Global management team
Global Head of Georgeson
Cas Sydorowitz
Cas has more than 25 years’ experience in international investor relations and shareholder identification and has been with Georgeson since 1998. As responsible for Georgeson’s Global activism and M&A practice, he has been involved in the highest profile M&A and activist situations. Cas has a longstanding knowledge of Global proxy voting mechanics and key governance matters affecting issuers and shareholders globally. Having worked for several activists and against many more he has in-depth experience in how activists run their campaigns and the different stakeholders they look to influence in sensitive activist campaigns. Prior to joining Georgeson he had five years’ experience in international investor relations and shareholder identification. While honing his skills in the US, Cas has been in the UK since 2002.
Global Chief Operating Officer
Domenic Brancati
Domenic began working for Georgeson in the UK in 2000, and has since played major roles in some of the largest M&A transactions and proxy fights in UK, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Domenic is a trusted advisor to the firm’s clients on all matters relating to stakeholder engagement. He currently has responsibility for all Georgeson across UK/Europe and parts of Asia. Domenic had also spent time in Australia running the local Georgeson business.
CEO, Global Ownership Intelligence
Laks Meyyappan
Laks joined Georgeson in 2003. He has over 26 years industry experience and owns a Masters degree in Global Finance. He has been the deputy CEO of Japan Shareholder Services from 2005 to 2015, a joint venture between Computershare and Mitsubishi United Financial Group. He started his career as Junior Account Executive in 1990 at Morrow & Co. followed by Chase Mellon Shareholder Services, Corporate Investor Communications and Computershare. Currently Laks is the CEO of Australasia responsible for all Georgeson services across the region overseeing a global staff located across Australia and Asia.
España
Asia
Australia
Canada
France
Germany
Italy
United Kingdom
United StatesEspaña
Carlos Sáez Gallego
Country Head Spain
Nacido en Madrid, Carlos Sáez es Graduado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas y MBA por ICADE, Experto en Gestión de Intangibles por el Instituto de Análisis de Intangibles, PDD por el IESE Business School; asimismo cuenta con un Programa Ejecutivo en Reputación Corporativa por el IE Business School. Carlos es actualmente Country Head y Secretario del Consejo de Administración de Georgeson en España. Cuenta con una amplia experiencia en el mundo de la consultoría estratégica, gobierno corporativo, proxy solicitation y M&A tanto en mercados nacionales como internacionales. Ha trabajado para firmas como KPMG, donde fue Gerente del área de Governance, Risk & Compliance, Villafañe & Asociados donde fue consultor senior, y Soluziona (Actual Indra) donde fue Consultor en estrategia y operaciones. Compagina su trabajo en Georgeson con su labor docente. Actualmente es profesor invitado en el Programa de Consejeros ESADE-Pwc, en el Programa Woman to Watch de Pwc y en el Programa Superior de Responsabilidad Corporativa del IE. Asimismo, es conferenciante habitual en diversos foros como WomenCEO ó el Foro de RRHH de Garrigues entre otros. Desde el año 2015, coordina el Observatorio de la Inversión Responsable que Georgeson elabora todos los años en colaboración con el Club de Excelencia en Sostenibilidad.
Claudia Maria Morante Belgrano
Head of Corporate Governance for Spain
Tras obtener la Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas en la Universidad de Lima (Perú), Claudia inició su carrera profesional en el sector financiero, como analista bursátil de la Bolsa de Valores del Grupo Interbancario (Lima-Perú). También es licenciada en Gestión de Calidad Empresarial por la Universidad CEU (Madrid-España). Desde 2003 hasta 2016, Claudia desarrolló su carrera en el campo de la consultoría de negocios, trabajando durante más de 12 años en KPMG y PwC. Claudia cuenta con una amplia experiencia en el asesoramiento a empresas en temas de Gobierno Corporativo, principalmente en las empresas Ibex-35, donde desarrolló evaluaciones anuales de Consejos de Administración, análisis de gobierno corporativo, benchmarking sobre temas de remuneración para directores no ejecutivos. Es coautor de varias publicaciones sobre el desarrollo de prácticas de gobierno corporativo en empresas españolas cotizadas y ha participado en foros dentro de centros educativos referenciales. Es miembro de ICGN (International Corporate Governance Network).
