SEC Chair Drops Three Bombshells: Questions Precatory Proposals and Defers to State Laws Like Texas’s $1M Threshold — The End of Proxy Regulation as We Know It?
In his Keynote Address at the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance’s 25th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 9, 2025. SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins started off on a high note: “I am delighted to discuss one of my top priorities as Chairman, which is to make being a...
Just In Time For Folks Who Think That Shareholder Votes Have No Value… “Mercury Vote” Also Begs To Differ
Thanks much to our colleagues and friends Pat Tracey and Andy Wilcox, who alerted us to the Mercury Vote website, advising that: "We are an auction marketplace that empowers shareholders to generate extra revenue by selling their unused proxy voting rights,enabling...
Exxon Mobil Launches Program Allowing Retail Shareholders To Issue “Standing Voting Instructions.” A Potential Game-Changer… Or A Major Flop Ahead?
It seems that every law firm in the country has been summarizing Exxon Mobil’s attempted vote-getting effort, speculating that others will follow suit and offering pointers on what to watch for and what to do. We, however, as 60+ year observers of actual U.S. proxy...
Ellen Philip and Associates Turn Their Widely Attended Holiday Party Into “A Party with A Purpose”
We were deeply saddened to learn that Cal Donly - the life-and-business partner of Ellen Philip, who survives him - passed away on October 18th. Everyone who was anyone in the Shareholder Servicing world over the past 60 years knows Cal and Ellen - two of the finest,...
DEI And Anti-DEI Proposals In 2025 – And The Outlook For 2026
An April 14 report from the Conference Board (where most Russell 3000 companies had already filed 2025 proxy materials) showed a precipitous drop in Pro-DEI proposals – no big surprise in today’s environment – and a foretaste of what’s to come in 2026 we feel certain....
A Quick Overview Of A Greatly Improved 2025 AGM Environment – And The Outlook For 2026
An ISS analysis of shareholder meetings held from January 1 through June 30 shows a big drop in Shareholder Proposal Submissions for the 2025 Annual Meeting Season: 782 submissions at Russell 3000 companies – down sharply from 906 in ’24 – with nearly a quarter of...
Start Preparing For Your 2026 AGM Now!
Yes, we know it’s mid-summer, but now really is the time to start thinking about your 2025 Annual Meeting, while you have a bit of idle time to reflect on what worked well – and not so well in 2025 – both at your company and at other companies like your own – and to...
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...
Institutional Investors Promise To Monitor And Act On VSMs That Short-Circuit Investor Participation
As the big Spring Shareholder Meeting Season begins we want to renew our warnings that “Big Brother is watching” – and rightly so, we say - to be sure that all shareholders are given a fair chance - not just to listen passively, but to be HEARD at VSMs – AND that they...
Awful Advice On VSMs From A Big T-A: Take It At Your Peril
In the run-up to the annual podcast covering “The Conduct of the Annual Meeting,” a prospective attendee wrote in to ask if they could pre-record their entire Meeting, and to answer only pre-recorded questions, saying that their transfer agent (one of the biggest...
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.