2026 Dallas Board Of Directors Forum: Key Takeaways (Video)

The Baker Botts Dallas Board of Directors Forum brought together subject matter experts on significant and trending topics in the Debate Chamber at Old Parkland on February 10th, 2026. The key takeaways shared with board members during the panels included:

1. Shareholder activism has reached new levels with a significant rise in first-time players. In 2025, the U.S. saw a record number of campaigns, including a significant number of first-time activists, leading to substantial commercial and structural impacts on companies and their boards and management. Boards should assume they could face a campaign and build readiness accordingly.
2. Universal proxy has transformed board elections into individualized, person-to-person matchups. Rather than picking an entire slate of candidates, shareholders now vote for individual directors, placing increased importance on the director bios included with proxy materials. Directors should refresh their bios to make sure they