One of the things that stuck out for me in reading Labrador’s “Transparency Awards Results & Highlights” report is that there was a 25% jump in company’s using visuals or graphics in the “Company Overview” section of their proxy, as 64% of companies surveyed used them last year compared to 51% the year before.
As a refresher, a “Company Overview” helps provide context about the topics that tangentially might impact the items upon which shareholders will be voting upon. For example, a quick fact-sheet-style refresher of the business and its relative scale, combined with a summary of the key elements of the company’s strategy, can nicely set up performance disclosures.
Transparency Criteria #15 for the proxy states: “The document includes a company overview section using graphics or other visual elements.”
Along these lines, many companies include a graphic in their proxy that highlights the basics of their strategy. For example, a company might have a graphic entitled “Our Five-Point Plan.” That way, a reader can get the gist of the company’s strategy and decide whether they agree with it when voting upon the items on the annual meeting agenda.
For example, check out the 2025 Cognizant proxy, which has an “About Cognizant” section in the forepart that’s chock full of visuals like this:
