As competition for investment dollars intensifies, Canada’s deep stores of energy resources, stable rule of law, proximity to the United States and access to Asian and European markets have caught KKR’s attention. So has the country’s push to build major projects, led by the federal government in Ottawa – if the terms and the math add up. “In the key sectors that are driving the biggest growth, be it energy, digital infrastructure, both Canada and the U.S. should play a really big role going forward,” Brandon Freiman, KKR’s head of North American Infrastructure, said in an interview. “You have these two mega-themes that are probably the two biggest ones bearing down on the economy broadly, and they both squarely hit on infrastructure,” he added.

Holcim has agreed to pay $550 million for a majority stake in Peruvian building materials maker Cementos Pacasmayo, it said on Tuesday, the Swiss company's biggest ever acquisition in Latin America. Holcim is taking a 50.01% holding in Cementos Pacasmayo in the deal that values the Peruvian company at $1.5 billion including debt, or $1.1 billion equity value. Under Peruvian takeover law, Holcim will have to make an offer for more of the company and is expected to increase its stake, the Swiss firm said. Cementos Pacasmayo has expected sales of $630 million for 2025 with an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margin of 28%. The deal is Holcim's 15th acquisition of 2025, as the company looks to focus more on South America and Europe after spinning off its North American business into a separate company called Amrize. Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic said the acquisition was in line with his company's strategy to grow in Latin America.

EU lawmakers backed tighter controls on imports of agricultural products under a potential trade agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, as Brussels tries to get sceptics on board to sign the EU's largest-ever trade accord. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had been expected to fly to Brazil at the end of this week to sign the accord, reached a year ago after a quarter-century of talks with the bloc of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. But the deal can be blocked by a big enough minority of EU members. France and Italy have sought to delay a vote, while Poland opposes the deal. Germany, Spain and Nordic countries say the agreement will help exports hit by U.S. tariffs and reduce dependence on China by providing access to minerals. But opponents, who have dubbed it a "cars for cows" deal, say cheap commodities could flood the EU, including beef, to the detriment of European farmers.

BRP Inc. has named former Renault Group executive Denis Le Vot as the company’s next chief executive officer. Le Vot will take over the job effective Feb. 1 when José Boisjoli is expected to retire from the job and step down from his role as chair of the board. The maker of Ski-Doos and Sea-Doos also says Le Vot will become a member of the board of BRP, while Pierre Beaudoin will become board chair. Barbara Samardzich will remain the company’s lead independent director. Boisjoli leaves BRP after 36 years, including 22 years as chief executive. Le Vot has held a wide range of roles within the Renault Group around the world.

Gucci owner Kering will receive $690 million for a majority stake in a Fifth Avenue property in a deal with private-equity group Ardian, as the luxury group continues to unload assets to bolster its finances. The two French companies said Tuesday that Kering would retain a 40% stake in the property and contribute the remaining 60% to a newly created joint venture with Ardian. The property on New York City’s Fifth Avenue houses luxury retail spaces totaling 115,000 square feet, they added. The deal was valued at $900 million, with net proceeds for Kering at $690 million, the companies said. Kering said the deal is part of a real-estate strategy that aims to secure prominent retail locations for its brands, while enhancing financial flexibility. For Ardian, the deal for the Fifth Avenue property marks its first real-estate investment in the U.S., the company said.

A new CEO will take the reins at Frontier Airlines, as the budget carrier battles tougher competition from big carriers. Frontier Group Holdings named James Dempsey interim chief executive officer effective immediately, succeeding Barry Biffle, who had been at the company for 11 years and served as CEO since 2016. Biffle will remain in an advisory capacity through the end of the year, Frontier said Monday. It didn’t provide a reason for his departure. Dempsey, currently Frontier’s president, joined in 2014 as finance chief. Before that, he served in management roles at Ryanair Holdings and PricewaterhouseCoopers. “We believe Jimmy is uniquely qualified to guide our airline into the future,” said Bill Franke, chairman of Frontier’s board. Frontier reiterated its guidance for the current quarter. The company’s shares were 1.4% lower in after-hours trade.

