Good afternoon, and welcome to the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders for The Hartford. I would now like to introduce Chairman and CEO, Christopher Swift.
Good afternoon, fellow shareholders. I am Chris Swift, Chairman and CEO. On behalf of the Board of Directors, executive leadership team, and employees of The Hartford, welcome to our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Terence Shields, the company's corporate secretary, is the secretary of today's meeting. John Holwa, a representative of Broadridge, is the inspector of the election. He has already taken his oath and reported that we have a quorum for the meeting. The annual meeting of the shareholders of The Hartford is now convened. To begin, let me introduce the members of the board, each of whom, in addition to myself, is standing for reelection. Larry D. De Shon, Carlos Dominguez, Trevor Fetter, Donna James, Annette Rippert, Teresa Roseboro, Virginia P. Ruesterholz, Matthew E. Winter, and Kathleen Winters. We thank you for your advice, counsel, and wisdom.
In addition to the board, members of The Hartford's executive leadership team and representatives of Deloitte & Touche, the company's independent auditor, are on the line with me today. At this time, I'll ask Don Hunt, The Hartford's General Counsel, to preside over the business portion of this meeting. Following that, I will make some brief remarks regarding the past year and what I believe is an exciting future. Don?
Thank you, Chris. Today, shareholders are asked to vote on five proposals, the details of which were included in the Proxy Statement. We've not received advance notice of any director nominations other than those included in the Proxy Statement, nor any additional proposals for consideration at this meeting, as required by our Bylaws. Therefore, director nominations are closed, and no other proposals can be presented today. Online voting and the ability to submit questions opened on April 10th. If you have already voted your proxy, please do not vote again unless you'd like to change your vote. If you want to vote or ask a question now, click on the Vote Here or Ask a Question button at the bottom of your screen. Online voting will remain open while I list the five items for your consideration. The question tool will remain open through the end of Chris's remarks.
The first item to be acted upon is to vote on each of the ten director candidates. The second item is the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for 2025. The third item is a management proposal to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement. The fourth item is a management proposal to consider and approve the company's 2025 long-term incentive stock plan, and the fifth and final item is a shareholder proposal that the company adopts special meeting rights for shareholders at 10%. This proposal was submitted by Mr. John Chevedden, who will now be presenting this proposal. Mr. Chevedden, please proceed.
Hello, this is John Chevedden. Proposal five, shareholder ability to call for a special shareholder meeting. Shareholders ask the board of directors to take the steps necessary to amend the governing documents to give the owners a combined 10% of the outstanding common stock the power to call a special shareholder meeting. This proposal is already somewhat successful because after this proposal was submitted, Hartford adopted a limited shareholder right to call for a special shareholder meeting at the higher 25% stock ownership requirement. It also seems that a major restriction was added to the higher 25% figure to exclude all Hartford shares not held for one year. There's no concern that a 10% figure to call for a special shareholder meeting is too easy.
It's almost unheard of for any special shareholder meeting called for by shareholders to ever occur at any company, even though a significant number of companies have the 10% figure. The reason to have this right is that with this right in place, companies are more likely to engage productively with their shareholders, because shareholders have an alternative ability to call for a special shareholder meeting. With the widespread use of online shareholder meetings, it's much easier for a company to conduct a special shareholder meeting for important business matters, and The Hartford bylaws thus need to be updated. Please vote yes. Special shareholder ability to call for a special shareholder meeting, proposal five.
The Board recommends a vote against this proposal for the reasons explained in the Proxy Statement. As all shareholders have been given an opportunity to vote, I now declare voting closed and ask the Corporate Secretary to read the results of the voting.
I have received the preliminary tabulation report from Broadridge, and based on that report, I declare as follows: First, each director nominee received more for votes than against votes. Therefore, all nominees were elected directors of the company. Second, the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for 2025 received the majority of the votes cast. Third, shareholders approved, on an advisory basis, the twenty twenty-four compensation of the company's named executive officers. Fourth, shareholders approved the company's 2025 long-term incentive stock plan. And finally, the shareholder proposal that the company adopts special meeting rights for shareholders at 10% failed to receive a majority of the votes cast. Please note that the final voting results of today's meeting will be reported on Form 8-K, which we intend to file within four business days of this meeting.
Thank you, Terence. That concludes the business portion of the meeting. Just a few comments before I turn the meeting back to Chris. Please note the information on the slide that is now being presented. Chris will be making some statements that should be considered forward-looking. Our actual results could differ materially for a number of reasons, including due to the risks and uncertainties described in our 2024 annual report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chris will now provide some brief remarks regarding the past year and The Hartford's future.
Thank you, Don. Let's review the company's two thousand and twenty-four accomplishments and our first quarter 2025 financial results. To gain a deeper understanding of our performance, I encourage you to read my annual letter to shareholders. 2024 was an outstanding year, showcasing the effectiveness of our strategy and the value of our ongoing investments. Achievements included robust top-line growth in business insurance with highly profitable margins, an impressive core earnings margin of 8.2% in employee benefits, exceeding our long-term target. Key milestones in personal insurance with over nine points of underlying combined ratio improvement, including over 10 points in auto, along with a plan to return auto to targeted profitability by mid-2025 , and strong investment performance supported by attractive yields and a diversified, durable portfolio of assets.
