Big US corporations have identified a new strategy for managing irate investors at annual shareholder meetings: Going virtual. This year, about 250 companies are expected to convene their yearly investor tete-a-tete via audio or video, up from 155 in 2016 and just 26 in 2012, according to investors communications firm Broadridge. The set of companies forgoing the face-to-face encounters includes number-two US automaker Ford and energy giants ConocoPhillips and Duke Energy. “We take very seriously the trust that our shareholders place in our leadership team,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman. Duke shareholder Danielle Fugere of the non-governmental organization “As You Sow” added: “We do not believe it is in the company’s interest to insulate itself from the interested public.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 09, 2017 15:00 UTC