Hyundai

Pernod Ricard has defended its “strong family values” against criticism from activist fund Elliott Management over shareholder returns and governance.

The world's second-largest wine and spirits group has came under fire from US billionaire Paul Singer’s Elliott, which has built up a stake worth about €1 billion ($1.13 billion) equivalent to about a 2.5% stake in the company controlled by the third generation Ricard family. 

Hyundai Motor vows to improve corporate governance

South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co will consider a shareholder request to improve corporate governance, according to co-chief executive Kim Choong Ho.

The proposal comes shortly after Hyundai paid more than $10 billion for a piece of real estate in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district, which caused share prices to drop and rekindled the debate around opaque decision making.

A $1.25 billion (€1.06 billion) share sale at a subsidiary of South Korean family-owned conglomerate Hyundai has flopped, potentially stalling succession between the second and third generations.

Despite a discount on the share price of up to 12%, the Chung family failed to reduce its 43% in Hyundai Glovis, the group’s logistics subsidiary.

Imagine you are the fantastically wealthy owner of a vast South Korean conglomerate with a young daughter who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. She needs a hobby. What do you do? Give her a bakery, of course. Sounds harmless? Not so.

Early in 2012 there was a vast public blowback against the swanky bakeries owned by the daughters of South Korean moguls, which were accused of putting traditional small Korean bun-sellers out of business. The outcry was so great that even politicians leapt on to the bandwagon.