A&O Shearman's recently released report on its annual "Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey" contains an abundance of benchmarking data focused primarily on the 100 largest US public companies (Top 100) (listed at the end of the report) based on publicly available resources, as well as a focused review of a number of hot topics including evolving trends in human capital practices and disclosures, DExit, shareholder proposals, and executive security.
The report's deep dive on executive security disclosure practices is particularly noteworthy in view of the justifiably increased safety concerns expressed by companies and associated push for the SEC to reassess the per se characterization (via its “integrally and directly related to the executive’s duties standard”) of executive security as a perk in conjunction with its review of the executive compensation disclosure requirements.
Key benchmarking results include:
- Prevalence—Year over year increases in executive security disclosure among the Top 100, S&P 500, and Russell 3000 as of September 2025, as follows:
- Company size—The report notes a positive correlation between companies disclosing executive security perks and the size of their annual revenue.
- Scope—On par with 2024, just over half of the Top 100 companies (54%) limit personal security benefits to the CEO, while 44% also include other NEOs. Down from 6% in 2024, 4% cover spouses or dependent children.
- Coverage—Commonly disclosed security protections include:
- Personal and residential protection (home security system installation, monitoring, maintenance, and security consulting for primary and secondary residences)
- Digital threat prevention and monitoring (including identity theft protection and cybersecurity at home)
- Provision of certified protection officers
- Secure ground transportation to and from offices and events
- Secure lodging
- Security support during domestic and international travel for executives and, when warranted, their families
- Costs—More than 60% of the Top 100 disclosed an increase in their executive security costs.