2016 Proxy Mid-Season Review

Results from the first part of the 2016 proxy season and overall corporate governance trends continue to point to the need for proactive board-shareholder engagement. There were 1,085 say-on-pay proposals so far this season, and just over 3% of them failed to achieve majority shareholder support. Overall shareholder support declined by one percentage point compared to the same period in 2015. And although overall support for shareholder proxy access proposals was slightly lower than last year, many companies have voluntarily adopted proxy access, thereby averting a shareholder vote.