Exxon Mobil investors have defied the oil company’s board and approved a resolution that says directors should be chosen by a majority vote.
The non-binding vote came at Exxon’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Dallas.
It represents a victory for investors angered by the retirement package of ex-chairman and chief executive Lee Raymond, according to analysts
Oil firms ExxonMobil and BP are being sued by local authorities in Alaska who accuse them of holding back gas.
The authorities want to build a gas pipeline to rival one proposed by the firms, who they say have hampered their attempts at getting a deal.
BP and ExxonMobil want a pipeline to take gas from Alaska to mainland US, where prices are near record levels
Oil giant Exxon Mobil has been ordered to pay damages to more than 10,000 petrol station owners for overcharging on the cost of its fuel.
The ruling by a federal court judge in Miami could set the US company back more than $1.3bn