CENTURY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
Statement of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
I. INTRODUCTION
As a registered investment adviser, Century Capital
Management, LLC ("CCM", "we" or "us") has a fiduciary duty to act solely
in the best interests of our clients. As part of this duty, we recognize
that we must make voting decisions that are in the best interests of our
clients. The purpose of this Statement of Proxy Voting Policies and
Procedures (this "Statement") is to set forth our policies and
procedures for voting securities owned by our clients for which we
exercise voting authority and discretion. This Statement has been
designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of our
clients in accordance with our fiduciary duties and Rule 206(4)-6 of the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. This Statement does not apply to any
client that has explicitly retained authority and discretion to vote its
own proxies or delegated such authority and discretion to a third party;
and CCM takes no responsibility for the voting of any proxies on behalf
of any such client.
II. PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES
The guiding principle by which CCM votes on all
matters submitted to security holders is the maximization of the
ultimate economic value of our clients' holdings. CCM does not permit
voting decisions to be influenced in any manner that is contrary to, or
dilutive of, the guiding principle set forth above. It is our policy to
avoid situations where there is any material conflict of interest or
perceived conflict of interest affecting our voting decisions.
It is the general policy of CCM to vote on all matters
presented to security holders in any proxy, and these policies and
procedures have been designed with that in mind. However, CCM reserves
the right to abstain on any particular vote or otherwise withhold its
vote on any matter if in the judgment of CCM, the costs associated with
voting such proxy outweigh the expected benefits to clients, or if the
circumstances make such an abstention or withholding otherwise advisable
and in the best interests of our clients, in the judgment of CCM.
For clients that have delegated to CCM the
discretionary power to vote the securities held in their account, CCM
does not generally accept any subsequent directions on matters presented
to shareholders for a vote, regardless of whether such subsequent
directions are from the client itself or a third party. Unless CCM has
agreed otherwise, CCM views the delegation of discretionary voting
authority as an "all-or-nothing" choice for its clients.
A. ADMINISTRATION OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Certain aspects of the administration of these proxy
voting policies and procedures are governed by a separate committee (the
"Proxy Voting Committee"), which currently consists of the members of
CCM's Investment Committee and CCM's Compliance Officer. The composition
of the Proxy Voting Committee may change from time to time. The Proxy
Voting Committee will review periodically CCM's voting policies and
procedures and may adopt changes from time to time as a result of such
review. On all matters submitted to the Proxy Voting Committee, the
Committee makes its decisions by a vote of a majority of the members of
the Committee present (whether in person or by communications equipment)
at the meeting. At any meeting of the Proxy Voting Committee, a majority
of the members of the Committee then in office shall constitute a
quorum.
In addition, the Proxy Voting Committee will review
any Further Action Matters (as described below) that have been voted
without the involvement of the Proxy Voting Committee since the Proxy
Voting Committee's last meeting.
B. PROXY VOTING RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCESS
The following procedures will be followed with respect
to each proxy received by CCM:
1. Each proxy will be reviewed by the research analyst
assigned to cover the issuer. The analyst will determine whether a
matter to be voted is covered in the "Voting Guidelines" set forth
below.
2. If a matter to be voted is covered in the Voting
Guidelines and the relevant Guideline provides affirmative guidance as
to how the matter should be voted, the analyst may instruct the proxy
voting agent to vote the proxy in accordance with the Guideline and no
further action shall be necessary.
3. If, however, (i) the matter is not covered in the
Voting Guidelines or (ii) the matter is covered in the Voting Guidelines
but (a) the Guideline does not give affirmative guidance as to how the
matter should be voted or (b) the analyst determines to recommend that
the matter be voted in a manner inconsistent with the guidance in the
Voting Guideline (including a proposed abstention or withheld vote),
then the analyst shall notify a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. The
Portfolio Manager shall submit the proxy to CCM's Compliance Officer,
who shall determine whether a material conflict of interest exists with
respect to CCM's voting of the proxy. Matters described in (i) and (ii)(a)
and (ii)(b) are referred to herein, collectively, as "Further Action
Matters".
4. The Compliance Officer shall, in accordance with
"Conflicts of Interest" below, review each Further Action Matter
submitted to him to determine whether a material conflict of interest
exists between CCM, on the one hand, and the relevant advisory client,
on the other hand, arising out of the provision of certain services or
products by CCM to the issuer on whose behalf the proxy is being
solicited or any other relevant material conflict of interest.
