Many experts predict that Trump 2.0 could ignite a surge in shareholder activism and activist-driven dealmaking. Is your company prepared?
Join us for a complimentary live virtual roundtable, “Planning for Shareholder Activism During the 2025 Proxy Season,” on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, from 2 PM – 3 PM ET / 11 AM – 12 PM PT. This timely discussion will be moderated by Keith Gottfried, CEO of Gottfried Shareholder Advisory LLC, and will feature an expert panel of leading shareholder activism advisors and thought leaders.
Why You Should Attend
Our panel will explore:
The evolving shareholder activism and corporate governance landscape under Trump 2.0
Strategies for being less vulnerable to activist investors
Strategies for preparing for an activist campaign during proxy season 2025 and beyond
Strategies for engaging with activist investors
Don’t miss this important discussion. Secure your spot today!
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:
Elizabeth K. Bieber
Partner, Freshfields
Elizabeth is the partner and head of shareholder engagement and activism defense in New York. Leza focuses on activism and takeover defense preparedness and corporate governance matters. She also advises on debt and equity capital markets transactions, including IPOs, SPACs and de-SPACs.
Leza advises boards of directors and management on governance and crisis management, including stakeholder engagement; board and disclosure issues, including director independence, board and committee structure, securities law compliance, board leadership structures, board composition, listing standards, shareholder proposals, annual meetings; sustainability trends and ESG issues; proxy season trends; and succession planning, among other governance matters.
Leza is a recognized thought leader on governance and activism matters and was appointed to the editorial board of Corporate Governance Advisor. She has appeared on CNBC to discuss activism trends and Thomson Reuters Practical Law to discuss climate change requirements. For the past three years, Leza co-hosted Freshfields’ annual post-proxy season event with leading institutional investors to demystify investor views and expectations on sustainability disclosure and reporting requirements with hundreds of public company clients. She also regularly chairs a panel at Corporate Board Member’s Boardroom Summit on shareholder activism and engagement trends. She is the co-editor of Freshfields’ annual Board Memo, co-host of our webcast series on governance and disclosure updates and co-host of our governance podcast series. Leza is the only lawyer in the United States ranked as a “Rising Star” for corporate governance and is a key member of the Tier 1 corporate governance group, both as ranked by Legal 500.
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.
Renée Soto
Founding Partner, Reevemark LLC
Renée Soto is a trusted communications advisor to companies, organizations and individuals facing complex business and legal challenges. For nearly two decades, Renée has developed and executed strategic communications programs for corporate crises, high-stakes litigation, executive transitions, transformational corporate transactions, shareholder activism campaigns and other special situations. Her expertise includes designing and implementing high-impact stakeholder relations programs for clients facing reputational crises, regulatory investigations, and other sensitive matters.
Prior to co-founding Reevemark, Renée was a Managing Director and Partner at Sard Verbinnen & Co., a strategic communications firm she joined in 2005. Renée began her career as an Associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP, where she worked on M&A and securities transactions.
She received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was an Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Renée was selected as one of Lawdragon’s Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting from 2021 – 2024. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and an NACD certified corporate director who serves on the Board of Domo, Inc.
Michael A. Verrechia
Senior Managing Director, M&A and Activism Advisory Group, Sodali & Co
As Senior Managing Director of the M&A and Activism Advisory Group at Sodali & Co, Mike provides strategic counsel on shareholder activism, contested director elections, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and proxy solicitation. With over 20 years of experience, he has guided clients through some of the most high-profile activist campaigns and M&A transactions in recent years.
Mike has played a key role in advising public companies, boards, and investors in navigating complex shareholder engagements and corporate transactions. His expertise has been instrumental in contested situations, including high-stakes boardroom battles and proxy fights across multiple industries.
Most recently, Mike has provided guidance on significant M&A transactions and activist campaigns, helping companies anticipate investor sentiment, build shareholder support, and drive successful outcomes. His deep knowledge of governance trends and market dynamics ensures that Sodali & Co remains at the forefront of advisory excellence in today’s evolving corporate landscape.