Company-director-series-icon Company Director Series

What all directors need to know about shareholder activism

Watch webinar
CMi2i
With

Mark Simms

Chief Executive Officer - CMi2i

Harry St. John Cooper

Global Shareholder Activism Senior Advisor - EY
27th of April 2022 at 13:00 (GMT+1)
Via Zoom
Free

Key Takeaways

  • The days of the old activists are gone. Today activists are as likely to be long term inventors as much as any other type of investor.
  • Shareholders are starting to take a different view of activists too. So it is worth knowing your shareholders views on activist and engaging with them about it.
  • External activists come from all geographies and regions now. Internal activists are often shareholders who are looking to effect change within the company.
  • No company is too small to be targeted. 
  • The core demand of activists remains breaking up conglomerates but also includes getting shareholder money back, increasingly social and environmental.
  • It is key that companies recognise that everybody is an activist and everybody is potentially vulnerable.
  • ESG is taking over everything and is a huge focus for all investors. You cannot underestimate the damage that can be caused if a company has low ESG standards.
  • It’s difficult to  ignore an activist that approaches a company with an ESG story that could improve its ranking, rating or increase its value.
  • To help mitigate against the risk of an attack, you need to do your own performance check to see where the weaknesses are, look at your own capital structure and talk to shareholders.
  • The best strategy is always engagement. Never think an activist will go away. Failure to engage will demonstrate inflexibility and show a lack of interest in shareholders’ concerns.
  • Shareholder risk should be continually assessed and not just at certain times.

About

This Webinar

We are in a new world of shareholder activism—one where all companies are a potential target, and investors with no activist history are making activist demands. Directors now need a new set of skills to ensure they are able to successfully navigate this new landscape and respond effectively to an activist threat. In this webinar we will examine who today’s activists are, what they are looking for, how to identify your risk, and what to do to mitigate an attack. You will hear from Mark Simms, CEO of CMi2i, the London-based leading capital markets intelligence firm, and Harry St. John Cooper, an ex-activist (Paulson & Co) in this educational and informative session.

  • The current shareholder activist landscape
  • Types of shareholder activism
  • How ESG has changed what shareholder activism is
  • Quantifying your risk and identifying vulnerabilities
  • How directors can mitigate the risk of attack
  • How to be prepared for an attack
  • What to do if you are confronted with an activist investor
This Speaker

Mark Simms is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of CMi2i. For 25 years Mark has specialised in the provision of capital markets intelligence and advisory services, specialising in activist defence and transactional support. In addition to founding CMi2i, he founded its predecessor Capital Precision. He was previously CEO of Ilios Europe and has held senior positions within the Investor Relations industry, including at Thomson Financial and ICV Ltd. Mark regularly speaks at events around the world on shareholder activism at international IR and banking conferences. He has also been involved in shaping disclosure policy, market transparency regulation, and law reviews across European jurisdictions.

Harry St. John Cooper has over thirty years of experience in global capital markets. He first worked for JP Morgan Cazenove, in both London and New York. But he was most notably a partner involved in the setting up and running of the European office of Paulson & Co. Inc., the leading New York based hedge fund specialising in merger arbitrage and event-driven investing. He has extensive experience as an activist investor as well as in shareholder engagement and investment analysis. He is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a B.S. (Econ) in Accounting and Finance from The London School of Economics.

CMi2i, the world’s leading forensic capital markets intelligence firm, specialises in the world’s most accurate equity & debtholder identification serviceand supports issuers and their advisors with their ESG investment, investor relations, M&A, shareholder activism, capital restructuring and proxy solicitation goals. The company has supported more than 1000 activist defences & corporate transactions and has over 500 clients worldwide. Learn more at www.cmi2i.com.

Previous Webinars on the same series

Company Director Series

Governance issues: Takeaways for 2022 and predictions for 2023

David Duffy
CEO
7th of December 2022 (GMT)
Company Director Series

What all directors need to know about shareholder activism

Mark Simms
Chief Executive Officer
27th of April 2022 (GMT+1)
Company Director Series

Exercising better independent judgement

Bob Semple
Governance Advisory Council Member
16th of March 2022 (GMT)
Company Director Series

2021 – five takeaways | 2022 – five predictions

David W Duffy
Founder & CEO
15th of December 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Director duties and responsibilities

Tony McPoland
Chairman & Independent Non-Executive Director
3rd of November 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Six do’s and don’ts for a new board member

Síle Walsh
Leadership and Inclusion Specialist
27th of October 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Exercising better independent Judgement

Bob Semple
Governance Advisory Council Member
1st of September 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Subsidiary governance – the HQ challenge

Ruairí Mulrean
Partner, M&A, Corporate and Commercial Law
11th of August 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Board models and board effectiveness – what works?

Sefan C. Peij
Founder & managing director
7th of July 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

New to the boardroom? Key Duties and responsibilities you need to be aware of as a director

Tony McPoland
Chairman & independent non-executive director
30th of June 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

The 5 biggest challenges to effective corporate governance in a developing country

Karen Manyati
Director
9th of June 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

10 tips for preparing for board meetings in a blended world

David W Duffy
Founder & CEO
2nd of June 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

What every director needs to know about data protection?

Claire Morrissey
Partner and head of the Data, Commercial and Technology practice
28th of April 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

How to deal with underperforming board members

David W Duffy
Founder & CEO
24th of February 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Code of Ethics – useful documents or ethical window dressing?

Gráinne Madden
Specialist in Business Ethics, Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility
17th of February 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Developing your independent non-executive director (INED) portfolio

Ellen Roche
Director
10th of February 2021 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Governance and the government

Michael McGrath
TD
4th of December 2020 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Corporate governance in a crisis

Alan Tyrrell
Managing Director
30th of September 2020 (GMT)
Company Director Series

The five building blocks of great corporate governance

David W Duffy
Founder & CEO
15th of September 2020 (GMT)
Company Director Series

Six steps to becoming a paid non-executive director

David W. Duffy
Founder and CEO
9th of September 2020 (GMT)
Company Director Series

How to avoid post-Brexit trading problems

Carol Lynch
Partner
13th of January 2020 (GMT)

Are you interested in presenting?

Are you a thought leader, an expert or a practitioner who wants to reach new audiences with your knowledge and expertise? Would you like to suggest a webinar topic that may be of interest to our global audience?

Members receive exclusive insights and opportunities

The Corporate Governance Institute provides its members with exclusive content, a network of directors and business leaders, details of available board positions, and the tools and resources required for a successful governance career.

Insights on leadership

Want more insights like this? Sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly insights into the vibrant worlds of corporate governance and business leadership. Stay relevant. Keep informed.