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Caroline A. Crenshaw

SEC Commissioner Speaks on IPOs and the Rise of SPACs

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Thank you Hal [Scott] for that kind introduction and for inviting me to speak today. I am honored to precede such an esteemed panel of practitioners and academics. As always, I must give my standard disclaimer that my remarks are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission or its staff.

I cannot emphasize enough how important discussions such as today’s are – thinking through some of the most pressing questions in our markets. And, one of those areas is Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs. Now, of course, this was an issue that we were

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SEC Commissioner Crenshaw Speaks on Private Fund Advisers Proposal

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Investment advisers are their clients’ fiduciaries. This means that investment advisers are legally obligated to serve their client’s best interest.[1] This standard of conduct is not an aspirational goal. It must be meaningful and offer the real protections investors reasonably expect and deserve. And this standard of conduct is not limited to the context of an adviser’s relationship with retail clients or registered funds. Private fund investors, including entities such as pension funds, charitable organizations, and college endowments, rely on the protections afforded by the Advisers Act and benefit from advisers’ obligations to place their clients’ interest first.[2]

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SEC Commissioner Crenshaw on Universal Proxy Rules

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Congratulations to the rulemaking team from the Division of Corporation Finance, as well as the staff within the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis and the Office of the General Counsel. This rulemaking has been several years in the making,[1] and I am glad that we are here today to finalize it.

The reality of modern board of director elections is that few shareholders attend a corporation’s annual meeting in-person to vote.[2] The ramifications of this are meaningful. Proxy voters in contested Board of Directors elections are usually unable to choose a mix of dissident and management nominees.

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SEC Commissioner Speaks on ESG Risks and Company Accounting Controls

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Thank you for the kind introduction Kevin [Gould]. It’s a pleasure to be here today at the annual PepsiCo-PwC CPE conference, which I understand is a tradition going back 18 years now. I appreciate the opportunity to speak, and I look forward to answering your questions today.

It’s not often—even in this job—that I find myself speaking before such a large group of controllers, accountants and other finance professionals of public companies. And I welcome it because it means we can get a bit more technical and talk about financial reporting issues. I suspect many of you will not be

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SEC Commissioner Crenshaw Speaks at Small Business Forum

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Good afternoon! Thank you Martha [Miller] for the warm introduction. It is wonderful to be here. I have truly enjoyed hearing from all of the panelists over the last several days. And I am particularly interested in today’s discussion focused on smaller public companies.

You may not know this about me, but I am the proud sister of an entrepreneur. My brother started his own business before the pandemic – and he is everything from the chief executive and chief financial officer to the IT and customer service departments to the expert on intellectual property issues. I know how challenging

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Mind the (Data) Gaps: SEC Commissioner Speaks at Conference on Financial Market Regulation

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Before I begin my remarks, I need to mention that the views that I express today are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or its staff.

To start, I want to note that I am thankful for the work that economists do inside and outside the SEC to help us understand the markets we regulate. It’s vital in terms of providing insight and analysis to help shape our regulatory approach. As those of you who have spoken to me may have noticed, I am not an economist. But I do have an economist’s love

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SEC Commissioner Crenshaw on Shareholder Proposals under Exchange Act Rule 14a-8

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Today [September 23] the majority of the Commission is approving amendments to the procedures governing shareholder proposals. The amendments are described as a “modernization,”[1] designed to reduce costs for corporations. Even if I agreed that was necessary, I cannot agree with the method.

Before today, a shareholder needed to hold only $2,000 worth of a company’s securities for one year in order to submit a proposal for voting. This threshold allowed a broad array of investors to “speak” with a company and its shareholders. After today’s change, shareholders must own $25,000 worth of securities to have that same say.

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