5. If the Compliance Officer determines that no
material conflict of interest exists with respect to the Further Action
Matter, then he shall so inform the Portfolio Manager, and the Portfolio
Manager may either (i) authorize the Further Action Matter to be voted
in accordance with the analyst’s recommendation or (ii) if he requires
additional guidance, arrange for a special meeting of the Proxy Voting
Committee to consider and determine how the matter should be voted.
6. If, however, the Compliance Officer determines that
a material conflict of interest does exist with respect to the Further
Action Matter, then the following procedures shall be followed:
(i) If the analyst’s recommendation as to how the
Further Action Matter should be voted is contrary to the recommendation
of management of the issuer, then the Portfolio Manager may authorize
the proxy to be voted in accordance with the recommendation and no
further action is necessary.
(ii) If, however, the analyst’s recommendation as to
how the Further Action Matter should be voted is consistent with
management's recommendation, then the Portfolio Manager shall call a
special meeting of the Proxy Voting Committee to consider and determine
how the matter should be voted in accordance with paragraph 7. below.
7. A Further Action Matter shall be submitted to the
Proxy Voting Committee in the circumstances described in 6(ii) above
(i.e., (x) the matter involves a material conflict of interest, (y) the
matter is not covered by the Voting Guidelines or the analyst’s
recommendation is not consistent with the Voting Guidelines, and (z) the
analyst’s recommendation is to vote with management). In the event that
a Further Action Matter is submitted to the Proxy Voting Committee, the
Proxy Voting Committee will review the voting rationale, consider
whether business relationships between CCM and the company have
influenced the proposed inconsistent vote and decide the course of
action to be taken in the best interests of our clients. If the Proxy
Voting Committee cannot agree on the appropriate course of action, the
Chairman shall make the final decision.
In circumstances where the Proxy Voting Committee is
not involved in determining the vote on a Further Action Matter, the
Portfolio Manager shall retain and submit to the Compliance Officer
records of documents material to the Portfolio Manager’s determination
as to how the matter was voted, which records will be made available to
the Proxy Voting Committee for review during its next regularly
scheduled meeting.
C. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
CCM recognizes that there is a potential conflict of
interest when it votes a proxy solicited by an issuer with whom it has a
material business or other relationship that may affect how CCM votes on
the issuer's proxy, including, for example, an issuer whose retirement
plan CCM manages.
All CCM employees involved in the proxy voting process
are expected to perform their tasks relating to the voting of proxies in
accordance with the principles set forth above, according the first
priority to the economic interests of our clients. If at any time the
Chairman or any other employee becomes aware of any potential or actual
conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest regarding the
policies and procedures described herein or any particular vote on
behalf of any client, he or she should contact the Compliance Officer.
If the Chairman or any employee is pressured or lobbied either from
within or outside of CCM with respect to any particular voting decision,
he or she should contact the Compliance Officer.
As noted under "Proxy Voting Responsibilities and
Process" above, CCM's Compliance Officer is responsible for reviewing
each Further Action Matter and determining whether a material conflict
of interest exists between CCM, on the one hand, and the relevant
advisory client, on the other hand, arising out of the provision of
certain services or products by CCM to the issuer on whose behalf the
proxy is being solicited or any other relevant material conflict of
interest. In doing so, he shall take into account all available facts
and circumstances, including the relationship of CCM and any of its
managing members (or the equivalent thereof), officers (or the
equivalent thereof) and employees with the issuer soliciting the proxy
as well as the nature of the Further Action Matter to be voted on. If
the Compliance Officer has any doubt as to whether a Further Action
Matter involves a conflict of interest and/or whether that conflict is
material, he may call a meeting of the Proxy Voting Committee to
consider and make a determination regarding such potential conflict.
III. CLIENT ACCESS TO POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND
PROXY VOTING RECORD
This Statement is available to all of our clients upon
request, subject to the provision that these policies and procedures are
subject to change at any time without notice. Absent any legal or
regulatory requirement to the contrary, it is generally our policy to
maintain the confidentiality of the particular votes that it casts on
behalf of its clients. Any of our clients may obtain details of how we
have voted the securities in the client's account by contacting CCM's
Compliance Officer. CCM does not, however, generally disclose the
results of voting decisions to third parties. CCM shall provide to any
registered investment company that is a client of CCM any and all
information regarding the voting of its securities as such registered
investment company requests.
