Proxy Season Resource Center

Submitted by root on Wed, 2011-06-22 16:05

ISS research analysts and experts provide reviews and previews of proxy season developments in the United States and around the world.

2012 Post Season Report: Ireland

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Notable government proposals and regulatory updates were made in the U.K. Corporate Governance Code and the Central Bank of Ireland Corporate Governance Code.

2012 U.S. Proxy Season Preview: Environmental & Social Issues

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Investors have filed more proposals this year that relate to political spending and lobbying, but fewer resolutions on climate change and sustainability.

2012 U.S. Proxy Season Watchlist

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

A snapshot of high-profile U.S. shareholder proposal filings.

2012 U.S. Proxy Access Proposals

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

A table of the proxy access resolutions that investors have filed for the 2012 U.S. proxy season.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: China and Taiwan

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

The adoption of stock option plans is becoming more common in China and related-party transactions continue to be one of the key issues for the Chinese market. Taiwan regulators made a series of amendments to the Company Act in 2011 and earlier in 2012.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Say-on-pay is expected to once again attract significant shareholder interest in Switzerland, whereas fewer say-on-pay proposals are expected at German companies this season.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: France

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Companies may provide better disclosure this year in response to recommendations from a regulatory working group.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Canada

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

While say-on-pay votes are not yet mandated in Canada, about 120 companies are expected to have these proposals on their ballots this year.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Italy

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Director elections have become more contentious as more slates of candidates are competing for board seats, as a consequence of the record date system introduced in 2011.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Spain

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Companies will be watching closely to see whether the Spanish government implements a ministerial order to set a 12-year term limit on directors.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Belgium

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

Belgian companies will be required to hold say-on-pay votes this year.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: South Korea

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

During the Korean proxy season, companies likely will seek approval for income allocation authority and other article amendments.

2012 Proxy Season Preview: Nordic Countries

Submitted by nvalentine on Fri, 2011-12-16 14:15

M&A, board diversity, and changes in Sweden's supermajority rules are among the most significant issues in the Nordic markets this year.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Canada

More issuers continue to voluntarily adopt "say on pay," individual director elections, and majority voting policies. Additionally, increased shareholder engagement has replaced the filing of shareholder proposals to a significant degree, resulting in a diminished number of proposals filed as well as actually voted

2011 U.S. Postseason Report

A review of how investors voted during this year’s advisory votes on compensation, director elections, shareholder proposals on governance issues, and environmental and social resolutions.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Japan

Lack of board independence is still a major concern, but independence is improving slowly.

2011 Proxy Season Review: South Africa

This report highlights trends identified during the second half of 2011 with many companies continuing to adapt to the new legislative environment introduced by the Companies Act 2008, which finally came into force in May, and the King III code of best practice.

2011 Proxy Season Review: United Kingdom

Submitted by admin on Fri, 2011-09-09 17:15

The percentage of U.K. companies with declassified boards has increased dramatically this year.

2011 Voting Results Report: Europe

Submitted by admin on Fri, 2011-09-09 17:15

The overall level of shareholder dissent has remained static over the past four years, despite turbulence within European markets.

2011 Proxy Season Review: France

Submitted by TYau on Mon, 2011-08-22 15:05

A significant trend this season was shareholders’ dissent on elections, related-party transactions, remuneration, and share capital increases. Several major companies developed strategies on these topics to avoid any shareholders’ sanction.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Belgium

Submitted by TYau on Mon, 2011-08-22 15:05

Shareholder votes on remuneration are becoming more common in Belgium, as investors vote on "say on pay" proposals, severance pay, and stock options for independent directors.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Eastern Europe

Submitted by TYau on Fri, 2011-08-12 14:29

Russian companies remove government officials from their boards, while changes to Russian legislation lead to a spike in resolutions to amend companies' corporate documents.

Preliminary 2011 U.S. Postseason Report

Submitted by TYau on Mon, 2011-08-01 12:56

During the spring U.S. proxy season, most companies received broad support for their pay practices, while investors gave greater support to shareholder proposals seeking board declassification.

