August 2026

• The SEC signaled a rollback of its longstanding shareholder proposal regime, with plans to rescind Rule 14a-8 and return oversight to the states.

• An overhaul of executive pay disclosure is on the White House desk and could meaningfully reshape what companies tell the market.

• Glass Lewis’s formal plans to split its benchmark policy into four, and initial voting reports from BlackRock and Vanguard, reinforce a fragmenting proxy voting landscape.

• High-profile activists dialed up the pressure across multiple sectors, with fresh escalations at Northern Star, Wendy's, and Shake Shack.