SOC Takes on SBUX: Finally, The First ESG Proxy Contest Under UPC For over a year, we and others speculated that ESG proponents would pounce on universal proxy cards (UPC) as a way to escalate efforts to exert influence over companies. Since UPC became mandatory in September 2022, we have seen exactly zero proxy contests […]
CII 2023 Fall Conference. I hope to see many of you there. I’m excited about the theme, “Next Frontiers in Governance.” CII offers unprecedented opportunities to network, share best practices, and learn from others. The CII 2023 Fall Conference will be in-person only. Register for the conference in Long Beach, California. In preparing to meet […]
The Manhattan Institute‘s Proxy Monitor Project would call it another failure by gadfly shareholders, since United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) filed and was granted a no-action request by the SEC to exclude our proposal to allow shareowners with 15% of the outstanding UNFI shares to call a special meeting. Since the proposal cannot receive a majority vote from shareowners, the […]
This was the last of a three part overview of shareholder activism, beginning with the history and an overview of the key players in the space; continuing with a behind-the-scenes look at non-contentious shareholder engagement and how its impacting companies and the market; and ending with this session on Contested Situations: Proxy Fights, PR wars and […]
The Activist Investor – Why Companies Oppose Proxy Access discusses three possibilities: (more…)
When some 10,000 union members and activists march on Wall Street April 29, they will be joined by “virtual marchers” demanding an end to Big Banks’ reckless practices and insisting on real Wall Street reform. The AFL-CIO will print the name and personal message of virtual marchers on stickers that marchers will carry to insist […]
As annual meetings approach, issuers and investors find themselves needing to work with RiskMetrics, Glass Lewis, PROXYGovernance, and other proxy advisors. Who are these firms and why are they so important? How can they make or break a campaign for board of directors positions or shareowner proposals? The Activist Investor provides a brief review and […]