L’action du Groupe Colabor a perdu 80 % de sa valeur restante lundi en Bourse après que la direction du distributeur et grossiste alimentaire de Saint-Bruno a laissé planer la possibilité de demander la protection des tribunaux. Le titre de Colabor a terminé la première séance boursière de la semaine à 4 cents à Toronto. Colabor est à court de liquidités. L’entreprise avait jusqu’à lundi pour satisfaire aux exigences permettant le refinancement de ses facilités de crédit et l’obtention de capitaux. La compagnie a indiqué ne pas être en mesure de satisfaire ces exigences et ne prévoit pas non plus être en mesure de le faire. La direction dit néanmoins continuer de mener des pourparlers pour tenter d’obtenir l’argent nécessaire à la poursuite de ses activités, mais ne peut garantir une entente avec ses principaux prêteurs et Investissement Québec, ou que des alternatives stratégiques puissent être mises en œuvre avec succès.

En temps de protectionnisme américain, l’Union européenne (UE) et le secteur de la défense sont souvent évoqués comme options de repositionnement pour bon nombre entreprises. C’est toutefois plus facile à dire qu’à faire, constate Investissement Québec (IQ). Combien de fois avons-nous entendu que l’Accord économique commercial et global entre le Canada et l’Union européenne constituait un plan B pour diversifier ses exportations ? Le hic : huit ans après l’entrée en vigueur de l’entente, les résultats ne semblent pas au rendez-vous de ce côté-ci de l’Atlantique. « On regardait les chiffres pour ce que l’on exporte en Europe […] ça ne marchait pas, laisse tomber la présidente-directrice générale d’IQ, Bicha Ngo, en entrevue éditoriale avec La Presse. Le Québec n’a pas vraiment profité de l’accord. Ce que j’entendais des entrepreneurs, c’est : “Pour faire des affaires avec les États-Unis, ça nous prend 12 mois, en Europe, c’est 2 à 3 ans, facilement.” »

Our 2025 Board Indexes track the latest developments in boardrooms around the world. By highlighting global data and trends in board composition, governance practices and director compensation, we are able to present an up-to-date and global picture of the state of boards of the leading public corporations in countries and industries. What’s different about today’s boards? Profound shifts have taken place, such as the increase in board independence, the prevalence of non-executive chairs and the emergence of the lead or senior independent director (SID) role. Very few boards undertook an annual board evaluation 40 years ago — it’s now mandatory in many countries. And just look at the progress on gender diversity: although the percentage of women among new board members has leveled off, women now constitute more than 40% of board directors in several countries.

Sustainable investing promises much—but its aims are far from unified. In the final NBS-PRI-ECGI Public Lecture of 2025, Professor Ayako Yasuda posed a pressing question: what are investors actually trying to achieve—financial value, moral alignment, or real-world impact? And can a single category of “sustainable funds” deliver all three? The lecture framed this question as a fundamental tension in the modern sustainable finance ecosystem: products designed to avoid harm, generate societal benefits, and improve portfolio performance often sit uncomfortably together under one label.

Kevin Hassett, conseiller économique de Donald Trump et son favori pour piloter la Réserve fédérale américaine (Fed), a affirmé dimanche que la mission de la banque centrale des États-Unis était de faire preuve d’indépendance et d’appuyer ses décisions sur les indicateurs économiques, mais que l’opinion présidentielle « comptait ». En tant que « conseiller du président, je parle avec lui de quasiment tout presque chaque jour. J’ai, à coup sûr, parlé de politique monétaire » avec lui, a répondu M. Hassett, interrogé sur la chaîne CBS pour savoir s’il consulterait fréquemment le président s’il était choisi pour remplacer Jerome Powell, dont le mandat s’achève en mai. Donald Trump « n’aurait aucun poids » sur la décision du comité, a assuré l’économiste. « C’est juste son opinion qui compte, si elle est bonne, si elle s’appuie sur les données économiques », a-t-il expliqué.

SpaceX executives are starting the process to select Wall Street bankers to advise it on its initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. Investment banks are scheduled to make their initial pitches this coming week in what is known as a bake-off, according to people familiar with the matter, representing the most concrete steps the rocket maker has taken toward what would be a blockbuster IPO. On Friday, SpaceX told employees it is preparing for a possible public offering next year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen told SpaceX staff in a message that, “The thinking is that if we execute brilliantly and the markets cooperate, a public offering could raise a significant amount of capital.” Johnsen also wrote that whether a listing will happen and when it might take place remain “highly uncertain.”

