And the votes are in…

No, no... this isn't another ROBBIE awards ceremony... we're talking shareholder votes this time.

If you only read one obituary from this most recent proxy season in the States, make it this study of US mutual funds by Tapestry Networks (in concert with IRRC Institute).

Among the many highlights was this gem: mutual funds are increasingly relying upon proxy advisory firms to serve as data aggregators. "Across the board, participants in our research said they value proxy firms’ ability to collect, organize, and present vast amounts of data, and they believe smaller asset managers are more reliant on those services."

All the more reason companies need to treat proxy matters as a year-round campaign and make sure their investors understand their governance structures, protocols and practices. Similarly, doing so will allow companies to clearly understand their investors' governance concerns and sensitivities long before they send out the proxy ballot.

Be interested to know what jumps out at you when reading this report.