In a recent poll conducted by global advisory firm Willis Towers Watson, the majority of U.S. publicly traded companies said they would not remain silent if given the opportunity by the Securities and Exchange Commission to respond to proxy advisor voting recommendations.
The poll was conducted in December 2019, a month after the SEC proposed amendments to its proxy solicitation rules to improve the accuracy and transparency of proxy voting advice, and reflects responses from compensation and human resource professionals at 105 publicly traded U.S. companies. Among the results, 83 percent of companies said they believe the regulations, if finalized, would cause proxy advisors to be more transparent.
