Governance Watch Webcast: 2026 Proxy Season Preview

Webinar

Cleary Gottlieb partners J.T. Ho and Francesca Odell participated in The Conference Board’s Governance Watch Webcast: 2026 Proxy Season Preview.

The 2026 proxy season is unfolding against a backdrop of uncertainty, heightened scrutiny, and regulatory risk. As companies navigate new SEC guidance, the evolving role of proxy advisors, and increasingly unpredictable activist strategies, consistency of approach and clarity of messaging are becoming as important as the underlying position itself.

In partnership with The Conference Board, this annual webcast examined the regulatory and market developments shaping the upcoming proxy season and discussed how companies are preparing in practice.

Topics included:

• Recent SEC guidance and regulatory developments impacting the 2026 proxy season
• What’s changing in shareholder proposal trends and exclusion arguments
• Proxy advisor policy updates and their practical implications
• How companies should be thinking about disclosure, engagement, and voting outcomes
• Key considerations for legal, governance, and corporate secretary teams heading into proxy season

Participants:

• J.T. Ho, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb
• Larry Miller, Senior Managing Director, Innisfree
• Andy Wright, Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel – Corporate Legal Affairs and U.S./Canada and Global Operations and Secretary, Marriott International, Inc.
• Francesca Odell, Partner and Leader of the Americas Corporate Practice, Cleary Gottlieb (Moderator)

This Governance Watch program was co-hosted by Cleary and The Conference Board ESG Center. Learn more.

To receive invitations for future events, subscribe to our Corporate Governance mailing list by clicking here and selecting “Corporate Governance.”