Voting on agenda items at annual general meetings (AGMs) allow investors to use their formal rights as owners to publicly and transparently communicate and escalate important matters, and directly interact with a company’s board.
Resources
Voting
- Making voting count: principle-based voting on shareholder resolutions
How principle-based voting on shareholder resolutions can contribute to clear, effective and accountable stewardship
Board accountability
- Trends and challenges in sustainability related shareholder resolutions
Our research into sustainability-related shareholder resolutions highlights their value as an investor stewardship tool, and the importance of corporate board accountability for their success. - Holding boards accountable for ESG: a business case
ESG competence and accountability at board level is necessary for effective stewardship and good corporate governance. However, some investors may be concerned about harming their relationships with investees. - Are corporate boards responding to successful shareholder ESG proposals?
This article looks at why corporate board responsiveness to shareholder proposals that receive significant support matters.
Filing shareholder proposals
Shareholder proposals are an important corporate engagement mechanism. They allow investors to use their formal rights as owners to publicly and transparently escalate important matters, and directly interact with a company’s board.
Climate transition plan votes
- Climate transition plan votes: investor briefing
Investors should understand the options when selecting the most effective ways to encourage companies to develop and disclose net-zero transition plans. - Climate transition plan votes: investor update
This update identifies risks and unintended consequences of using votes on climate transition plans as a stewardship mechanism. It concludes that other proven stewardship efforts should be prioritised by investors seeking the most effective engagement strategy to drive climate action.
The PRI Resolution Database
The Resolution Database is a global database of sustainability related shareholder resolutions, management proposals, director votes and voting outcomes. It is hosted on (and accessed via) the Collaboration Platform.
The database provides transparency over upcoming votes and investor actions. The database:
- Supports investors to look ahead and plan for upcoming votes
- Enables investors to follow companies and receive alerts when resolutions are added
- Allows signatories to pre-declare their voting intentions
- Promotes dialogue and accountability with companies
