
The episode discusses predictions for 2026 regarding proxy contests, shareholder proposals, and board diversity with insights from Ann Lipton and Mike Levin.
2025 REVIEW FROM MIKE LEVIN: Big proxy contests: PHX-Elliott Significant situations: PEP-Elliott TSLA AGM SEC rules on shareholder proposals Proxy advisor pressure Delaware under scrutiny US stakes in INTL, others XOM retail voting program 2026 PREDICTIONS: DIRECTORS Will a director be voted out in an uncontested election this year for a reason OUTSIDE of attendance (re: Netflix’s Jay Hoag’s 78% NO vote) at a big US company? The average percentage of directors getting less than 50% of the vote is 0.2% - generally it happens due to activism OR attendance. Will it happen for some other reason? Canary in a coal mine: what will Hoag’s FOR votes be in 2026? The average percentage of women on boards will be? Most recent data shows a 22% drop in new diverse candidates on boards, and Damion pulled a stunning number of “Down to 2” as a common refrain for boards looking to diversify away from women. The current average number of women on large cap US boards is 30% - how far does the average move after 2025-6? SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS Which company will allow the most shareholder proposals? In 2025, Alphabet clocked in with the highest number of shareholder proposals at 13…
Guests: Ann Lipton, Mike Levin
Organizations: Shareholder Primacy podcast, PHX-Elliott, PEP-Elliott, TSLA, SEC, XOM, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Walmart
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