Labrador Launches Transparency Scientific Committee; Seven Corporate Governance Experts Named to Inaugural Group

Independent Committee to advocate for greater corporate disclosure transparency

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Labrador, a leading global communications firm specializing in corporate disclosure, announced the first-ever independent Transparency Scientific Committee and named its inaugural members. Chaired by Broc Romanek, the industry expert for corporate disclosure transparency, the esteemed committee includes current and former institutional investors, proxy advisors, in-house practitioners, regulators and quasi-regulators.

The committee is charged with elevating the transparency of U.S. corporate disclosure. Beginning in 2024, the members will supervise the annual U.S. Transparency Awards, representing the interests of corporate disclosure readers; updating award categories and evaluation criteria; and providing an expert, independent third-party findings review.

Labrador founded the awards to reward the quality of disclosure provided by S&P 250 companies and spotlight best practices in an effort to establish transparency standards that will contribute to a broad improvement in corporate disclosure.

“To forge a bond between a company and its readers and build investor confidence and trust, transparent corporate disclosures are a prerequisite,” said Thibault Dewavrin, Labrador CEO. "The Transparency Scientific Committee will play a crucial role in achieving this goal, setting high standards and upholding integrity through its independent oversight of the awards."

Seven members have been selected for the Transparency Scientific Committee:

1. Donna Anderson, CFA, Vice President, Head of Corporate Governance — T. Rowe Price Group
2. Doug Chia, President, Soundboard Governance; former Executive Director, The Conference Board ESG Center; former Chair, Society of Corporate Governance
3. Ginny Fogg, Consultant; retired General Counsel, Norfolk Southern; former Chair, Society of Corporate Governance
4. Dan Goelzer, former PCAOB Board Member and Acting Chair; former SASB Board Member; former SEC General Counsel
5. Courteney Keatinge, Senior Director, Environmental, Social & Governance Research — Glass Lewis & Co.
6. Broc Romanek, Transparency Champion, RealTransparentDisclosure.com editor; former editor of TheCorporateCounsel.net, CompensationStandards.com and DealLawyers.com
7. Carol Ward, Corporate Governance and Business Advisor; retired, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods) and Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer, CIGNA Corporation; former Chair, Society of Corporate Governance

For full bios: TransparencyAwards.com/Transparency-Scientific-Committee.

“Transparency is the critical link that builds trust between companies and the end users of their disclosures – the stakeholders,” stated Romanek. “I’m honored to chair this independent committee and work alongside my dedicated colleagues to advance our mission and raise awareness about the importance of clear, transparent SEC and stakeholder communications.”

About Labrador

Labrador is an independent firm specializing in transparent investor and stakeholder communications. With over 30 years serving clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, Labrador’s mission remains the same – to bridge the gap between compliance and communication by creating, designing, and publishing reader-centric documents that generate shareholder trust and reinforce investment decisions. Focusing exclusively on corporate disclosure documents, and with more than 500 clients worldwide, Labrador provides unique insight into industry trends, best practices, and award-winning innovation.

Visit Labrador-company.com or connect on LinkedIn.