Giulia Angela Matteo Sézille
Head of Execution for Spain
Giulia comenzó su carrera en Georgeson en 2010, donde actualmente ocupa el cargo de Head of Execution para España. Durante su experiencia en Georgeson ha desarrollado un amplio conocimiento del mercado financiero y se ha especializado en el mercado español, para el cual actualmente desarrolla sus actividades. Su trabajo se enfoca en la planificación estratégica, ejecución y gerencia de actividades relativas a las juntas generales de accionistas (Proxy Solicitation e Information Agent), con el objetivo de controlar el riesgo en el gobierno corporativo de las empresas cotizadas, así como en actividades relativas al análisis del capital para diferentes compañías del mercado español y latinoamericano. Asimismo, ofrece su apoyo en las actividades relativas a la asesoría en Gobierno Corporativo y ESG, impulsadas por Georgeson España. Ha trabajado en actividades de identificación y análisis de accionistas y de tenedores de bonos para diversos mercados, así como en actividades de comunicación de operaciones financieras. Nacida en Caracas, Venezuela, Giulia tiene una licenciatura en Comunicación Social y un master en Mercados Financieros. Su lengua materna es el español, y habla fluidamente el inglés y el italiano.
Asia
Savoy Lee
Director, Head of Corporate Advisory
Savoy Lee joined Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Ltd in 2016, responsible for the development and service offerings of Georgeson’s corporate advisory segment in North Asia. Specialising in institutional fund analytics, Savoy has more than 25 years of experience in providing capital market advisory services to publicly-traded corporations, including enhancement of their shareholding structures, investor-targeting initiatives, proxy solicitation and ESG reporting. Savoy worked as a Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard, a Director at Taylor Rafferty, an Institutional Fund Analyst at Thomson Reuters and consulting roles at two global PR agencies, namely Hill and Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller. Savoy speaks fluent Cantonese, English and Mandarin.
Laks Meyyappan
CEO, Global Ownership Intelligence
Laks joined Georgeson in 2003. He has over 26 years industry experience and owns a Masters degree in Global Finance. He has been the deputy CEO of Japan Shareholder Services from 2005 to 2015, a joint venture between Computershare and Mitsubishi United Financial Group. He started his career as Junior Account Executive in 1990 at Morrow & Co. followed by Chase Mellon Shareholder Services, Corporate Investor Communications and Computershare. Currently Laks is the CEO of Australasia responsible for all Georgeson services across the region overseeing a global staff located across Australia and Asia.
Australia
Ben Horne
Account Director
Ben joined Georgeson in early 2001 and has been operationally involved in performing training, quality assurance, call centre and account management functions. As an Account Director Ben is responsible for the management and execution of targeted shareholder and member communication campaigns across a broad range of corporate actions, shareholder activism and special projects. In recent years Ben has worked on many of the largest Proxy fights, Takeovers, Capital Raisings, Annual and Extraordinary Shareholder Meetings.
Catherine Napper
Account Director
Catherine joined Georgeson in 2006 after 5 years’ experience with Westpac. She is currently an Account Director responsible for the management and execution of targeted shareholder communication campaigns across a broad range of corporate actions, including unsolicited takeover Offers, Scheme Meetings, IPO’s, restructuring and Capital Raisings. Catherine has been heavily involved on many large transactions, including the Acquisition of Navitas by BGH, Credible merger with Fox Corporation, the acquisition of Xenith group by IPH, Demerger of CYBG from NAB, a number of IAG campaigns, the Woolworths takeover of David Jones, the GrowthPoint takeover of GPT, a Rio Tinto Buy back, the QTMB merger with RACQ via Scheme of Arrangement, a number of NAB Capital Notes Offers, a AFIC SPP, the Santos Entitlement Offer, Caltex Buyback, a number of Duet Capital Raisings, the Asciano Merger with Brookfield and Qube by Scheme of Arrangement, AMP unmarketable parcel campaign, and AMP Subordinated Notes Offer.
Sam Horner
Director, Business Development
Sam has more than 10 years of experience in investing, trading, educating and management in financial markets. He has extensive knowledge of the Australian equities market, with a deep focus on the listed small and mid-cap space. He also has his own podcast specialising in understanding small caps and is regularly involved in industry events. He previously ran Peloton Capital’s Shareholder Services division, which involved providing strategic advice to directors on corporate actions, scheme implementations, proxy campaigns and investor relations. During his tenure he won significant market share and executed and led several successful campaigns. As Georgeson’s newest account Director Sam looks forward to continuing to foster new business relationships in the small and larger listed space, as well as executing and delivering outstanding service and improved engagement for listed companies’ shareholders.
