Electronic Arts 2022 annual meeting is on August 11, 2022, at 2:00 am Pacific. It is virtual, on the Broadridge platform. I (James McRitchie) recommend voting in advance. To enhance corporate governance and long-term value, vote Against Huber, Roche, Simonson, Ubiñas, Ueberroth, and Wilson, pay, auditor, and incentive plan. Vote FOR other Bruce, Gonzalez, lower special meeting threshold, and require a shareholder vote on termination pay.
Electronic Arts Inc. develops, markets, publishes and distributes games, content, and services for game consoles, PCs, mobile phones, and tablets worldwide. Below, is how I voted and why.
I voted with the Board’s recommendations 31% of the time. View Proxy Statement via SEC’s EDGAR system (look for DEF 14A).
Read Warnings. My recommendations seek to enhance corporate governance and long-term value.
Electronic Arts 2022: ISS Rating
From the Yahoo Finance profile page: Electronic Arts Inc.’s ISS Governance QualityScore as of July 1, 2022, is 8. The pillar scores are Audit: 5; Board: 6; Shareholder Rights: 3; Compensation: 10.
Corporate governance scores courtesy of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). Scores indicate decile rank relative to index or region. A decile score of 1 indicates lower governance risk, while a 10 indicates higher governance risk. Tesla’s scores virtually scream governance risk.
Electronic Arts 2022: CorpGov Recommendations
| Item | Egan-Jones | CorpGov |
|---|---|---|
| 1A – 1H – Election of Directors | AGAINST: Huber, Roche, Simonson, and Ueberroth | AGAINST: Huber, Roche, Simonson, Ubiñas, Ueberroth, and Wilson |
| 2 – Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation (Pay) Pay not strongly aligned with the long-term interest of its shareholders. At $19.9M, higher than the average S&P 500 CEO. | AGAINST | AGAINST |
| 3 – Ratification of the Appointment of Independent Auditors After 35 years, it is hard to believe KPMG remains independent. | AGAINST | AGAINST |
| 4 – Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of the Electronic Arts Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2019 EIP”) Should be better aligned with performance and lower cost. Are they rewarding performance or volatility? Are incentives too focused at the top? According to PIRC: They are acting as a complex and opaque hedge against absolute company underperformance and long-term share price falls. They are also a significant factor in reward for failure. | AGAINST | AGAINST |
| 5 – Amend Special Meeting Provisions My proposal of 2019 asking for a 15% threshold won 57.5%. This would implement. | AGAINST EJ thinks 15% is too low. | FOR |
| 6 – Require Shareholder Vote on Termination Pay | FOR | FOR |
Electronic Arts 2022: Directors
Huber and Simonson have both served considerably longer than ten years, so should not be considered independent. Retention awards make up a significant portion of the long-term incentives and therefore the CEO’s compensation scheme does not link pay to performance and was high, so I voted against committee members Roche and Ueberroth. Ubiñas serves on four boards. That’s too many. Wilson should not be both CEO and chairman of the board.
Electronic Arts 2022: Proposal on Termination Pay
According to PIRC:
Ratification of severance agreements or payments is common practice in developed markets overseas (such as France or Italy)… this proposal is considered to be an advance in corporate governance, as it will allow to reduce the gap between shareowners and management.
Other Recommendations
In looking up funds in our Shareowner Action Handbook, I see several have reported their votes.
Electronic Arts 2023: Issues for Future Proposals
Looking at insightia for anti-shareholder provisions:
- No requirement for an independent chair
Electronic Arts 2023: Mark Your Calendar
Proposals to be considered for inclusion in our proxy materials: No later than the close of business (6:00 p.m. Pacific Time) on February 24, 2023. All proposals must comply with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
Where should I send proposals and director nominations for the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders? Stockholder proposals and director nominations should be sent in writing to Jacob Schatz, Corporate Secretary at Electronic Arts Inc., 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94065.
See also EA resists call to shrink golden parachutes at https://www.axios.com/2022/09/06/ea-golden-parachutes