CommPRO invites you to a complimentary, live virtual roundtable on "Shareholder Activism and Dealmaking under Trump 2.0."

This exclusive event will bring together top thought leaders to explore how Trump 2.0 may be a strong catalyst for a surge in shareholder activism and activist-driven dealmaking.

Why You Should Attend:

• Learn from the Best: Insights from leading voices in shareholder activism and dealmaking.

• Engage and Interact: Ask your questions during the live Q&A.

• Stay Ahead: Understand why many experts believe the incoming Trump administration could be a strong catalyst for a robust period of shareholder activism and activist-driven dealmaking.

Moderator:

Keith E. Gottfried
CEO, Gottfried Shareholder Advisory, LLC

Keith Gottfried is the CEO of Gottfried Shareholder Advisory LLC, a strategic advisory firm focused on advising public companies, the C-suite, and boards of directors on shareholder activism preparedness and defense.  Keith is a highly experienced shareholder activism advisor. Throughout a career that spans over 30 years, working at some of the country’s most prominent firms, Keith has advised numerous public companies in connection with high-profile shareholder activism campaigns. Before founding his firm in 2021, Keith led the shareholder activism defense practice at a large global law firm. 

Keith's work as a shareholder activism defense advisor has been recognized on numerous occasions. In both 2018 and 2019, Keith was named by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) to its list of Directorship 100 honorees, which recognizes the most influential people in the boardroom community, including directors, corporate governance experts, regulators, and advisors. Keith publishes and presents regularly and has been frequently quoted by the national business and news media, on shareholder activism trends and developments. Keith has also been a frequent contributor to the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance on shareholder activism developments. Keith holds an M.B.A., with high honors, from Boston University's Questrom School of Business, a J.D., cum laude, from Boston University's School of Law, where he was an Edward F. Hennessey Distinguished Scholar of Law, and a G. Joseph Tauro Scholar of Law, and a B.S from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Panelists:

Stephen L. Brown
Senior Advisor & Managing Director, Board Leadership Center, KPMG LLP

Stephen L. Brown is a globally recognized governance expert, thought leader, and trusted advisor to corporate boards and C-suites. He is a Senior Advisor and Managing Director at KPMG Board Leadership Center, where he advises business leaders on key corporate governance challenges.

Formerly, he was CEO of the Society of Corporate Governance and led the corporate governance group at TIAA/Nuveen. Prior to TIAA, Brown practiced securities law at WilmerHale and Skadden and was an associate with Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Brown is a member of several boards including the National Football League Alumni Association, the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, Black Corporate Board Readiness at Santa Clara University, the Reuben Mark Initiative for Organizational Character and Leadership at Columbia University, and CEOs for Corporate Purpose & CEO Investor Network.  He is also an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Mr. Brown received his B.A. with honors from Yale University and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Bob Marese
President, MacKenzie Partners, Inc

Over Bob’s thirty-year career - conducted exclusively at MacKenzie Partners, Inc. - his practice has primarily focused on advisory, consulting, proxy solicitation, and information agent services related to M&A, both negotiated and unsolicited; contests for board control and minority representation; defense preparedness and response; investor and financial relations; and corporate governance.  Apart from engaging in the above-referenced service activities for U.S. and Canadian clients, Bob is also responsible for firm-wide operations in the U.K. and Europe. He holds an MBA in Accountancy from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.  Bob is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance, the National Investor Relations Institute, and is a current member of the Council of Institutional Investors’ Markets Advisory Council.

Dan Scorpio
Managing Director, Head of M&A and Activism, H/Advisors Abernathy

Dan Scorpio is Head of M&A and Activism at H/Advisors Abernathy. He provides strategic communications and stakeholder engagement counsel to leadership teams and Boards of Directors regarding transactions, activism defense and governance matters.

He is skilled in connecting communications strategies to business objectives and brings a highly effective cross-stakeholder approach to client engagements. Dan has significant media relations experience and is a leader in applying digital strategies to drive positive outcomes for clients in contested M&A, proxy contests and special situations.

Dan’s recent M&A advisory work includes T-Mobile’s acquisitions of Sprint and Mint Mobile, IFF’s RMT with DuPont’s Nutrition & Biosciences business, Symbotic’s public listing via a SPAC backed by SoftBank, Keurig Green Mountain’s acquisition of Dr Pepper Snapple and Tempus AI’s initial public offering. He has advised corporate clients in private and public engagements against activist investors including Carl Icahn, Elliott Management, Trian Partners, Engine Capital, JANA, Mantle Ridge, Pershing Square, Sachem Head and Starboard Value, among others.

Maureen T. Wolff
Chief Executive Officer, Sharon Merrill Advisors

Maureen is CEO of Sharon Merrill Advisors, a premier boutique strategic communications firm in the areas of investor relations, story creation and stakeholder engagement. She is a nationally recognized thought leader in investor relations and corporate communications, with more than 35 years of experience advising C-level executives and board of directors on how to improve their communications, build credibility and maximize stakeholder value. Maureen provides clients with strategic guidance in investor relations, corporate communications, corporate governance and sustainability, covering a variety of special situations such as executive transitions, crisis communications, IPOs and M&A, among others. She received a B.S. degree in Communications from Montclair State University and completed prescribed studies in “Financial and IR” at the Simmons College Graduate Program in Communications. 

As an expert in the complex and ever-changing landscape of investor relations and corporate governance, Maureen is frequently called upon to bridge the intersection between the two fields. She has earned a reputation for providing clients with clear and actionable advice on implementing best-in-class sustainability strategies, navigating proxy contests and activism campaigns, elevating proxy communication, raising capital and developing crisis communication strategies. Maureen’s history of leadership within the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) includes serving as chairman and a board member, as well as spearheading the development of NIRI’s Standards of Practice for IR.

• Speaker at high-profile industry events hosted by such organizations as the Association for Corporate Growth, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange and the Society for Corporate Governance.

• Recipient of the IR Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award and Hall of Fame honoree; NIRI Fellow; Member of the NIRI Senior Roundtable; Honorary Director of the Boston Chapter of NIRI

• Former Chairperson for NIRI IR Certification Council and contributing developer of the inaugural Investor Relations Certification exam

• Lecturer at leading academic institutions such as Bentley University, Boston University, Emerson College and Harvard University, and at NIRI’s ‘Regulation Fair Disclosure’ seminar