State Street Corporation | Separate Chair & CEO at State Street Corporation

Status
Filed
Previous AGM date
Resolution details
Company ticker
ZYA
Resolution ask
Adopt or amend a policy
ESG theme
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • CEO / chair duality
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Financials
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
RESOLVED: State Street Corporation ("State Street" or "Company") shareholders ask the Board to adopt a policy and amend the bylaws as necessary to require the Chair of the Board of Directors, whenever possible, be an independent member of the Board. This policy should be phased in for the next CEO transition. Compliance is waived if no independent director is available and willing to serve as Chair.
Supporting statement
The role of the CEO and management is to run the Company. The Board of Directors' role provides independent oversight of management and the CEO. We believe a CEO cannot be their own supervisor, while managing the business, without potential conflicts of interest. State Street's CEO, Ronald O'Hanley, serves as CEO and Chair of the Company's Board of Directors. Combining these two roles for one person weakens State Street's governance structure, potentially harming shareholder value. We believe combining these roles gives the CEO unnecessary additional power over the Board, potentially weakening their authority and oversight of management. Chairing the Board is a time-intensive responsibility. A separate and independent Chair frees the CEO to manage the Company and build effective business strategies. Mr. O'Hanley is also on the boards of Unum [1] three non-profit organizations [2] , two colleges/universities [3] , and several finance-related organizations [4] also requiring time and energy. With such pressure on our CEO's time, our Company and shareholders would benefit if an independent board member assumed Chair duties. Intel's former Chair Andrew Grove stated: "The separation of the two jobs goes to the heart of the conception of a corporation. Is a company a sandbox for the CEO, or is the CEO an employee? If he's an employee, he needs a boss, and that boss is the Board. The Chairman runs the Board. How can the CEO be his own boss?" Numerous institutional investors recommend separation as simple good governance. For example, CalPERS' Principles & Guidelines encourage separation, even with a lead director in place. [5] In its paper on the 2024 proxy season, Georgeson noted 46 proposals asked for a separate chair, with average votes in favor of 31%, similar to the previous two years. [6] This resolution to State Street received a 26% vote in favor in 2025. An independent Chair is the prevailing practice in the United Kingdom and many international markets. According to a 2023 ISS study, over 50% of U.S companies now have a separate chair and CEO. An independent Chair and vigorous Board can improve focus on important ethical and governance matters, strengthen accountability to shareowners, and help forge long-term business strategies that best serve the interests of shareholders, consumers, employees, and the Company. To foster a simple transition, we propose this policy be phased in when the next CEO is chosen. [1] https://investors.unum.com/governance/board-of-directors/default.aspx [2] https://bilh.org/about/leadership/board-of-trustees ; https://www.wbur.org/inside/board-of-directors ; https://nwcfoundation.org/about/our-people/board-of-trustees/ [3] https://www.iyrs.edu/about/board-of-trustees ; https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/about/school-leadership/maxwell-advisory-board [4] https://www.iif.com/About-Us/Board ; https://fsforum.com/who-we-are ; https://www.bostonfed.org/about-the-boston-fed/board-of-directors.aspx [5] https://www.calpers.ca.gov/docs/forms-publications/governance-and-sustainability-principles.pdf p. 13-14 [6] https://content-assets.computershare.com/eh96rkuu9740/1LaV0tgtDhSIIWK8EzZAJH/73c32a245e36b8ec80cb910d591480e7/Georgeson_2024_Proxy_Season_Review.pdf p.30

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