Proxy Season

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The 2026 proxy season thus far has been out-of-the-ordinary, impacted by regulatory and policy developments that required companies and shareholders to adapt their shareholder proposal and engagement strategies. As a result of these unusual circumstances, particularly when coupled with uncertainty about the evolving role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and potential rule changes…

On April 8, 2026, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) agreed that it would not object to a foreign issuer’s use of “notice and access” pursuant to Rule 14a-16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), to furnish proxy materials…

With each passing day, the 2026 proxy season gets more interesting (and not in a positive way for proxy advisory firms).  On December 8, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order (the “Executive Order”) addressing the influence that proxy advisors “wield” to promote “radical politically-motivated agendas” (read more here).  The Executive Order instructed…

On November 17, 2025, the Divisions of Corporation Finance and Investment Management (together, the “Divisions”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published a statement (the “Statement”) regarding their respective reviews of requests to exclude shareholder proposals from annual proxy statements under Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended…

In November 2025, ISS Governance (“ISS”) announced its global Benchmark Proxy Voting Guidelines for shareholder meetings with dates on or after February 1, 2026.  Consistent with prior years, the 2026 updates were derived from extensive outreach to institutional investors, companies and other affiliated organizations.  According to ISS, its proxy voting guidelines “are guided by the…

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The proxy and annual reporting season may seem a long way off. However, in light of the amount of work and planning that goes into the proxy statement, annual report, and annual meeting of shareholders, this is the ideal time to…

Guest post by The Society for Corporate Governance

For decades, corporate boards have wrestled with the role of proxy advisory firms—trying to understand their recommendations, spending more time on shareholder engagement, and, from time to time, questioning the focus of advisory firms on particular issues.  This article, published in Directors & Boards, analyzes the role…

Although it may seem early, it is already time to start preparing for the 2026 annual report and proxy season.  While many disclosure requirements remain consistent from prior years, there has been a significant shift in the focus of, and discourse relating to, the priorities of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Practitioners started to see…

On November 17, 2025, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) Division of Corporation Finance published a new statement (the “Statement”) regarding the review of requests to exclude shareholder proposals by both the Division of Corporation Finance and the Division of Investment Management (together, the “Divisions”) during the 2026 proxy season (including…