IPO Advisor Bulletin - Winter 2024

2023 flew by in a flash! After a busy year in a challenging market, we’ve continued to grow all areas of our business - and that is thanks to you and our community.

We are looking forward to the result of the consultation on the FCA’s new UK listing rules, which will help us achieve an even better 2024!

Cecilia Williams, Client Solutions Director

Computershare in 2023

Computershare’s growth continued unabated in 2023:

• Acquired the public equity employee share plan business from Solium Capital UK (which also operates as Shareworks by Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley at Work).
• Built on our roster of FTSE 350 Governance Services clients, whilst also growing our internal team of experienced governance professionals in the UK and globally.
• Rated the No.1 UK Registrar* for the 9th Year running, continuing our Registry winning-streak and winning new clients including FTSE heavyweights SSE and Augmentum Fintech Plc.
• Won and facilitated complex global listing transactions into the New York Stock Exchange, most notably CRH, Diversified Energy, AngloGold and Birkenstock.

We continue to work tirelessly with our extensive global network and remain committed to working diligently on all the new deals that will make up a busy 2024!

Events for Future and Current Governance Leaders and Advisors

Throughout 2023 we steadfastly built our governance services community, hosting events like ‘Delivering Successful AGMs’, which included a panel of Company Secretaries from Nationwide, NatWest, Haleon and GSK. We are starting to welcome Advisors to these events so please let us know if you would like to attend or co host with us and our Issuer community.

We are also dedicated to developing a community of future Governance leaders and hosted a number of events where our aspiring Company Secretary attendees could share ideas, discuss learnings and interact with peers in an informal environment.

Looking forward, in 2024 we will be hosting a series of events based on our ‘24 Governance Readout bulletin and AGM Pulse Check. Please contact Cecilia Williams if you would like to be involved.

I'd like to be involved

Georgeson has published its summary of Glass Lewis policy updates for the UK & Europe

Glass Lewis has released their guideline updates to their main voting policies for 2024 for the UK and Europe, effective from the 2024 AGM season. This memo summarises the policy changes applied across the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe.

Read memo

2023 LSE IPO Forum

Computershare sponsored the LSE IPO Forum in November, and it was pleasing to see such a great turnout and hear such robust debate.

Pictured below is Cecilia Williams, Client Solutions Director, discussing what to expect when a company looks to list with our client Paul Barrett, GC & Company Secretary at Helios Towers plc who shared his experiences from a listed company perspective.