October 11, 2023
12:00 - 1:00pm ET
Advocacy Update - Issues on the Hill
Please join the NIRI Virtual Chapter and the Society for Corporate Governance on October 11th to learn about NIRI's legislative and regulatory priorities, takeaways from NIRI's upcoming meetings with Congress and the SEC, and hear how you can get involved in NIRI's ongoing advocacy efforts. This timely update follows on the heels of NIRI's annual "DC Fly-in," covering the key activities in Congress impacting the industry, new regulations, and implementation plans, and NIRI's legislative priorities, as well as the top issues the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance is focusing on now.
Specific topics covered in the webinar will include:
Legislative Updates:
- Public Company Advisory Committee Act (H.R. 4652): https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hr4652/BILLS-118hr4652ih.pdf
- Section 13(f) modernization legislation
- Proxy advisory firm legislation
Regulatory Update: New SEC Rules
- Share repurchase disclosure
- Clawback listing standards
- Cybersecurity disclosure
Proposed/Expected Rules:
- Climate risk disclosure
- Human capital management
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Describe how members of Congress are approaching and working on top legislative issues most important to public companies, including the Public Company Advisory Committee Act, Section 13(f) modernization, and proxy advisory firm legislation.
- Discuss how the SEC is approaching and working on top regulatory issues most important to public companies, including: new rules on share repurchase disclosure, clawback listing standards, and cybersecurity disclosure, as well as proposed/expected rules on climate risk disclosure and human capital management.
- Review with your peers NIRI's position on these legislative and regulatory issues and what the national organization is doing more broadly to advance the profession of investor relations in DC.
- Educate senior management on these top issues and support NIRI in its efforts to support legislative and regulatory initiatives beneficial to public companies.
The NIRI Virtual Chapter's Advocacy Chair, Laura Guerrant-Oiye, will be moderating this event. If you have any questions that you would like to have addressed in advance, please reach out at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are working in tandem with NIRI National as well as other NIRI chapters to ensure that we are working from a common platform to address issues most relevant to our members.
Speakers:
Ted Allen
VP, Policy & Advocacy
Society for Corporate Governance
Ted Allen joined the Society for Corporate Governance in May 2021, where he leads the Society's policy and advocacy efforts. From 2012 to May 2021, he worked at the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), where he managed NIRI's advocacy initiatives, publications, and communications. Allen oversaw the creation of NIRI's Investor Relations Body of Knowledge book and policy statements on corporate disclosure, ESG, and earnings guidance. From 2004 to 2012, Allen served as Governance Counsel and Director of Publications at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). Before ISS, he practiced law as an associate with Proskauer Rose and Semmes, Bowen & Semmes. He also worked as a journalist for Bloomberg News, The Deal.com, and newspapers in Florida and North Carolina. Allen earned his law degree (with honors) from Georgetown University in 1995 and majored in public policy at Duke University, where he graduated in 1988. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Maryland.
Deputy Legislative Director
for Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
for Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Brian had led Senate efforts to reform section 13(d) and introduced the Brokaw Act.
Niels Holch
Partner
Holch & Erickson LLP
Niels Holch is a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Holch & Erickson LLP. In his private practice, he represents clients on a wide range of issues before the U.S. Congress and various Federal administrative agencies. Prior to founding Holch & Erickson LLP and a predecessor law firm, McGuiness & Holch, Mr. Holch served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), currently the Senate Republican Leader.
Mr. Holch is also active in various nonprofit coalitions and organizations, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Shareholder Communications Coalition (Washington, D.C.), and as a Board Trustee of the Luminis Health System (Annapolis, MD).
Mr. Holch graduated magna cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University, receiving a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Holch is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. He and his family live in Annapolis, Maryland.
Moderator:
Laura Guerrant-Oiye
Chair of the Advocacy Committee, NIRI Virtual
VP IR & Corporate Communications, Pattern Computer, Inc.
Laura Guerrant is a senior investor relations practitioner with over 25 years of experience in the design and implementation of successful IR programs. She has advised clients in a wide variety of industries including technology, healthcare, biotech, consumer products, REITS and financial services; and has deep experience in crisis communications and transactional communications, including IPOs, M&A, proxy fights and secondary equity and debt offerings.
Laura was recently appointed Vice President IR & Corp. Comm. for Pattern Computer, Inc., a start-up in the AI/ML industry. She previously served as Vice President IR & Corp. Comm. for Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN), a company in the EV battery space, where she was also appointed Vice Chair for the company's newly launched ESG initiatives. In addition, she served as IR Manager for semiconductor capital equipment company Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT).
Laura was the owner and principal of Guerrant Associates, an investor relations and corporate communications firm, providing financial communications, investor relations, financial media relations and strategic counsel to publicly held and pre-public companies. The firm offered a range of services from financial communications & corporate counseling to full-service IR programs.
Laura resides with her husband and two golden retrievers in Anchorage, AK, where she can be found in her limited spare time fishing and photographing the Northern Lights and Grizzly Bears.
