{"id":921542,"date":"2025-12-19T10:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-responds-to-iss-board-recommendation\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:30:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:30:29","slug":"edward-smolyansky-responds-to-iss-board-recommendation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/edward-smolyansky-responds-to-iss-board-recommendation\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward Smolyansky Responds to ISS Board Recommendation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PR Newswire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n Highlights ISS concerns around Lifeway’s governance, board practices and composition<\/i>\n <\/p>\n

\n CHICAGO<\/span>, Dec. 19, 2025<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ — Edward Smolyansky, largest individual shareholder of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: LWAY), today drew attention to critical governance concerns identified by Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) in its recent proxy analysis. Mr. Smolyansky’s full letter to the shareholders can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In its report, ISS questioned Lifeway’s approach to shareholder and proxy advisor engagement, noting that governance-related discussions were not led by the CEO or any incumbent director, but instead by the Company’s Chief of Staff\u2014who is also the spouse of CEO Julie Smolyansky. Despite holding no officer or board position, he acted as the Company’s primary representative in matters that typically require direct board-level accountability. ISS further highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding this role, the absence of a clear framework for managing potential conflicts, and the fact that no directors were present to address these concerns.<\/p>\n

ISS’s\u00a0proxy analysis noted:<\/p>\n