Chinese state-owned miner Jiangxi Copper has won the support of SolGold’s board, after making a sweetened bid for the U.K.-listed company backed by BHP and Newmont. After two prior bids were rejected, Jiangxi’s revised takeover offer has cleared the board hurdle, bringing it one step closer to the finish line. Jiangxi upsized the deal terms to 28 pence per share of the mineral exploration company, a 7.1% premium to the stock’s price before the initial proposal was disclosed, and an increase from the 26 pence offered previously. The nonbinding offer values the U.K.-listed company at 842 million pounds, or about $1.13 billion, Jiangxi and SolGold said in a joint statement Friday. SolGold’s board said it “would be minded to recommend” that shareholders vote in favor of the deal if Jiangxi makes a firm offer by the Dec. 26 deadline. So far, shareholders holding nearly 41% of SolGold have said they intend to support the deal.

A new White House order aiming to rein in proxy advisory firms marks a major step in a broader Republican effort to weaken the role of investors and put more power in the hands of CEOs, corporate governance analysts and attorneys said. U.S. President Donald Trump told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies last week to increase oversight of proxy advisers Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co, which help mutual fund companies and other big institutional investors decide how to vote at corporate elections. Their clients hold significant positions in some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world, making their advice influential. Trump's order said the proxy firms often use their power "to advance and prioritize radical politically-motivated agendas," including supporting environmental and social issues at the expense of shareholder returns. The directive goes to the heart of a debate that has split U.S. and European shareholders: how much should issues like climate change or workforce diversity factor into investment decisions.

Two major Korea Zinc shareholders asked a court on Tuesday to block the company's plan to sell new shares - part of a scheme to help fund a $7.4 billion U.S. smelter which would be built in partnership with the U.S. government. The filing for an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court threw doubt over the project and sent shares in the world's largest zinc smelting company plummeting 14%. A day earlier, Korea Zinc unveiled a plan to build a U.S.-based refinery for zinc and other critical minerals - an effort that would help the United States cut reliance on China for key materials used in manufacturing electronics and weapons. The shareholders, Young Poong conglomerate and private equity firm MBK Partners, said on Tuesday they were not opposed to the construction of a U.S. smelter per se.

Kraft Heinz on Tuesday announced that former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane will lead the company ahead of its planned split next year. Cahillane will join the Oscar Mayer owner as chief executive on Jan. 1. After Kraft Heinz divides into two publicly traded companies, he will serve as CEO of the business it is calling Global Taste Elevation, which will include high-growth brands like Heinz, Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Cahillane previously led Kellogg through its own breakup in 2023. The company split its sluggish North American cereal business from its high-growth snacking unit, which was then renamed Kellanova. Cahillane stayed on as chief executive of Kellanova until Mars acquired the company for $35.9 billion.

Ben & Jerry’s has ousted the chair of its independent board as part of new governance practices introduced by the Vermont-based ice cream brand on Monday that include nine-year term limits for board members. Anuradha Mittal, who joined the Ben & Jerry’s board in 2007, serving as chair since 2018, said this month she had no plans to resign under pressure from the then Ben & Jerry’s owner Unilever, calling efforts to remove her an attempt by Unilever to “undermine the authority of the board itself.” The Cherry Garcia ice cream maker is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company MICC.AS, after a spinoff from Unilever last week that created the world’s largest standalone ice cream company, commanding around a fifth of the US$87 billion global market.

CoreWeave, the largest of a new breed of companies driving the artificial-intelligence boom, has watched $33 billion of value vaporize in six weeks. The share-price plunge of 46% comes as investors worry about a possible AI bubble, the fallout from a failed merger and public criticism from high-profile short seller Jim Chanos, known for predicting the collapse of Enron. But some of the high-tech company’s biggest problems began with a very low-tech nuisance: unexpectedly turbulent rainstorms in North Texas.  Over the summer, heavy rains and winds caused a roughly 60-day delay at a construction site in Denton, a small city north of Dallas, preventing contractors from pouring concrete for a major AI data-center complex, according to people familiar with the matter.