Michael Davis
Institutional Investor Relations Manager
Michael Joined Georgeson in 2004. As Institutional Investor Relations Manager Michael is responsible for investor research and engagement programs within the region. Michael has successfully managed many large scale engagement programs across Shareholder Meetings, M&A and ESG. He has successfully run engagement and investor insight programs for top ASX listed entities including Computershare Limited, Blackmores Limited and Seek Limited. Michael has an extensive global network of contacts that assists our clients in achieving their goals.
Mariana Marabini
ESG Associate
Driven by a strong passion for supporting organisations to thrive on their commitments to solve evolving and complex ESG issues, Mariana is the Corporate Governance Associate within Georgeson’s corporate advisory team in Sydney. She has several years of experience as an analyst, providing advice as well as operational and project support across both the Australian Not-for-Profit industry and international Governmental agencies. Before joining Georgeson, Mariana collaborated on various research projects including the analysis of qualitative and quantitative ESG metrics of the ASX50 listed companies. Some of the examined information included an appraisal of efforts from GRI, SASB-IIRC and TCFD amongst other frameworks and the adherence to the Modern Slavery Act and Circular Economy practices. While holding a Bachelor of Science in Economics, she is currently studying a Masters in Environmental Management and Sustainability at the University of Newcastle.
Canada
Jason Spasaro
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Jason Spasaro
Assistant Vice President, Business Development Jason.Spasaro@computershare.com P +1 416 263 9419 M +1 416 357 8985 Toronto, ON
France
Matthieu Simon Blavier
Head of Market France
Matthieu joined Georgeson in 2004. Matthieu has managed and supervised all the transaction-related assignments in France: Arcelor defense strategy against Mittal’s hostile bid / BNP Paribas friendly offer on BNL / Eiffage and Macquarie offer for APRR / Suez-Gaz de France friendly merger project. Matthieu has also been involved as Project Manager of most of the French AGMs over the past 7 years. A graduate from the Paris School of Management (ESCP) and from the ParisX University of Psychology, Matthieu has worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a manager in charge of privatization deals, and for other consulting firms with international managing roles. He is a Director of the French Corporate Governance Association (AFGE), a member of the French Directors Institute (IFA) and a Certified Board Member (ASC). Matthieu is French and speaks fluent English and Italian.
Christine Genin
Senior Account Manager
Christine joined Georgeson in 2011 as Senior Account Manager for France and French speaking countries. Christine has a wealth of experience with 19 years in the proxy, M&A, activist and governance industry. Previously she worked as European Proxy/M&A Director at D.F. King. Christine has a vast knowledge of French governance matters and proxy experience having worked on some of the most hotly contested meetings in France. She has also been involved in and managed many of the high profile M&A transactions in France. Christine is fluent in English and French.
Germany
Matthias Nau
Head of Market DACH
Matthias has been with Georgeson since January 2007 and, as Head of Market DACH, looks after customers in the German-speaking market together with his team. Previously he trained with Dresdner Bank in Germany where he worked as Senior Financial Advisor for private clients and smaller companies for five years. In addition, he has worked for PBV Versicherung as sales coach and Account Manager in Germany and gathered overseas experience at the Ministry of Economic Development in New Zealand and working in Australia. Originally from Stuttgart, Germany, Matthias is a qualified banker and has the Assistance in Finance qualification approved by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Matthias is fluent in English and German. Matthias has supported a large number of contested and un-contested shareholder meetings, M&A transactions and activist situations in the DACH region.
Italy
Lorenzo Casale
Head of Market Italy
Laureato in Giurisprudenza, Lorenzo entra in Georgeson nel 2009, acquisendo forte conoscenza della comunicazione finanziaria e fornendo consulenza di IR a società quotate, investitori, advisors finanziari e legali. Nello specifico, guida per anni il dipartimento di ID & Intelligence, focalizzandosi sulle attività di Identificazione di azionisti e obbligazionisti e sui servizi di Intelligence. Dopo aver ricoperto il ruolo di Senior Account Manager per il mercato italiano, coordinando le attività di Operations e fornendo analisi a supporto dei processi decisionali ed operativi degli investitori istituzionali per campagne assembleari e operazioni speciali, a partire da settembre 2020 ha assunto l’incarico di Head of Market Italy.
