Olayinka Agbede
Principal Corporate Governance Officer - EQ
Introduction and what your role is at EQ.
I am currently in my fourth year as a member of the Corporate Governance Team at EQ. One of the key areas we specialise in is understanding the role of, and engaging with, proxy advisory agencies. A substantial portion of my role is dealing with proxy advisors and assisting our clients to navigate their various guidelines, policies and processes. Since my start at EQ, my colleagues and I have worked at building extensive networks with the proxy advisors.
I have also been involved in several AGM campaigns, which is the bulk of the type of campaigns that I support with. This involves assisting an entity with its Annual report and Notice of meeting, review at the drafting stage, to ensure that its communications - through the lens of a Proxy Advisor and Institutional investor - conveys and contains the right messaging, which these parties look out for.
This review is carried out in tandem with our Corporate Governance Risk Assessment; a document which presents a top-level ‘health-check’ of the overall current corporate governance practices at the Company, with reference to established best practice and PA policies. The level of compliance with best practice is evaluated and weaknesses identified. These considerations may come into play for some shareholders when it comes to voting on the proposed resolutions at the AGM and will also be considered by the PAs when making their voting recommendations.
What office are you located at and tell us something special about this location?
I am located at the London office at Moor place. Although I am contracted to work remotely, I enjoy coming into the office, mostly for our team days. What I find special is the burst of inspiration I get when I look out of the windows, particularly in the Board room and I can see for miles the iconic buildings the City of London is renowned for.
What’s happened in your career to this point
After some years working as an in-house Company Secretary, at various organisations - both private companies and listed entities, and diverse sectors ranging from Real estate to retail and financial services - I have built a cumulative wealth of knowledge and experience, as I have navigated my career path. I have enjoyed the richness of having exposure to a diversity of sectors, and this has only being amplified since I stepped into my current role.
What do you like about EQ
I like the fact that no two days are ever the same at EQ Proxy Solicitation. No doubt a lot of you can relate to this in your roles as well, but really at EQ due to the breath of our service offerings and the sorts of advisory assistance solicited by clients, who can be listed on any Index, faced with immediate challenges that need resolution in the short term or alternatively, those with a long lead time to the deliverable, my colleagues and I are never short of interesting mandates and campaigns to support on.
What’s your biggest EQ achievement
During my time here, I have been privileged to work on activist campaigns, devising strategies for both proponents and those entities that have had to rebuff such challenges. I have not only been involved in such opportunities within the UK, but also the US, within the EU and the Middle East. These activist campaigns are, as you might imagine, quite intense. These situations have called for well-articulated, credible strategies that were supplied, the result of which is a well advised entity, enabled to prevail against an activist by making their case to the rest of the shareholders. Delivering the results sought on these occasions have been my biggest achievement to date.
What you are looking forward to in the future at EQ
The role gives me the opportunity to evolve, as the company develops and the needs of clients expand and flex in response to new changes coming on the horizon. I am looking forward to taking up the prospects to not only develop further in my profession and skill set, but to also continue making an impact in the end results achieved by our clients.
Do you have a fun fact or hobby about yourself?
I particularly love traveling. It doesn’t matter whether this is within the UK or abroad. What I like about it is that it contributes to personal growth. I find that it gives me the opportunity to come out of my comfort zone; being out of your element, constantly trying and learning new things, navigating challenges in unfamiliar places means you're bound to experience growth.
A big thank you to Olayinka for sharing her thoughts with us.