BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF) is pleased to announce Hope Mehlman, EVP and Chief Governance Officer, has been named the Governance Professional of the Year for large cap companies by Corporate Secretary magazine’s 2019 Corporate Governance Awards. This annual event recognizes the best of the best governance, risk and compliance industry professionals.
“In just over two years, Hope took a newly created position and quickly catalyzed positive change that is making life better and creating shared value for all of our stakeholders,” said John Turner, Regions President and CEO. “From leading the charge in adopting a proxy access amendment, to guiding Regions to be among the first U.S. regional banks to release a disclosure using the SASB standards, Hope is constantly innovating, and we’re thrilled to see her win this prestigious award.”
The 12th annual Corporate Governance Awards recognized both teams and individuals for excellence in their industry. In the individual category for Governance Professional of the Year, judges sought the most outstanding individual who could show exceptional performance in advancing governance and compliance activities at their company. Mehlman’s accomplishments in areas such as shareholder communications, regulatory filing, annual reports and all other areas of the company’s governance operations, were considered.
“What we’re doing as a company truly sets us apart, and I believe our accomplishments are rooted in our culture at Regions,” said Mehlman. “Regions’ spirit of collaboration and collegiality, along with the support of our executive management team and the Board of Directors, enables us to govern effectively and excel at it. So, it’s truly an honor to represent Regions in accepting this award.”
Hope is one of only two corporate members serving on the Board of the Council of Institutional Investors. She is also the President of the Southeastern Chapter of the Society for Corporate Governance. Since being named Chief Governance Officer in February 2017, Mehlman has pushed governance at Regions forward with numerous initiatives, including:
- The Regions Board of Directors amended the company's by-laws to include a proxy access provision
- The Company is continuing to enhance its proxy statement to provide clearer and more transparent disclosures for investors
- Regions adopted a Human Rights Statement and Vendor Code of Conduct
- The Compensation Committee of the Board was renamed to the Compensation and Human Resources Committee to expand its oversight beyond traditional compensation matters to now include things such as corporate culture, human capital management, and diversity and inclusion
- Regions adopted its Environmental Sustainability Policy Statement and Environmental Sustainability Goals
- Providing oversight of ESG matters to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
- The Board adopted a version of the Rooney Rule for director searches
- The Company began publishing an annual ESG Report
- Regions became a member of the Ceres Company Network
- Regions integrated the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reporting standards into its environmental, social and governance disclosures
- Regions began annual responses to the CDP Questionnaire
- Regions increased its rankings and scores with several of the largest ESG data providers
- The Company significantly enhanced its corporate governance shareholder engagement program, which now includes engagement with directors
Mehlman and the other winners of the Corporate Governance Awards were recognized at a November event held in New York City.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $128 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,500 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.