IV. RECORDKEEPING
CCM maintains records of all proxies voted in
accordance with Section 204-2 of the Advisers Act. As required and
permitted by Rule 204-2(c) under the Advisers Act, the following records
are maintained:
● a copy of this Statement;
● proxy statements received regarding client
securities are maintained by the firm unless such proxy statements are
available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR database, in
which case CCM relies on such electronic copies on EDGAR;
● a record of each vote cast is maintained by CCM;
● a copy of any document created by CCM that was
material to making a decision as to how to vote proxies on behalf of a
client or that memorializes the basis for that decision; and
● each written client request for proxy voting records
and our written response to any (written or oral) client request for
such records.
V. VOTING GUIDELINES
This Statement is designed to be responsive to the
wide range of subjects that can have a significant effect on the
investment value of the securities held in our clients' accounts.
Although CCM reserves the right to depart from the voting guidelines set
forth below if such departure is consistent with the best interests of
its clients, CCM will generally apply the voting guidelines when
reviewing proxy issues.
ELECTIONS OF DIRECTORS: In many instances, the
election of directors is a routine voting issue. Unless there is a proxy
fight for seats on the board or we determine that there are other
compelling reasons for withholding votes for directors, we will often
vote in favor of the management-proposed slate of directors. That said,
we believe that directors have a duty to respond to shareholder actions
that have received significant shareholder support. We will withhold
votes for directors that disregard shareholder interests or fail to act
on key issues such as failure to implement proposals to declassify
boards, failure to implement a majority vote requirement, failure to
submit a rights plan to a shareholder vote and failure to act on tender
offers where a majority of shareholders have tendered their shares. We
will generally vote against directors who are on a company's
compensation committee if we strongly disagree with their compensation
decisions. We will also vote against a director whose qualifications
appear lacking or contrary to the interests of the shareholders. We will
also consider management's track record in delivering shareholder value
and representing shareholders' best interests when considering each
proxy vote. We will generally vote against members of a company's audit
committee if we are aware of significant corporate governance issues
that the audit committee or the company has not addressed to our
satisfaction. In addition, we will withhold votes for directors who fail
to attend at least seventy-five percent of board meetings within a given
year without a reasonable excuse. We will vote against management
efforts to stagger board member terms because a staggered board may act
as a deterrent to a takeover proposal.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS: The selection of an
independent accountant to audit a company's financial statements is
generally a routine business matter. CCM believes that management
remains in the best position to choose the accounting firm and will
support management's recommendation, except that we may vote against the
appointment of auditors if the proposed auditors are not well known or
well respected, if the fees for non-audit related services are
disproportionate to the total audit fees paid by the company or if there
are other reasons to question the independence of the company's auditors
or their prior conduct or advice.
CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE: Changes in a company's
charter, articles of incorporation or by-laws are often technical and
administrative in nature. Absent a compelling reason to the contrary,
CCM will cast its votes in accordance with the company's management on
such proposals. However, we will review and analyze on a case-by-case
basis any non-routine proposals that are likely to affect the structure
and operation of the company or have a material economic effect on the
company, such as proposals to increase authorized common stock when it
is necessary to implement a stock split, aid in a restructuring or
acquisition or provide a sufficient number of shares for an employee
savings plan, stock option or executive compensation plan. A
satisfactory explanation of a company's intentions must be disclosed in
the proxy statement for proposals requesting an increase of greater than
ten percent of the shares outstanding. We will oppose increases in
authorized common stock where there is evidence that the shares will be
used to implement a poison pill or another form of anti-takeover device,
or if the issuance of new shares could excessively dilute the value of
the outstanding shares upon issuance.
CORPORATE RESTRUCTURINGS, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS:
CCM believes proxy votes dealing with corporate reorganizations are an
extension of the investment decision. Accordingly, we will analyze such
proposals on a case by case basis, weighing heavily the views of any
research analysts that cover the company and the investment
professionals managing the portfolios in which the stock is held. In
general, we will vote against a merger or acquisition that we believe is
not in the long-term best interests of the shareholders or where the
potential benefits are unclear.
PROPOSALS AFFECTING SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS: CCM believes
that certain fundamental rights of shareholders should be protected. We
will vote in favor of proposals that give shareholders a greater voice
in the affairs of the company and oppose any measure that seeks to limit
those rights, except that we will vote against a proposal if we believe
that that any adverse economic impact of the proposal on shareholders
outweighs any improvement in shareholder rights.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: CCM recognizes the importance of
good corporate governance in ensuring that management and the board of
directors fulfill their obligations to the shareholders. We will vote in
favor of proposals promoting transparency and accountability within a
company. For example, we will vote in favor of proposals providing for
equal access to proxies, a majority of independent directors on the
board and key committees, and separating the positions of chairman and
CEO.
