The 2025 Proxy Season: What Happened?

The NACD Philadelphia and NACD New England Chapters co-lead a program on the upcoming proxy season. This program covered the trends from the 2025 proxy season which are expected to be major issues in the upcoming proxy season (2026). Issues continue to expand - and rapidly change - along with both demands and risks for the Board and the Company.

The panel focused on the key issues companies and boards will be facing in the upcoming proxy season. Critical areas included compensation, shareholder engagement, regulatory and disclosure requirements affecting board composition, candidate slates and performance compensation. The panel provided an overall understanding of what has changed in the world of board directors over the past year that will directly influence the approach to the proxy season. In addition, the panel discussed potential impacts of new regulations expected from the SEC. As institutional shareholders continue their efforts to influence and focus the boardroom on their priorities, they are further increasing their active engagement with both management and boards in various ways. Attendees learned what do Directors need to know ahead of the upcoming proxy season and for what pitfalls should they prepare.