Independent News & Media said yesterday that it was "fully compliant with all corporate governance requirements" but confirmed that it would shortly meet the Irish Association of Investment Managers (IAIM) to discuss the issue at its request.
Chief operating officer Mr Gavin O'Reilly said the company had had no contact from any of its institutional investors on the matter.
But it is understood that concern among IAIM members about the company's failure to split the roles of chairman and chief executive, and the composition of its board led to the request for the meeting.
On the issue of Sir Anthony O'Reilly's role as executive chairman, Mr O'Reilly noted that most Fortune 500 companies in the US combined the role of chairman and chief executive.
However, he said the company was "happy to sit down" with the IAIM and expected a meeting in the next month.
Independent has also been criticised for the size and composition of its board in the past.
It has more than 20 directors, many of whom have been on the board since the 1970s and 1980s. Not all meet the strict criteria for independence increasingly being sought by investors as corporate governance moves higher up the agenda in the wake of recent accounting scandals.