2025 began with the appointment of Mo Tooker as President of The Hartford, aligning all our Property and Casualty businesses and sales and distribution under his leadership. Additionally, he is stewarding several enterprise-wide initiatives. Mo is an exceptional leader, highly regarded in the industry, with a remarkable reputation for strategic growth, customer-focused solutions, underwriting discipline, and building a cohesive team culture. In February, to honor the company's rich history and demonstrate its nimble, modern, and visionary spirit, The Hartford launched a refreshed brand that celebrates our strength and culture. The brand features a bold, contemporary look for our iconic stag logo, emphasizing our commitment to build upon centuries of trust we have fostered from the businesses, workers, and people we support every day.
Building upon the momentum of 2024 , we recently announced strong first quarter results, achieving an industry-leading trailing 12-month core earnings ROE of 16.2%, even in the face of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. history. Disciplined underwriting and pricing execution, exceptional talent, and innovative customer-centric technology continue to drive our performance. With each consecutive quarter of industry-leading financial results, The Hartford stands out as a consistent, proven performer. Our agility and adaptability fuel our reputation as a market leader and innovator and will remain our driving force as we focus on long-term value creation for you, our shareholders. Before we get to your questions, let me take a moment to comment on the macroeconomic environment. We are operating in dynamic times. However, as an underwriting-centric organization specializing in managing risk, we are well equipped to navigate this evolving environment.
Our teams are closely monitoring trends and are already taking action to address the impacts of this complex and rapidly changing policy landscape. With solid fundamentals, a durable investment portfolio, and a balance sheet that is stronger than ever, we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering strong returns for our shareholders. With that, we'd be happy to address your questions. Terence, please share the questions that we have received.
Thanks, Chris. The first question: How will tariffs impact The Hartford?
Well, I would say, you know, primarily, in a couple, you know, ways, but as I said in my prepared remarks, I mean, we're an underwriting organization helping, you know, customers manage risk, and we are in a, you know, dynamic period of time. You know, that said, you know, we see tariffs affecting, you know, the price of automobiles, both new and used cars, parts, building materials such as lumber and other supplies that we use to repair vehicles or to, you know, repair homes. So those are primarily the primary areas, what I would say, Terence. The exact impact is unknown. You know, given that we're already halfway through the year and there's still negotiations happening regarding tariffs, I would say it has an immaterial impact for us in 2025 , you know, given where we stand today.
Great. Thanks, Chris. The next question. My name is Jim Lohr, and I represent the Carpenters Pension Funds. The calculation of CEO compensation actually paid total in the Pay Versus Performance table for the past several years can dramatically differ from the CEO total compensation amount in the Summary Compensation Table. How does the compensation committee use the compensation actually paid total compensation figures in its calculation of the CEO target total compensation award for the upcoming year?
Thank you for your question. Given, you know, sort of this question deals with my compensation, Trevor Fetter is sitting next to me, and I'll have him answer. But I, I would say, I think our compensation committee has had a long track record of being very thoughtful about compensation matters in total, you know, for all our executives, including myself. But Trevor, what would you add?
I would just add that the compensation committee considers several factors in recommending a target total compensation opportunity for the CEO and for other executives as well. Among the most significant factors the committee considers include market data, such as competitive target pay versus CEO positions at peer companies of similar size. Executive pay strategy generally, which is defined by looking at market position, pay mix, and short-term versus long-term incentives. Another consideration is sustained value creation through company and individual long-term performance. We also take into consideration the incumbent executive's tenure and experience, internal pay equity, historical pay that has been delivered through the programs, and whether that is aligned with company performance.
With respect to this question about the term Compensation Actually Paid, which refers to a formula that is prescribed by the SEC, that is one data point that the compensation committee looks at. However, it doesn't play a significant role in the compensation committee's target pay recommendation to the full board, as it does not reflect the amount actually realized or realizable by the CEO.
Great. Thank you, Trevor. Next question. The Hartford has recently had negative press due to disclosure that it is underwriting pipelines in the Gulf Coast, while at the same time refusing to continue insuring the Audubon Society of the Southeastern Adirondacks. While at the same time, we have not shared progress on our Net Zero goals. How should shareholders view this stepping back on environmental issues?
Yeah, let me... There's a couple angles here to talk through. So all I would add and say is that I'm not gonna talk about individual underwriting of individual policies, including the Audubon. But I just want to be clear that our underwriting decisions are solely based on our assessment of risk and the chance of loss. They are not informed or guided by any political or social views of any, you know, persuasion. So that's what I would say there. As it relates to sort of climate change in general, you know, we do recognize the risks that climate change pose to people, to businesses, to communities, and understand our role the industry plays in managing and mitigating those risks.
I'd say we are committed to reducing our own environmental impact and supporting customers and business partners as we collectively transition to a greener society. Our approach in this area for energy transition really entails a pragmatic approach, where we meet the market where it is, partnering with traditional energy companies as they adapt, you know, to changing demands and opportunities, as well as, you know, supporting new business startups and new green energy initiatives. We still need to fuel our economy and fuel our homes, and that's why we balance the, you know, those approaches. That's what I would say.
Great. Thanks, Chris. At this time, we have no other questions.
Great. If there are no other further questions, I'd like to conclude by thanking you for your interest and continued support in The Hartford. It is an exciting time at The Hartford for our employees, customers, distribution partners, and all stakeholders. We are well positioned to sustain our momentum, achieving profitable growth with industry-leading ROEs in 2025 and beyond. Thank you again.
The meeting has now concluded. Thank you for joining. You may now disconnect.