Michael Garland is Assistant Comptroller for Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment for New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. The Comptroller serves as investment advisor, custodian and a trustee to the New York City Pension Funds, which have more than $190 billion in assets under management and a long history of active ownership on issues of corporate governance and sustainability.
Michael and his team are responsible for developing and implementing the Funds’ active ownership programs for public equities, including voting proxies, engaging portfolio companies on their environmental, social and governance policies and practices, and advocating for regulatory reforms to protect investors and strengthen shareowner rights. Recent initiatives include spearheading the Boardroom Accountability Project launched in fall 2014, which has helped to establish proxy access as a fundamental right at hundreds of U.S. companies.
Michael serves on the Council of Institutional Investors’ Board of Directors and the Broadridge Independent Steering Committee, and is Comptroller Stringer’s designated representative to the CERES board of directors.