The Best, Worst and a few So-So VSMs of 2021 to Learn From
To get a good idea of how to run a well-run, shareholder-friendly and useful VSM, start, we say, with our run-throughs of this year’s VSMs of last year’s winners - UnitedHealth Group and UPS… UNITEDHEALTH GROUP’s Board Secretary Dannette Smith once again guided us...
VSMs – At A Tipping Point We Say – Our Predictions For 2022
Now that the U.S. economy is ready to open up for public meetings once again - and with plans for the 2022 Shareholder Meeting Season already needing to be considered - there has been a lot of speculation on the ultimate fate of Virtual Shareholder Meetings. Here are...
VSM Service Providers Enhance Platforms To Improve Access For Street-Name Holders
Good news: The top-four VSM service providers - Broadridge, Computershare, EQ and Mediant - worked together as a sub-committee of the “End-to-End Vote Confirmation Committee” - and, as we’d predicted they would, they have come up with ways to make it easier and surer...
VSMs Come On Strong As Preferred 2021 Meeting Venues
As the Covid pandemic continues to make in-person shareholder meetings a poor choice for most widely-held companies, most of last year’s VSM users - and a large number of companies that used “strong keep-away rules” last year instead - have been lining up extra early,...
Give Shareholders a Premier Virtual Meeting Experience – SSA Webinar
Join Carl Hagberg from Carl T. Hagberg and Associates, John Kim from General Motors and Rick Hansen from HP on Thursday, March 4 at 2 p.m. EST for this practical exploration of delivering a virtual annual meeting that exceeds shareholder expectations.
Here’s Another Useful Development To Smooth The Way At Your VSM: IROs Finally Get A Prime Seat At The AGM Table
One of the most interesting - and encouraging - and useful developments with regard to VSMs - has been the fast-growing importance of the corporate Investor Relations staff - both in terms of preparing for the Meeting, and often, in playing a significant on-air role...
The Biggest VSM Blooper To Avoid: Lost Connectivity Here’s How To Get Set For 2021 – And To Prepare For The Worst Things That Can Happen With Your Meeting Technology
We have had many decidedly up and down experiences listening to the all-too-numerous webinars on VSMs of late where the guidance was flatly wrong, or important facts were omitted: Most notably on what to do if you lose “connectivity” during the course of your...
Several Serious “Bloopers” In The 2020 Q&A And Voting Periods That Are Very Easy To Fix For 2021
Our good-friend and fellow VSM-reporter Doug Chia recently posted the following, from widely-followed shareholder proponent Jim McRitchie: “Here’s one for you. I just got off the virtual meeting of [XYZ company - name redacted by the OPTIMIZER since they were far from...
Issuers: Big Investors Are Raising The Bar On Their Expectations For VSMs Big-time: We Predict A Potential Shortage Of Top-quality VSM Providers Vs. Expected Demand… Start Your Engines Now!
Glass Lewis’s late November release of its 2021 policy guidelines pretty much summed up what every major investor says they will be looking for in Shareholder Meetings in 2021: We look for robust disclosure in a company’s proxy statement which assures shareholders...
Inspectors Of Election: More Important Than Ever With VSMs
Since the very first VSM hit the airwaves the OPTIMIZER has been advising that the Inspector of Elections should be playing a key role - mainly because, with everything taking place in cyberspace, investors really need some added assurances that all of the voting is...
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.