proxy
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The rising influence of retail investors in M&A votes
Retail investors are increasingly shaping corporate governance and M&A transactions, driven by accessible financial platforms and a growing willingness to exercise their shareholder voting rights. Unlike institutional investors, who have historically dominated shareholder votes, retail investors represent a dynamic and expanding bloc that companies must engage strategically. This article examines the rise of retail investor influence, key drivers of their participation and actionable strategies for corporations to leverage this trend in critical M&A votes.
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Five things IROs can learn from the 2025 Corporate Governance Forum
The New York event brought together top governance professionals in an era when change can be quick and new stakeholders are entering the arena The 2025 Corporate Governance Forum brought together governance professionals, board members and advisers for discussions that included proxy disclosure, shareholder activism and the politicization of corporate decision-making. Across all panels, one theme stood out: governance has become more strategic, more transparent and perhaps, more political than ever. Here’s five takeaways from the event. 1. The proxy statement is a storytelling tool, not a compliance document During the first session of the day – Best practices for optimizing…
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‘A chatbot can’t capture the CEO’s voice’: The real role of AI in earnings prep
The technology can streamline the earnings process, experts agreed on a recent IR Impact briefing How can AI best be employed in your earnings preparation? According to leading IR experts, it’s best not to make a facsimile of your CEO, but the technology can certainly help save time and leave you to concentrate on more strategic activities. This was according to those speaking on a recent IR Impact briefing, held in partnership with AlphaSense and titled ‘Effective earnings preparation amid macro volatility’, who shared their insights on how to prepare for earnings season in an environment marked by constant change,…
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The art of engagement: how to build lasting shareholder relationships
Political pressure and regulatory change pose a challenge to IR and governance teams Shareholder engagement remains a top priority for companies navigating today’s complex capital markets. Proactively engaging key shareholders allows companies to communicate their long-term strategies, explain operational decisions and develop and strengthen relationships with this key stakeholder group. This need for engagement has only grown amid unstable economic conditions, including supply chain issues, inflation, tariffs, trade tensions and related market volatility. Recent anti-DE&I and anti-ESG movements, executive orders issued by the new US administration, changing proxy advisory firm policies and renewed efforts by shareholder activists all underscore the…
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Despite political noise, the stats clearly show the anti-DEI movement does not have shareholder support
The movement fell flat in 2025’s proxy season with most proposals receiving less than 2 percent investor backing Shareholders sent companies a clear message this proxy season: anti-DEI proposals do not have their backing. At 30 of the largest US companies, together worth over $13 trn, every anti-DEI proposal was rejected, with most receiving less than 2 percent support from investors, according to nonprofit Impactivize. These proposals, which aimed to roll back corporate DEI efforts, made up about 40 percent of all DEI-related proposals this year, a sharp increase from 23 percent in 2024. Despite growing . . . Enjoy access to this and…
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SEC nixes 14a-8 guidance that widened path for ESG proposals
The SEC has dropped guidance on the parameters by which companies may seek go-ahead to exclude shareholder proposals from their proxy statements.
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Five key steps companies should take before launching their next shareholder meeting
With the shareholder meeting season rapidly approaching it is important for companies to be aware of the shifts in corporate governance trends.
