Century Capital Management

 
     


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

 

Century Capital Management, LLC  100 Federal Street, Boston, MA  02110
Phone: 800/321.1928 
  Fax: 617/542.9398    info@centurycap.com   
© 2006 Century Capital Management LLC