Shareholder Activism in the UK

Shareholder activism is not a totally new phenomenon in the UK as there were historical suggestions of owners' engagements in the era of chartered companies (pre-incorporation period). There have also been many evidences of unconventional and uncoordinated shareholder engagement techniques especially by minority shareholders after the Second World War up to 2006 when the 2006 Companies Act recognised the need to make it easier for shareholders to present resolutions at general meetings. These developments, alongside various deliberate actions by government and international organisations like UNPRI in increasing shareholder engagement, together with other new developments like integrated reporting systems, responsible investing, and climate change, have given rise to various forms of activism which have not been documented and analysed by previous writers.