Last week, ISS launched its latest annual ‘Global Benchmark Policy Survey’ – responses are due by August 22nd. Here are the primary questions (I didn’t include the multiple-choice answers): The vast majority of shareholder proposals at US companies are precatory (non-binding), so that even if a proposal receives majority support, it remains up to the board to determine exactly how (or even whether) to implement …
Proxy Season Highlights: Shareholder and Management Proposals
Here’s an excerpt from this jam-packed Cooley Alert penned by Michael Mencher, Brad Goldberg, Vince Flynn, and Ali Murata: “Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) issued fewer adverse recommendations again this proxy season, opposing just 11.3% of director nominees, down from 12.7% in 2024 and 13.6% in 2023. Despite this reduced opposition, ISS’s influence remained stable. Directors receiving ISS support averaged 96.5% support, while those facing ISS …
Video Archive: “Proxy Season Recap – 10 Hot Topics”
Here’s the video archive for the recent webcast – “Proxy Season Recap: 10 Hot Topics” – during which Cooley’s Ali Murata, Reid Hooper, Michael Mencher and Broc Romanek – along with Steve Pantina, CEO of Proxy Analytics – discussed how this wild proxy season went down, including up-to-date practical guidance to get ready for next year – such as rapidly changing engagement practices, dealing with …
BlackRock’s Latest Stewardship Report: 11% of Shareholder Proposals Supported Last Year
Recently, BlackRock released its “2024 Investment Stewardship Annual Report” – here’s a 25-page executive summary. Here are six lessons learned – although note this is all about last year; not the latest proxy season: 1. Corporate governance remains a core focus. In 2024, BlackRock’s stewardship engagements largely centered on governance themes – like board quality, strategy, financial resilience and executive compensation – highlighting governance as …
Glass Lewis Previews Changes to Pay-for-Performance Model
Here’s the intro from this Cooley Alert penned by Ali Murata, Michael Bergmann and Vince Flynn: “Last week, Glass Lewis issued the client communication below previewing changes to its quantitative pay-for-performance (P4P) model that will become effective for shareholder meetings starting in 2026. The announcement signals significant revisions to the structure and scope of the Glass Lewis P4P assessments for US and Canadian companies. Glass …
SEC Roundtable on Executive Compensation: Quick Debrief
Here’s an excerpt from this Cooley Alert penned by Ali Murata, Michael Bergmann, Brad Goldberg and Reid Hooper describing what went down during the SEC’s roundtable on executive pay disclosures that took place last Thursday: “The SEC commissioners who spoke appeared uniform in their conviction that the existing rules are unduly complex, repetitive and overly inclusive, and have lost sight of their ultimate purpose of …
The Upcoming Society Conference: The Proxy Season Wristband Preview!
All the rage! If you’re attending the ‘Society of Corporate Governance’ Conference in Colorado in a few weeks, look for one of our Cooley people – including me – so that you can procure one of our nifty “proxy season wristbands.” You can also procure a proxy season wristband by visiting us at our cocktail party on Thursday, July 10th at “The Golden Bee” at …
Vanguard Will Restructure Into Two Distinct Investment Advisors
Last week, Vanguard issued this statement announcing a plan to split its investment management and stewardship functions into these two wholly-owned investment advisors, perhaps to help manage its growth per this Morningstar piece: Here are four things to know:
Tomorrow’s Webcast: “Proxy Season Recap – 10 Hot Topics”
Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, June 24th (1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern) for the webcast – “Proxy Season Recap: 10 Hot Topics” – as Cooley’s Ali Murata, Reid Hooper, Michael Mencher and Broc Romanek – along with Steve Pantina, CEO of Proxy Analytics – discuss how this wild proxy season went down, including up-to-date practical guidance to get ready for next year – such as rapidly …
Texas Legislature Passes Law to Rein in Proxy Advisors
Recently, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2337 (SB 2337) in an effort to regulate proxy advisors – including ISS and Glass Lewis – when they provide proxy voting recommendations for those companies that are either: If signed by the Texas Governor, the law becomes effective on September 1st like other recent business-friendly laws enacted in that state (like this one relating to shareholder proposals). …