Shareholder Proposals

SGA helps companies engage with institutional governance teams as well as the proxy advisors when opposing shareholder proposals pertaining to environmental, social, and governance (ESG).

SGA can help by:

• Assessing the client’s ESG profile from the institutional shareholder perspective to identify likely points of friction, and to identify and develop actionable recommendations to address underlying “red flag” investor concerns which may not even be visible from inside the boardroom
• Articulating strategies, from potential ESG enhancements to tailored shareholder outreach campaigns, to prevent any points of friction from developing into wedge issues between the company and its shareholders
• Assessing the risk of adverse recommendations from proxy advisory firms on upcoming shareholder votes, and developing strategies to help clients mitigate that risk in advance, or address it if an adverse recommendation has already been issued
• Helping clients analyze disclosure practices, including relative to peers and investor expectations, and identify where and which changes can improve their ESG profile and ratings
• Assisting in the development of messaging collateral for use when facing a difficult ESG related shareholder proposal
• Conduct training sessions with company directors that are involved with the ESG outreach campaign