What Directors Should Know About the 2025 Proxy Season
Governance is a shared investor priority in an increasingly fractured proxy landscape As companies prepare for the 2025 proxy season, the EY Center for Board Matters has identified key areas of investor focus and shifts in the proxy landscape that could impact proxy voting results and shape engagement this year. These findings are based on […]
Posted by Jamie Smith and Robyn Bew, EY, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Editor's Note:
Jamie C. Smith is a Director, and Robyn Bew is a Boardroom Advisor, at EY. This post is based on their EY memorandum.
Governance is a shared investor priority in an increasingly fractured proxy landscape
As companies prepare for the 2025 proxy season, the EY Center for Board Matters has identified key areas of investor focus and shifts in the proxy landscape that could impact proxy voting results and shape engagement this year.
These findings are based on conversations we had with governance specialists from institutional investors representing US$55 trillion in assets under management. Based on our conversations with investor stewardship leaders, here are developments to watch heading into proxy season 2025.
- In a rapidly changing business context, investors’ expectations about company priorities are evolving. While climate and talent remain top focus areas, a growing number of investors want companies to prioritize technology, capital strategy and political risk management.
- Some investors are increasing their focus on board quality and governance, while artificial intelligence (AI) continues to accelerate as an engagement topic.
- After multiple years of convergence, the investor community is diverging on sustainability stewardship as asset owners and managers adapt to changes in shareholder activism and growing scrutiny from stakeholders in a shifting US political environment.
