Coalition for Democratic Governance
(C4DG)

Defending democratic rights in the organisations people own and support.

The Coalition for Democratic Governance (C4DG) is a growing alliance of member groups, shareholder advocates, governance campaigners and civil society organisations working together to strengthen democratic accountability across Britain’s institutions.

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Why does C4DG exist?

We believe that members and shareholders deserve a genuine voice — not governance systems that reduce scrutiny, entrench incumbents or weaken participation.
By coordinating campaigns, research and public advocacy across multiple sectors, C4DG seeks to build a stronger collective voice for democratic governance reform.

Our immediate priorities

Opposing virtual-only AGMs

Binding votes on executive pay in member-owned organisations

Greater direct member representation on boards

Ending “Quick Vote” and similar mechanisms that diminish democratic choice

Media coverage

Making it easier for companies to hold online-only AGMs risks further hindering the ability of shareholders to have their voices heard, because virtual meetings are simpler for companies to stage-manage and could give businesses the power to cherry-pick the shareholder questions put to bosses.

Ben Martin

The Times (7th Sept 2026)

Obliging the non-executives on the remuneration committee to justify their decisions to the outside world, in the knowledge the owners will vote, is a bare minimum requirement for retaining a bit of accountability in the system. If the chief executive has to squirm when, say, 30% of shareholders rebel, so be it. By rights, any reform ought to be in the other direction: it would be better to make the annual poll binding.