Proxy Access — The March Forward Continues But At A Slower Pace

The proxy access adoption trend continued in 2018, although at a more modest pace. An additional 53 companies adopted proxy access by-laws in the first six months of 2018 compared to 87 in the first six months of 2017. In total, well over 500 companies, and over two-thirds of the S&P 500, have adopted proxy access by-laws. While the New York City Comptroller and other prolific shareholder proponents, including John Chevedden and James McRitchie, submitted fewer proxy access shareholder proposals in 2018 than in 2017, the volume of proxy access proposals was still substantial as compared to other corporate governance proposals. After three extremely active years, it appears that proxy access no longer leads the list of governance topics of shareholder proponents, but it still remains a significant area of focus.