This guide discusses important themes from the 2024 proxy season and developing trends we are monitoring for 2025. It also includes a “housekeeping checklist” designed to assist you as you prepare your proxy statement.
For the fourth year in a row, the total number of shareholder proposals submitted increased. Nearly 1,000 proposals were submitted this year.
The most popular shareholder proposal topics in 2024 were:
• climate change, including requests to adopt emission reduction targets, disclose climate transition plans, climate-related lobbying, and climate risks;
• nondiscrimination and diversity, including proposals for third-party audits of company impact on civil rights and DEI, DEI effectiveness reporting, and disclosure of gender or racial pay gaps;
• simple majority voting (eliminate supermajority voting requirements);
• director resignation bylaws; and
• separation of chair and CEO (independent board chair).
Please see full publication below for more information.