Canadian engineering firm WSP Global Inc. is bulking up once again, announcing a deal to buy U.S. power and energy service consultancy TRC Companies as it continues a relentless drive to build capability and consolidate the industry. WSP will pay US$3.3-billion in cash for TRC and take on its 8,000 employees, becoming the largest engineering and design firm by revenue in the United States when the transaction closes, the Montreal-based company said in a statement Monday. TRC, based in Windsor, Conn., is currently owned by funds managed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

La ministre de l’Industrie, Mélanie Joly, a approuvé la fusion entre la société canadienne de ressources naturelles Teck Resources et la britannique Anglo American. Dans un communiqué publié lundi, Mme Joly a affirmé que la fusion sera avantageuse pour le Canada et l’a qualifiée de « victoire importante ». Teck Resources et Anglo American ont annoncé l’approbation dans des communiqués distincts, qualifiant l’opération de « fusion entre égaux », même si la valeur d’Anglo American est plus du double de celle de Teck Resources. La semaine dernière, les actionnaires ont donné leur accord au projet, annoncé initialement en septembre, visant à créer Anglo-Teck, un géant minier du cuivre pesant 70 milliards de dollars. Selon les modalités de l’approbation, le siège social sera situé à Vancouver, de même que la plupart des dirigeants et des membres du conseil d’administration.

Ben & Jerry's on Monday said it would implement a nine-year term limit for its independent board directors, a move that could remove three current members including board chair Anuradha Mittal. The move comes after Magnum Ice Cream , which now owns the ice cream brand following its spinoff from Unilever earlier this month, said in November that Mittal "no longer meets the criteria" to serve following internal investigations. Mittal, who has served on Ben & Jerry's board since 2007 and been its chair since 2018, had earlier refused to resign, calling the efforts to remove her an attempt by Unilever to "undermine the authority of the board itself.

Tesla’s board of directors has earned more than US$3 billion through stock awards that far exceeded the value of those given to peers at the biggest U.S. technology firms at the time they were paid, according to an analysis performed for Reuters by compensation and governance specialist Equilar. The analysis found CEO Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal has earned nearly $1 billion since 2004, based on the appreciated value of stock options held or liquidated. Director Ira Ehrenpreis has collected $869 million since 2007. Board chair Robyn Denholm has made $650 million since 2014. Directors reaped such windfalls even though they haven’t awarded themselves new stock grants since 2020. The board agreed to suspend director compensation starting in 2021 to settle a shareholder lawsuit alleging excessive board-member pay. Between 2018 and 2020, however, the average Tesla director received a total of about $12 million in cash-and-stock compensation. 

The European Commission is expected on Tuesday to reverse the EU's effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy and European automakers struggling against Chinese and U.S. rivals. The move, the details of which are still being hashed out by EU officials ahead of its unveiling, could see the effective ban pushed back by five years or softened indefinitely, official and industry sources said. The likely revision to the 2023 law requiring all new cars and vans sold in the 27-nation bloc from 2035 to be CO2 emission-free would be the European Union's most significant climb-down from its green policies of the past five years. "The European Commission will be putting forward a clear proposal to abolish the ban on combustion engines," Manfred Weber, head of the European Parliament's largest group, the European People's Party, said on Friday. "It was a serious industrial policy mistake."

Tesla’s board of directors has earned more than US$3 billion through stock awards that far exceeded the value of those given to peers at the biggest U.S. technology firms at the time they were paid, according to an analysis performed for Reuters by compensation and governance specialist Equilar. The analysis found CEO Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal has earned nearly $1 billion since 2004, based on the appreciated value of stock options held or liquidated. Director Ira Ehrenpreis has collected $869 million since 2007. Board chair Robyn Denholm has made $650 million since 2014. Directors reaped such windfalls even though they haven’t awarded themselves new stock grants since 2020. The board agreed to suspend director compensation starting in 2021 to settle a shareholder lawsuit alleging excessive board-member pay. Between 2018 and 2020, however, the average Tesla director received a total of about $12 million in cash-and-stock compensation. That was about eight times as much as the average director at Alphabet, the next highest-paid among the “Magnificent Seven” companies over the same period.

Australia’s stock-exchange operator’s response to its serious and repeated failings has been compromised by its focus on shareholder returns, the country’s securities operator said. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission on Monday said that it will force ASX to hold almost US$100 million in additional capital to cover the cost of remediation for the failings, which include multiple outages. An ASIC-commissioned panel that includes a former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia said that ASX, which runs the exchange on which its own shares are traded, has underinvested in the resilience and security of its infrastructure. At the same time, the panel observed that ASX paid out 88% of its underlying profit in dividends over the past five years. “ASX’s focus on short-term financial performance and shareholder returns has compromised its obligations to operate critical national market infrastructure,” ASIC said in a statement.