The Shareholder Forum™

Purpose

The Shareholder Forum provides all decision-makers – from the ultimate owners of capital to the corporate managers who use their capital, and all of the professionals in between – with reliably effective access to the information and views participants consider relevant to their respective responsibilities for the common objective of using capital to produce goods and services.

Having pioneered what became the widespread practice of "corporate access" events over two decades ago, the Forum continues to refine its "Direct Access" practices to assure effective support of marketplace interests.

Access Policies

To provide the required investor access without regulatory constraints, the Forum developed policies and practices allowing it to function as an SEC-defined independent moderator. We also adopted well-established publishing standards to assure essential participant privacy and communication rights.

These carefully defined and thoroughly tested Forum policies are the foundation of our unique marketplace resource for clearly fair access to information and exchanges of views.

History

We have been doing this for more than two decades. The Forum programs were initiated in 1999 by the CFA Society New York (at the time known as the New York Society of Security Analysts) with lead investor and former corporate investment banker Gary Lutin as guest chairman to address the professional interests of the Society’s members.

Independently supported by Mr. Lutin since 2001, the Forum’s public programs – often in collaboration with the CFA Society as well as with other educational institutions such as the Columbia Schools of Business and Journalism, the Yale School of Management and The Conference Board – have achieved wide recognition for their effective definition of both company-specific and marketplace issues, followed by an orderly exchange of the information and views needed to resolve them.

The Forum's ability to convene all key decision-making constituencies and influence leaders has been applied to subjects ranging from corporate control contests to the establishment of consensus marketplace standards for fair disclosure, and has been relied upon by virtually every major U.S. fund manager and the many other investors who have participated in programs that addressed their interests.

Commitment

The Forum welcomes suggestions for its continuing support of fair access to the information needed by both shareholders and corporate managers.

Responding to the recent increases in investor engagement and activism, we have established a strong policy commitment to supporting corporate managers who wish to provide the leadership expected of them by assuring orderly reviews of issues. We will of course also continue to welcome the initiation of company-specific programs by shareholders concerned with the use of their capital to produce goods and services, and we naturally remain committed to addressing general marketplace interests in collaboration with educational institutions and publishers.

SEC Names Senior Officials to Investor Education and Advocacy Efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2009-251

Washington, D.C., Nov. 19, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointments of three senior officials to its Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) to help continue its increased focus on individual investors. OIEA serves the Commission as the "investors' office" and provides educational resources to help individual investors make informed financial decisions.

Mary S. Head, who recently served as Acting Director of OIEA, has been named Deputy Director of the office. Kathleen M. Floyd has been appointed Deputy Director of Investor Education, and Richard C. Ferlauto will become Deputy Director of Policy.

"We are working to further expand OIEA's ability to understand investors' concerns, provide effective educational programs, and advocate for investors' interests. Investors need our assistance now more than ever, and I am confident that our new team has the experience and the drive to make a difference," said Lori J. Schock, Director of OIEA. Ms. Schock was named OIEA Director in October.

Ms. Head has worked at the SEC since 2000, most recently as Assistant Director for Policy in OIEA. Ms. Head began her legal career in the Office of General Counsel at the National Association of Securities Dealers (now FINRA). She practiced securities law with Kelley Drye & Warren and later with Dechert LLP prior to joining the SEC staff. Ms. Head is a graduate of Yale College and Catholic University Law School.

Ms. Floyd comes to the SEC from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Foundation, where she was the Executive Director of the Stock Market Game. She previously served as Director of Baltimore Academies for Baltimore City Public Schools. In 2002, Ms. Floyd was named as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women. She is a graduate of Drew and George Washington Universities.

Richard C. Ferlauto joins the SEC from the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, where he has been Director, Corporate Governance and Public Pension Programs since 2002. Previously, he was Managing Director, Proxy Voter Services for Institutional Shareholder Services and Director of Policy for the Center for Policy Alternatives. Currently, Mr. Ferlauto is a member of the PCAOB Investor Advisory Committee and The Conference Board Taskforce on Executive Compensation. He has been named to the Directorship 100 as one of the most influential leaders in corporate governance for the past three years. Mr. Ferlauto is a graduate of Georgetown University.

OIEA has direct contact with tens of thousands of individual investors each year, hearing their needs, answering their questions and helping to solve their problems. Last month OIEA launched the Commission's first-ever Web site, www.investor.gov, devoted exclusively to investor education, providing investors of all ages with in-depth information and "top tips" on how to invest wisely, plan for the future, and avoid being scammed. The Office also works closely with the Commission's newly-formed Investor Advisory Committee to give investors a greater voice in the Commission's work.

# # #

http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-251.htm