2011 U.S. Season Review: Governance Proposals

Submitted by TYau on Wed, 2011-06-22 15:38

Shareholder proposals seeking board declassification are averaging 73.5 percent this year, up more than 12 percentage points from 2010.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Nordic Countries

Submitted by TYau on Wed, 2011-07-13 12:09

Shareholders are becoming more active and filing an increasing number of shareholder proposals on a broad range of topics.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Greece

Submitted by TYau on Wed, 2011-07-13 12:08

Large Greek companies have raised their corporate governance standards closer to those in other European markets.

2011 Proxy Season Review: Spain

Submitted by TYau on Wed, 2011-07-13 12:06

In response to legislative changes, most Spanish issuers included amendment proposals on their meeting agendas this season to address shareholder meetings and directors.

2011 Proxy Season Review Switzerland

In Switzerland, the number of “say on pay” proposals increased by more than 100 percent this year, while shareholder activism appears to be on the rise.

2011 Proxy Season Review South Korea

This report reviews the South Korean proxy season.

U.S. Season Review: ‘Say on Pay’ Votes

While 36 companies have reported failed pay votes, most issuers have received overwhelming investor support during the first year of advisory votes mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.

2011 U.S. Season Review: Governance Proposals

Shareholder proposals seeking board declassification are averaging 71 percent this year, up 10 percentage points from 2010.

2011 U.S. Season Review: E&S Proposals

The average investor support for shareholder resolutions on environmental and social (E&S) issues continues to rise.

2011 U.S. Proxy Season Scorecard

A summary of the vote results for shareholder proposals on leading governance and E&S topics.

2011 Proxy Season Review: United Kingdom

Submitted by root on Mon, 2011-10-03 17:35

The percentage of U.K. companies with declassified boards has increased dramatically this year.

New from ISS

Institutional Shareholder Services to Open its Platform to Select Research and Data Providers

Rockville, MD; April 18, 2013 – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance solutions to the global financial community, today announced that it opened its ProxyExchange™ platform to third party research and data providers in an effort to offer institutional clients a single gateway to access multiple sources of governance research and information.

ISS Response to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Guidelines for Proxy Advisory Firms

Rockville, MD; March 21, 2013 – As a firm committed to helping institutional investors exercise their fiduciary duties, ISS could not disagree more with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s assertions that the corporate governance system is broken.

ISS Comments on ESMA Principles for Proxy Advisors

Rockville, MD; March 18, 2013 – ISS Comments on Principles Regarding the Proxy Advisory Industry Derived from ESMA's Analysis.

Institutional Shareholder Services Launches ISS Governance QuickScore™

Rockville, MD; February 25, 2013 – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance solutions to the global financial community, has launched ISS Governance QuickScore™, a new quantitatively-based scoring and screening solution designed to help institutional investors identify and manage governance risk in companies held in their investment portfolios.

2013 Proxy Season Preview: Environmental and Social Issues

Submitted by root on Fri, 2013-03-15 17:36

For the second year, political issues have surpassed environmental concerns as the top environmental and social (E&S) subject that shareholders will be asked to vote on at annual meetings during the spring proxy season, but both areas contain substantial numbers of resolutions.

Institutional Shareholder Services Offers Meeting Results Service

Rockville, MD; February 6, 2013 – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance solutions to the global financial community, has launched a new, comprehensive Meeting Results Service, covering global meetings from January 1, 2013 forward.

2012 Post Season Report: World Markets

Submitted by root on Tue, 2013-03-05 19:04

The 2012 Proxy Season Review of World Markets contains a compilation of our 2012 Post Season Reports by market.

Securities Class Action Services Top 100 Settlements Report

Submitted by root on Thu, 2013-01-17 14:01

Building on the industry's most comprehensive database on securities class action litigation, ISS' Securitites Class Action Services Top 100 Settlements Semi-Annual Report for 2H 2012 identifies the largest securities class action settlements filed after the passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, ranked by the total value of the settlement fund.

The Top 100 Settlements Semi-Annual Report provides a wealth of information, including the settlement date, filing court, settlement fund, and identifies the key players for each settlement.