What to Know about Universal Proxy with Bruce Goldfarb of Okapi Partners

Okapi’s Bruce Goldfarb joins the podcast to discuss the new Universal Proxy Rules

On August 31 the SEC adopted the widely anticipated “Universal Proxy Rules” and now, going forward, all contested director election processes will have to follow the new rules.

What’s Changing?

Both management and the dissident slates of directors in a contested situation will now be on one proxy card, thereby allowing shareholders to vote on individual directors, rather than the entire slate of one side. This will enable investors to mix and match their director selections.

We sat down with Okapi Partners CEO Bruce Goldfarb to break down the rules, changes, and the implications for companies, board members, and shareholders alike. Will corporate activism campaigns start to resemble political campaigns? Have a listen.

Topics Discussed

  • How we got here and overview of changes
  • Will universal proxy leads to more activism?
  • What it means for individual directors
  • Any ESG or DEI implications
  • Winners and losers

About Bruce Goldfarb

Bruce H. Goldfarb is President and Chief Executive Officer of Okapi Partners, the proxy solicitation and investor response firm.  Bruce works extensively with corporations and investors focusing on investor response strategy and execution for contested election campaigns, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance matters, ESG engagement and other extraordinary situations.

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