SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Nearly half of the companies we follow closely by attending their annual shareholders’ meetings have experienced high abstention rates of voting on the appointment of their external auditors. These votes were not against any single firm of accountants, but against several, which would suggest that shareholders are seeking a fresh perspective on the reliability of the financial information they receive and the independence of the accountants. The aim of auditor rotation is to reduce the threats to auditor independence, which are largely caused by the familiarity that develops over time. There is a risk that, in the long term, the auditor may become too close to the client. For example, the auditor’s independence may weaken when friendships develop: the auditor identifies too closely with the interests of the client’s senior executives, the audit plan becomes repetitive, or the auditor is reluctant to make decisions that would suggest previous decisions were wrong. In short, the risks of familiarity with the client could undermine the auditor’s rigorousness, objectivity and critical thinking. Does the percentage of abstentions on the appointment of the current auditor reflect this opinion? We believe that such a service should be subject to a new vision with greater frequency in order to assure shareholders that their auditors are offering them the best service at a competitive price while ensuring a new approach to auditing by a different firm.