London — Sky is facing pressure from a prominent business lobby group to remove James Murdoch as chairperson, if a majority of independent shareholders oppose his leadership at the UK pay-TV provider’s annual meeting on Thursday. The Institute of Directors, an influential voice in UK corporate governance, has urged the broadcaster’s board to honour the votes of independent investors, who own just more than 60% of the company. Advisory services including ISS have recommended voting against re-electing Sky’s chairperson, citing a conflict of interest over his role as CEO at 21st Century Fox, which owns almost 40% of Sky and is trying to buy the rest for £11.7bn. "The board should listen to the voice of independent investors," said Roger Barker, head of corporate governance at the institute. "We’d like to think a no vote will give the board strong pause for thought." By wading into the debate, the institute has upped the stakes for Murdoch at the annual meeting, scheduled to take place...
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