ELI LILLY AND COMPANY | Eliminate supermajority voting requirements at ELI LILLY AND COMPANY

Status
40.69% votes in favour
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
8
Resolution details
Company ticker
LLY
Lead filer
Resolution ask
Adopt or amend a policy
ESG theme
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • Shareholder rights
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Health Care
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
This means the closest standard to a majority of the votes cast for and against such proposals consistent with applicable laws. This includes any existing supermajority vote requirement that results from default to state law and can be subject to replacement. This proposal topic is important because it was approved by 84% of Eli Lilly shares that voted in 2021.
This 2023 proposal includes that the Board take all the steps necessary at its discretion to help ensure that the topic of this proposal is approved by the requirement of 80% of all outstanding shares including a commitment to hire a proxy solicitor to conduct an intensive campaign, a commitment to adjourn the annual meeting to obtain the votes required if necessary and to take a 2-year process to adopt this proposal topic if applicable. This proposal does not restrict the Board from using a means to obtain the necessary vote that is not mentioned in this proposal.
For instance PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) adjourned its annual meeting for weeks to obtain the necessary votes on this proposal topic in 2022 and Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) announced a 2-year process to obtain shareholder approval of this proposal topic in its 2022 proxy.
This proposal includes that the Board make an EDGAR filing approximately 10-days before the annual meeting urging shareholder to vote in favor and explaining all the efforts the board has taken or will take to obtain the necessary vote and all the available efforts that the Board has not taken with an explanation for each available effort not taken. This EDGAR filing would also describe any group of Eli Lilly shareholders who are opposed to this topic and Board efforts to reach out to such groups.
It is important to make an all-out effort now to obtain shareholder approval of this proposal topic in preference to the expense of conducting failed votes on this proposal topic every year into the foreseeable future. Extraordinary measures need to be taken to adopt this proposal topic due to the dead hand of our undemocratic governance provisions that require an 80% approval from all Eli Lilly shares outstanding to improve the corporate governance of Eli Lilly — given the reality that only 70% of Eli Lilly shares typically vote at the annual meeting.
Supporting statement
This means the closest standard to a majority of the votes cast for and against such proposals consistent with applicable laws. This includes any existing supermajority vote requirement that results from default to state law and can be subject to replacement. This proposal topic is important because it was approved by 84% of Eli Lilly shares that voted in 2021.
This 2023 proposal includes that the Board take all the steps necessary at its discretion to help ensure that the topic of this proposal is approved by the requirement of 80% of all outstanding shares including a commitment to hire a proxy solicitor to conduct an intensive campaign, a commitment to adjourn the annual meeting to obtain the votes required if necessary and to take a 2-year process to adopt this proposal topic if applicable. This proposal does not restrict the Board from using a means to obtain the necessary vote that is not mentioned in this proposal.
For instance PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) adjourned its annual meeting for weeks to obtain the necessary votes on this proposal topic in 2022 and Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) announced a 2-year process to obtain shareholder approval of this proposal topic in its 2022 proxy.
This proposal includes that the Board make an EDGAR filing approximately 10-days before the annual meeting urging shareholder to vote in favor and explaining all the efforts the board has taken or will take to obtain the necessary vote and all the available efforts that the Board has not taken with an explanation for each available effort not taken. This EDGAR filing would also describe any group of Eli Lilly shareholders who are opposed to this topic and Board efforts to reach out to such groups.
It is important to make an all-out effort now to obtain shareholder approval of this proposal topic in preference to the expense of conducting failed votes on this proposal topic every year into the foreseeable future. Extraordinary measures need to be taken to adopt this proposal topic due to the dead hand of our undemocratic governance provisions that require an 80% approval from all Eli Lilly shares outstanding to improve the corporate governance of Eli Lilly — given the reality that only 70% of Eli Lilly shares typically vote at the annual meeting.

How other organisations have declared their voting intentions

Organisation name Declared voting intentions Rationale
Anima Sgr For A vote FOR this proposal is warranted given that elimination of the supermajority vote requirement enhances shareholder rights.

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