Shearman: Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey

Shearman & Sterling just released its annual Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey. Now in its 21st edition, the survey provides a review of key corporate governance trends, along with a comprehensive examination of the corporate governance and executive compensation practices of 100 of the largest U.S. public companies.

The annual survey tracks the impact of changing practices, trends and regulatory developments on key areas of corporate governance and executive compensation. Given the breadth of data collected by the survey, the report can serve as a benchmark for public company directors and executives to assess their governance practices.

Key major finding and research areas from this year’s report include:

• Cybersecurity: 25% increase in the number of Top 100 Companies with a director specifically identified as having cybersecurity experience; 70 companies compared to 56 in 2022.

• Board Diversity: 42% jump in the number of Top 100 Companies to disclose director-specific diversity information; increased to 61 companies from 43 in 2022.

• Women in the Boardroom: The percentage of the total number of board seats at the Top 100 Companies held by women remained flat at 34% in 2023, and the number of boards of the Top 100 Companies led by a chair that is a woman dropped from 15 to 11 in 2023, but more than 80% of the Top 100 Companies have a board with more than 25% woman directors.

To access the survey, please click here.