Boardroom Alpha
Meeting calendar
LAZ · Annual meeting · Thursday, May 21, 2026

Lazard Inc

4 nominees · 5 ballot items.

Election of three directors; advisory (non-binding) approval of executive compensation; approval to amend Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board over a phased period; approval to amend the 2018 Incentive Compensation Plan to add 25 million shares; and ratification of appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent auditor.

Market cap
$4.8B
1Y TSR
-16.1%
Board grade
C
Record date
Apr 6, 2026
Filing
DEF 14A
Meeting concluded · May 21, 2026

Follow how the vote landed and what changed on Lazard Inc’s board — director track records, governance grades, and ongoing monitoring — on the Boardroom Alpha platform.

Proposals

On the ballot5

  1. 1

    Election of Directors

    ManagementBoard: FOR

    Elect three director nominees to the Board for three-year terms expiring in 2029.

  2. 2

    Advisory Vote on Approval of Executive Compensation

    ManagementBoard: FOR

    Non-binding, advisory vote to approve the compensation of the company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement.

    More detail

    This non-binding advisory proposal asks shareholders to approve, on an annual basis, the compensation of Lazard’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in the proxy materials. Management frames this vote as an important element of shareholder engagement and accountability and emphasizes that the Compensation Committee used shareholder feedback from expanded outreach in 2025 to redesign aspects of the executive pay program—introducing a firmwide scorecard, target and maximum compensation levels, and a mix of performance- and time-based long-term incentives. The Committee highlights that long-term incentives for the CEO are delivered 50% as TSR-PIPRs and 50% as PIPRs to strengthen alignment with shareholder returns, and that a greater emphasis on performance-based metrics and transparency has been incorporated. Although the vote is advisory and not binding, the Board and Compensation Committee state they will consider the outcome when evaluating pay practices, and they recommend voting FOR the proposal on the basis that the program promotes pay-for-performance, retention of key talent, and alignment with Lazard 2030 goals. Investors evaluating the proposal should consider the substantive changes the company has adopted (firmwide scorecard, target/maximum framework, and LTI vehicle mix), recent leadership transitions that included make-whole awards, and the company’s disclosures on equity dilution management and clawback policies when assessing whether the reforms adequately mitigate governance and pay-for-performance risks.

  3. 3

    Approval of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation to Declassify the Board of Directors

    ManagementBoard: FOR

    Approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board over a phased three-year period so that directors will be elected annually beginning in 2029.

    More detail

    This proposal requests shareholder approval to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to phase out the current classified-board structure and implement annual director elections by 2029. Management frames the change as responsive to shareholder feedback favoring annual elections and increased director accountability, while acknowledging the tradeoffs—classified boards can promote continuity and long-term focus but are often viewed as limiting accountability. The amendment is drafted to phase in declassification over three years, preserving existing class terms through 2029 and changing removal standards over the transition period (directors in classes elected from 2024–2026 remain removable only for cause until declassification is complete; directors elected for one-year terms in 2027–2028 may be removed with or without cause). The Board recommends FOR approval and argues the amendment aligns governance with shareholder desires and best practices for Delaware public companies. From an investor/governance perspective, the proposal reduces incumbency protections and increases the ability of shareholders to effect change at the board level, which may be viewed positively by governance-focused investors; institutional holders will evaluate the 66 2/3% supermajority threshold required and the phased implementation when assessing the balance between continuity and accountability.

  4. 4

    Approval of Amendment of 2018 Incentive Compensation Plan

    ManagementBoard: FOR

    Approve an amendment to the 2018 Incentive Compensation Plan to increase the aggregate share reserve by 25 million shares.

    More detail

    This proposal seeks shareholder approval to increase the authorized share reserve under the 2018 Incentive Compensation Plan by 25 million shares to support equity-based awards. Management presents this amendment as necessary to continue broad-based equity compensation that aligns employee incentives with shareholder value, supports recruitment and retention (particularly of Managing Directors and revenue-generating professionals), and preserves cash for strategic uses like dividends and repurchases. The filing provides detailed governance protections (no evergreen provision, no liberal recycling, double-trigger CIC vesting, annual non-employee director caps, clawbacks), a burn-rate and net-burn-rate analysis that incorporates share repurchases to argue dilution is managed, and peer comparisons showing equity expense in line with peers. For investors evaluating the proposal, key considerations include the requested amount (25 million shares), the company’s historical issuance, the net burn rate (4.3% three-year average per the filing), the company’s share repurchase practices and capital allocation priorities, and plan design features that limit dilution and require shareholder approval for repricing. The Board recommends FOR; governance-minded investors will weigh dilution metrics and the company’s stated repurchase offset strategy against its talent needs and competitive market for professionals.

  5. 5

    Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    ManagementBoard: FOR

    Ratify the Audit Committee’s appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as Lazard’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2026.

Director elections

Nominees on the ballot4

Independent
Tenure on this board
8.3 yrs
Also a director at
Vail Resorts Inc (MTN)
Ownership

Top institutional holders10

Latest 13F quarter
1PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/8.5%9,480,326$403M
2FMR LLC7.3%8,199,977$348M
3ARIEL INVESTMENTS, LLC5.1%5,648,141$240M
4VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC4.4%4,963,089$211M
5VANGUARD PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LLC4.4%4,953,726$210M
6BlackRock, Inc.3.6%4,050,013$172M
7BlackRock, Inc.2.4%2,693,911$114M
8Capital Research Global Investors2.2%2,456,726$104M
9Fisher Asset Management, LLC1.9%2,170,845$92M
10GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC1.9%2,170,006$92M
Filings

Recent key filings

Periodic reports
Definitive proxies
Reference

Frequently asked questions

When is the Lazard Inc 2026 annual meeting?
Lazard Inc (LAZ) holds its 2026 annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
What is the record date for the Lazard Inc 2026 meeting?
The record date for the Lazard Inc 2026 meeting is Monday, April 6, 2026. Shareholders of record on or before that date are eligible to vote.
Who are the director nominees for Lazard Inc's 2026 meeting?
The board is presenting 4 director nominees at the Lazard Inc 2026 meeting, listed with their independence status and background.
What proposals will shareholders vote on at the Lazard Inc 2026 meeting?
Shareholders will vote on 5 proposals at the Lazard Inc 2026 meeting, each tagged with who proposed it and the board's recommendation.
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