

SEC Charges Giga Entertainment Media, Former Officers and Directors With Fraud in Pay-For-Download Campaign

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Giga Entertainment Media Inc. and five of its former officers and directors—Gary Nerlinger, Jarret Streiner, Lawrence Silver, Alfred Colucci, and Charles Noska—with fraud in connection with a sc…

SEC Brings Additional Charges in New York Boiler Room Scheme Targeting Seniors

The Securities and Exchange Commission today brought additional charges against a Long Island, New York-based boiler room previously sued for defrauding elderly and unsophisticated investors. The latest charges allege that First Choice Healthcare …

SEC Settles Insider Trading Claims Against Former Chairman and CEO of Advanced Medical Optics

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has agreed to resolve its insider trading claims against James V. Mazzo, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO) for allegedly tipping informa…

SEC Announces Agenda, Panelists for Staff Roundtable on the Proxy Process

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the agenda and panelists for the staff roundtable on the proxy process on November 15, 2018.  

The roundtable, announced in September, will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium at the SEC headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. and will be open to the public. The event also will be webcast live on the SEC website and archived for later viewing.  

Members of the public who wish to provide their views on the proxy process and related SEC rules, either in advance of or after the roundtable, may submit comments electronically or on paper. [sec:ruling_comment]

Agenda and Panelists

9:30     Opening Statements by Chairman Clayton and Commissioners

10:10     Panel One:  Proxy Voting Mechanics and Technology

Panel One will focus on the current proxy voting and solicitation process for shareholder meetings and recent concerns raised about this process. How can the accuracy, transparency, and efficiency of the proxy voting and solicitation system be improved and what steps should regulators consider to facilitate such improvements? In addition, the panel will discuss how recent technological advances can be used to enhance the voting process and the ability of shareholders to exercise their voting rights.  

Panelists

• Ken Bertsch, Executive Director, Council of Institutional Investors
• John Coates, John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics, Harvard Law School
• Paul Conn, President, Global Capital Markets, Computershare
• Lawrence Conover, Vice President, Operations and Services Group, Fidelity Investments
• Bruce H. Goldfarb, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Okapi Partners
• David A. Katz, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz 
• Alexander Lebow, Co-Founder and Chief Legal Officer, A Say Inc.
• Sherry Moreland, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mediant Communications
• Robert Schifellite, President, Investor Communication Solutions, Broadridge Financial Solutions
• Brian L. Schorr, Chief Legal Officer and Partner, Trian Fund Management, L.P.
• Katie Sevcik, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, EQ
• Darla Stuckey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Society of Corporate Governance
• John Tuttle, Chief Operating Officer and Global Head of Listings, NYSE Group
• John A. Zecca, Senior Vice President, General Counsel North America and Chief Regulatory Officer, Nasdaq

11:40    Lunch Break

1:15     Panel Two:  Shareholder Proposals – Exploring Effective Shareholder Engagement 

Panel Two will focus on shareholder engagement through the shareholder proposal process. The panelists will discuss, among other things, their experiences with shareholder proposals and the related benefits and costs involved for the company and shareholders. The panel also will consider the application of the shareholder proposal rule and related guidance.

Panelists

• Ray A. Cameron, Head of Investment Stewardship Team for the Americas Region, Blackrock, Inc.
• Ning Chiu, Counsel, Capital Markets Group, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 
• Michael Garland, Assistant Comptroller, Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment, Office of the Comptroller, New York City
• Maria Ghazal, Senior Vice President and Counsel, Business Roundtable
• Jonas Kron, Senior Vice President and Director of Shareholder Advocacy, Trillium Asset Management
• Aeisha Mastagni, Portfolio Manager, Corporate Governance Unit, California State Teachers’ Retirement System
• James McRitchie, Publisher, CorpGov.net
• Tom Quaadman, Executive Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness
• Brandon Rees, Deputy Director of Corporations and Capital Markets, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
• Dannette Smith, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Senior Deputy General Counsel, UnitedHealth Group

2:45     Break

3:00     Panel Three:  Proxy Advisory Firms – The Current and Future Landscape 

Panel Three will focus on the role of proxy advisory firms and their involvement in the proxy process. The panel will draw from a diverse array of perspectives from proxy advisory firms, institutional investors, the academic community, and corporate issuers. How has the role of proxy advisory firms evolved over time and are there ways in which their role and relationships with institutional investors and issuers can be improved?

Panelists

• Jonathan Bailey, Managing Director and Head of ESG Investing, Neuberger Berman, LLC
• Patti Brammer, Corporate Governance Officer, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System
• Scot Draeger, Vice President, Director of Wealth Management, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, R.M. Davis Private Wealth Management
• Sean Egan, President and Founding Partner, Egan-Jones Proxy Services
• Phil Gramm, Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
• John Kim, Securities Counsel, General Motors
• Adam Kokas, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, Atlas Air Worldwide
• Rakhi Kumar, Senior Managing Director, Head of ESG Investments and Asset Stewardship, State Street Global Advisors
• Katherine “KT” Rabin, Chief Executive Officer, Glass, Lewis & Co.
• Gary Retelny, President and Chief Executive Officer, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
• Edward Rock, Martin Lipton Professor of Law and Director, Institute for Corporate Governance & Finance, New York University School of Law

Stock Research Firm and Co-Founders Charged With Deceiving Investors in Supposedly Unbiased Reports

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a stock research firm and its co-founders with defrauding investors by issuing reports purportedly based on “unbiased” and “not paid for” research when in reality they received thousands of dollars f…