ANTI-TAKEOVER MEASURES: CCM believes that measures
that impede takeovers or entrench management not only infringe on the
rights of shareholders but may also have a detrimental effect on the
value of the company. We will generally oppose proposals, regardless of
whether they are advanced by management or shareholders, the purpose or
effect of which is to entrench management or dilute shareholder voting
power. Conversely, we will support proposals that would restrict or
otherwise eliminate anti-takeover measures that have already been
adopted by corporate issuers. For example, we will support shareholder
proposals that seek to require the company to submit a shareholder
rights plan to a shareholder vote. We will evaluate, on a case-by-case
basis, proposals to completely redeem or eliminate a poison pill.
Furthermore, we will generally oppose proposals put forward by
management (including blank check preferred stock, classified and
supermajority vote requirements) that appear to be intended as
entrenchment mechanisms.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION: CCM believes that company
management and the compensation committee of the board of directors
should, within reason, be given latitude to determine the types and mix
of compensation and benefit awards offered. Whether proposed by a
shareholder or management, we will review proposals relating to
executive compensation plans on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the
long-term interests of management and shareholders are properly aligned.
We will analyze the proposed plans to ensure that shareholder equity
will not be excessively diluted, the option exercise price is not below
market price on the date of grant and an acceptable number of employees
are eligible to participate in such programs. Other factors such as the
company's performance, whether the plan expressly permits the repricing
of underwater stock options without shareholder approval (or if the
company has a history of such actions) and industry practice will
generally be factored into our analysis. We will support proposals to
submit severance packages triggered by a change in control to a
shareholder vote and proposals that seek additional disclosure of
executive compensation. We will generally vote against proposals that we
believe consume an excessive amount of corporate resources or dilute
earnings and asset values, including retirement benefits we consider to
be excessive, golden handcuffs, abusive change of control payments, and
severance and stock option agreements that we consider to be excessive.
We will generally vote in favor of proposals for the expensing of stock
options and will generally vote against proposals to re-price existing
options.
SOCIAL AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY: CCM will review
and analyze on a case-by-case basis proposals relating to social,
political and environmental issues to determine whether the proposal
will have a financial impact on shareholder value and our voting
decision will be guided by the priority of maximizing the economic value
of client holdings. We will vote against proposals that are unduly
burdensome or result in unnecessary and excessive costs to the company.
We may abstain from voting on social proposals that do not have a
readily determinable financial impact on shareholder value.
PROXIES OF CERTAIN NON-U.S. ISSUERS: Protection for
shareholders of non-U.S. issuers may vary significantly from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Laws governing non-U.S. issuers may, in
some cases, provide substantially less protection for shareholders. We
will generally vote proxies of non-U.S. issuers in accordance with the
foregoing guidelines, but they are premised upon the existence of a
sound corporate governance and disclosure framework, and may not be
appropriate under some circumstances for non-U.S. issuers. Proxy voting
in certain countries requires "share blocking." That is, shareholders
wishing to vote their proxies must deposit their shares shortly before
the date of the meeting (usually one-week) with a designated depositary.
During this blocking period, shares that will be voted at the meeting
cannot be sold until the meeting has taken place and the shares are
returned to the clients' custodian banks. CCM may determine that the
value of exercising the vote does not outweigh the detriment of not
being able to transact in the shares during this period. Accordingly, if
share blocking is required we may abstain from voting those shares. In
such a situation we would have determined that the cost of voting
exceeds the expected benefit to the client.
SECURITIES ON LOAN: Certain of our clients may
participate in securities lending programs to generate income.
Generally, the voting rights pass with the securities on loan; however,
lending agreements give the lender the right to terminate the loan and
pull back the loaned securities provided sufficient notice is given to
the custodian bank in advance of the voting deadline. Our policy is
generally not to vote securities on loan unless the Chairman of the
Proxy Voting Committee has knowledge of a material voting event that
could significantly affect the value of the loaned securities. In this
event, CCM may pull back the loaned securities in order to cast a vote
at an upcoming shareholder meeting.
Amended and Restated: May 23, 2006
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