The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:30:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png Key Issues for Companies and Activist Investors Heading into the 2026 Proxy Season – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 Key Issues for Companies and Activist Investors Heading into the 2026 Proxy Season https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/03/07/key-issues-for-companies-and-activist-investors-heading-into-the-2026-proxy-season/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=key-issues-for-companies-and-activist-investors-heading-into-the-2026-proxy-season https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/03/07/key-issues-for-companies-and-activist-investors-heading-into-the-2026-proxy-season/#respond Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:30:58 +0000 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/?p=179590?d=20260306165432EST Posted by Kerry E. Berchem, John Patrick Clayton, and Bryan D. Flannery, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, on Saturday, March 7, 2026
Editor's Note:

Kerry E. Berchem, John Patrick Clayton, and Bryan D. Flannery are Partners at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. This post is based on an Akin Gump memorandum by Ms. Berchem, Mr. Clayton, Mr. Flannery, Steven Franklin, Douglas A. Rappaport, and Kate D. Shapiro.

Executive Summary

As the 2026 proxy season prepares to go into full swing, significant structural shifts are underway in the proxy voting ecosystem. Regulatory scrutiny, evolving investor stewardship frameworks and innovations in retail voting platforms are combining to complicate traditional assumptions about governance activism. For shareholder activists, whether hedge funds, ESG- or sustainability-oriented groups or other investors, the new regime presents both opportunities and headwinds.

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