BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship (BAIS) is a specialist team within the Portfolio Management Group that manages BlackRock’s stewardship engagement and voting on behalf of clients invested in liquid active strategies globally. BAIS works in partnership with BlackRock’s active investment teams to support long-term financial value creation.
BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship
BlackRock's overarching approach
Stewardship is core to our role as an asset manager and fiduciary
BAIS’ Annual Report
BAIS’ Annual Report outlines our stewardship in practice
BAIS’ Vote Disclosure
BAIS publishes its voting activity quarterly
BAIS’ stewardship program has four key pillars:
Engaging
BAIS engages to deepen our understanding of a company’s business model and to help inform our voting on behalf of clients.
Voting
BAIS votes at shareholder meetings on management and shareholder proposals for clients who have authorized BlackRock to vote on their behalf.
Contributing to industry dialogue
BAIS shares our perspectives on stewardship matters that may impact our clients’ investments.
Reporting
BAIS informs clients about our stewardship efforts through a range of publications on our website and direct client reporting.
BAIS Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines
BAIS’ Guidelines outline the factors we consider when we engage and vote on matters that are commonly included on shareholder meeting agendas. They are not prescriptive and are applied in the context of a company’s operating environment and an active equity portfolio manager’s investment strategy, anchored in BlackRock’s fiduciary duty to clients.
Engagement priorities
BAIS develops its engagement strategy in close partnership with members of the active investment platform, ensuring both alignment and effectiveness. Over time, we have observed a number of consistent themes on which we engage with companies.
Board quality and effectiveness
A company’s board plays a central role in its success and financial performance over time. Directors individually bring their expertise and experience to advising management and, as a collective, the board provides strategic direction, oversight and governance that guides the company in achieving its purpose and strategic objectives.
Strategy, milestones, and financial resilience
A clearly articulated strategy and milestones consistent with a company’s business cycle help investors and other stakeholders understand how it is fulfilling its purpose, meeting its objectives and delivering financial returns that are resilient over time.
Executive incentives
Effective executive compensation policies are crucial for aligning management incentives with company strategy and financial performance. Well-designed compensation plans have rigorous but realizable targets that incentivize appropriate risk taking, and balance near- and long-term awards.
Climate-and nature-related risks and opportunities
Climate change and natural capital management are closely linked and could present both material risks and opportunities for companies and shareholders.
Company impacts on people
As employers, companies’ human capital management practices shape their ability to attract, develop and retain the key talent they need to have a competitive advantage in the market. A company’s performance may be improved through fair employment practices, safe work environments and a culture that supports employee engagement and productivity.
Stewardship in action
476
Engagements
BAIS conducted 476 engagements with companies in 2025, in addition to the thousands of meetings held by investors across the active platform.
347
Companies engaged
BAIS engaged with 347 public companies in 2025, in addition to the thousands of meetings held by investors across the active platform.
25
Markets engaged
BAIS engaged across 25 markets in 2025.
10,954
Engagements
BAIS conducted 476 engagements with companies in 2025, in addition to the thousands of meetings held by investors across the active platform.
110,130
Proposals voted
BAIS voted on 110,130 proposals in 2025.
BAIS 2025 Annual Stewardship Report
Apr 30, 2026
This report outlines our approach to stewardship in practice, including key statistics and case studies of our activity from 2025.
BAIS Vote Disclosure
BAIS content library
BlackRock
As a global investment manager and fiduciary to our clients, our purpose at BlackRock is to help everyone experience financial well-being. Since 1999, we've been a leading provider of financial technology, and our clients turn to us for the solutions they need when planning for their most important goals.
©2026 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved.