Some companies are hoping to avoid in-person challenges at the annual meeting by scheduling virtual-only online session. The Council of Institutional Investors, whose members have $3 trillion in assets under management, has also spoken out strongly opposing virtual only meetings and the pension funds of New York City are voting against directors serving on board Governance Committees of companies moving to virtual-only meetings. Of course, in-person meetings enhanced by virtual participation for those who cannot otherwise attend is entirely different and should be encouraged.

The Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia have taken the lead in challenging these decisions with shareholder resolutions at ConocoPhillips and Comcast. The Conoco resolution has already been cofiled by the Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust and the Needmor Fund, a Walden client. The Sisters have also filed a similar resolution with Comcast.

Walden’s Tim Smith stated, “The decision to move an annual meeting to cyberspace has moved far beyond a minor internal management decision and become an important governance matter for companies. Imagine if companies facing major controversies had decided to forgo physical meetings. If a company faces debate on their comp package or its climate change position or has votes on shareholder resolutions it is also a problem to have a disembodied discussion on line for a stockholder meeting.“