Shareholder Engagement: State of Play — Key Takeaways From Recent Society/Kirkland Panel

The Society for Corporate Governance, in collaboration with Kirkland & Ellis, convened a hybrid panel discussion on Shareholder Engagement: State of Play on September 17, 2026, at Kirkland’s New York offices and via Zoom. Building on last year’s successful program, the session brought together approximately 75 in-person attendees and over 200 virtual participants to help members prepare for the 2027 proxy season in light of recent developments, including:

• the SEC’s proposed rescission of Rule 14a-8 and the potential implications for the shareholder proposal process;
• the SEC’s recent Schedule 13G guidance on investor engagement;
• evolving institutional investor stewardship models and increasing shareholder voting fragmentation;
• mirror voting and the broader debate over the exercise and concentration of voting power;
• changing dynamics between companies and activists; and
• continued attention to corporate redomiciliation.

The panel was led by Sophia Hudson, Partner, Capital Markets, Kirkland & Ellis (moderator), and included Judah Bareli, VP, Associate General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, S&P Global; Anthony Garcia, Head of BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship Team (BAIS); Shaun Mathew, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis (Activism Defense); John Roe, Global Co-Head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship (BIS); Greg Taxin, Managing Member, Spotlight Advisors; and Christina Thomas, Deputy Director, Division of Corporation Finance - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

For a summary of the discussion, see the Society’s Key Takeaways.