The Blog

Morning Cuppa: TEA Speaks to Head of Corporate Governance at BP PLC, Alia Fazal

Following on from the success of our ‘Afternoon TEA’ event, we also hosted a ‘Morning Cuppa’ at Gracechurch Group’s London office, where we met with Alia Fazal, Head of Corporate Governance at BP PLC for an early 8am start.  

With over 20 years’ experience in FTSE 250 companies, Alia’s time in industry pertains particularly to a deep understanding of best practise governance, particularly concerning ESGs and AGMs. With AGM proxy season drawing to a close, TEA hosted this informal discussion to ask Alia about engagement in inclusive investor relations, and how companies such as BP look to interact with their shareholders.  

Sheryl Cuisia, founder and CEO of The Engagement Appeal, gave the first address of the morning, introducing TEA and its mission for all listed companies to commit to inclusive investor relations by 2024, and for 1 million individual investors to do the same. She then requested Alia’s thoughts on the current state of stewardship, and the reimagining of shareholder of relations.  

Alia’s training as company secretary and work across industry has given her insight to how organisations might commit to fair governance, and increase their standards of engagement. It is critical for companies to engage by looking to understand complaints and feedback, and then reach out to individual shareholders, summarised Alia. AGMs and annual reports are “work that’s never finished”; it is an ongoing, year-round endeavour to seek to engage with investors and understand what their interests/concerns are. 

Alia then recapped corporate processes specific to BP: performance analysis, shareholder roadshows, and investor meeting groups formed before the AGM but after the publication of annual reports. Transform and perform – a BP motto that surely resonates with TEA.  

The event concluded with an additional confirmation that hybrid AGMs are an optimum format, particularly for those who wish to participate but may be geographically excluded.  

TEA is pleased to introduced Alia Fazal as an informal member of the committee.  

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