FOUR TOP ISSUES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE 2026 AGM SEASON

If you haven’t yet had a chance to listen to the  Timely Takes Podcast from TheCorporateCousel.net, moderated by Meredith Ervine and featuring your co-editors, it is still not too late to listen, learn – and prepare. First, as noted (and see below for more details)...

MAJOR PROXY SOLICITORS WILL RECOMMEND OUR “VOTES HAVE VALUE” BOOKLET TO CLIENTS THIS SEASON

The OPTIMIZER is very pleased to announce that many of the best proxy solicitation firms will be recommending to clients that they use our educational booklet, “Shareholder Votes Have Value”©  this season as part of the overall 2026 campaign - especially those with...

THE RISKS OF LAWSUITS FROM “DISSED PROPONENTS” ARE REAL ONES, ISSUERS: DON’T LET MORE SHAREHOLDER DOLLARS GO TO WASTE, WE SAY, BUT STAND FIRM IF A PROPOSAL IS WEAK

The ink was hardly dry on the SEC release on no no-action letters when three thwarted proponents went to court to seek relief, as we predicted many would do. Four NYC public pension funds sued AT&T in New York federal court over its decision to exclude a workforce...

Annual Meeting Season is Here – Are You Ready?

Get the full transcript from the April 2, 2025, webinar hosted by TheCorporateCounsel.net: “Conduct of the Annual Meeting” As corporate governance continues to evolve in response to shifting regulatory landscapes and rising shareholder expectations, now is the time to...

THE BIGGEST AND BEST THING WE SAW THIS SEASON: A 41% INCREASE IN RETAIL INVESTOR VOTING PARTICIPATION…FOLLOWING AN 8% INCREASE LAST YEAR… AT BANK of AMERICA

Given the slow but steady falloff in individual investor voting that we have been witnessing since the 1970s, it’s hard for us to overstate what a huge and important development this is. We were mightily impressed with last year’s addition of 50,000 new retail voters,...

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People: 2018Q2

Abby Cowart has resigned as Executive Director of the Shareholder Services Association (SSA) as of June 13, 2018, after a highly successful three-year tenure, marked by the launch of a Certification Program for Shareholder Relations Professionals and vigorous new...

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On the Supplier Scene: 2018Q2

Computershare is set to purchase Equatex – “a Zurich based employee share plans administrator with a strong business across Europe [whose] 220+ employees provide a range of employee share plans administration solutions for over 160 clients…

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WANT TO GET YOUR BLOOD A’BOILIN’??  READ WHAT UK DIRECTORS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE SHORTAGE OF WOMEN LEADERS ON BOARDS…AND IN THE WORKPLACE

“All the ‘good’ women have already been snapped up.” “I don’t think women fit comfortably into the board environment” “There aren’t that many women with the right credentials and depth of experience to sit on the board—the issues covered are extremely complex” “Most...

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Podcast Alert: Annual Meeting Season 2026 — Expert Advice from Carl & Peder Hagberg


Carl and Peder Hagberg of The Shareholder Service OPTIMIZER join Meredith Ervine from TheCorporateCounsel.net to discuss proxy season risks, virtual meetings, and shareholder engagement for 2026.

 Listen to hear their insights on this year’s annual meeting season.

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