Francesco Surace
Head of Corporate Governance Italy
Con un percorso di studi giuridici alle spalle ed una significativa esperienza sulle tematiche di diritto societario e corporate governance maturate attraverso un esperienza pluriennale in una società di consulenza internazionale, Francesco entra in Georgeson nel 2021. Attraverso la conoscenza maturata negli anni delle pratiche raccomandate dagli investitori istituzionali, si occupa di allineare le esigenze dei clienti alle aspettative della comunità finanziaria con specifico riferimento agli aspetti di governo societario, composizione del cda, remunerazione e ESG. Ha inoltre scritto in alcune importanti riviste nazionali ed internazionali e partecipato in qualità di speaker a convegni e corsi universitari.
Alberto D’Aroma
Senior Account Manager
Con un percorso di studi legali ed economici alle spalle ed un’esperienza significativa nel diritto bancario e commerciale maturata presso un primario studio legale internazionale, Alberto entra in Georgeson nel 2015, supportando attivamente il buon fine di numerose operazioni ordinarie e straordinarie, verificando l’allineamento tra le proposte societarie e quanto raccomandato dalle best practice di mercato. Con tale prospettiva ha quindi sviluppato un’estesa conoscenza delle pratiche raccomandate dagli investitori istituzionali, offrendo i propri clienti un quadro di insieme funzionale a comprendere i potenziali esiti assembleari e, tramite opportuni adattamenti, rafforzare il supporto sulle proposte portate al voto degli azionisti. Dopo aver guidato il dipartimento di Corporate Governance di Georgeson Italia ha assunto il ruolo di Senior Account Manager, curando i progetti di rilievo dei clienti Georgeson per l’Italia.Lidia De Gasperis
Head of Intelligence & ID
Laureata in Giurisprudenza, Lidia completa il proprio percorso di studi conseguendo una seconda Laurea in Giurisprudenza presso l’Università di León (Spagna) ed ottenendo due Master in Diritto Internazionale della Navigazione e in Economia, presso l’Università di Teramo e presso l’Università di Valencia (Spagna). Fino al 2012 lavora presso due studi di avvocati come consulente legale. Entra in Georgeson nel 2013, diventando due anni più tardi Head of ID & Intelligence. Nella sua esperienza presso Georgeson, Lidia consegue una profonda conoscenza della comunicazione finanziaria fornendo, con la sua squadra di analisti, servizi di identificazione della struttura azionaria e obbligazionaria, attività di intelligence e di consulenza IR a società quotate, investitori, advisors finanziari e legali.
Roberta Armentano
Head of Retail Relationships
Laureata in Scienze Politiche presso l’Università LUISS di Roma, lavora per il Parlamento Europeo e l’Ambasciata Italiana ad Ottawa (Canada). Entra in Georgeson nel 2011 come Contact Centre Manager, per essere poi nominata Head of Retail Relationships. Roberta gestisce tutte le operazioni di contact centre inbound/outbound per: emissioni sul mercato primario; campagne assembleari; concordati preventivi; aumenti di capitale; offerte pubbliche.
Andrea Mastrostefano
Account Manager
Inizia la sua carriera a Londra nel 1996 nella divisione Equity Capital Markets della Barclays de Zoete Wedd e successivamente nella sala operativa della Banca di Roma International. Nel 2001 passa in Bank Insinger de Beaufort N.V. (Italia) dove ricopre il ruolo di Head of Equity Sales Trading. Nel 2014 entra nell’area finanza della multinazionale Permasteelisa S.p.A come Group Credit Manager riportando direttamente al CFO e CEO del Gruppo. In Georgeson dal 2017, ha supportato numerose campagne proxy italiane ed estere prima come Institutional Investor Relator e poi come Account Manager. Andrea è laureato in Finanza presso Boston College.
LATAM & Emerging markets
Stefano Marini
CEO of Latin America and Emerging Markets and Senior Advisor Southern Europe
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Stefano Marini
CEO of Latin America and Emerging Markets and Senior Advisor Southern Europe
Born in Rome, he obtained a degree in Political Sciences (magna cum laude) and completed his education through post graduate courses in Finance at SDA Bocconi (Milan), in Financial Analysis at IFAF (Milan), in Investor Relations at IRS (London), in Communication Management at NIRI (New York) and at SDA Bocconi (Milan) and in Marketing at SDA Bocconi (Milan). Stefano has worked for some of the largest corporations in Italy including Montedison, Ferruzzi Group, INA/Generali, UNIM and Pirelli Group. In 1996 he founded Proxitalia, the first Proxy Solicitor in Continental Europe which became part of Georgeson in 1999. In 2001 he supported Georgeson’s expansion of the Continental European business to France followed by Spain and Portugal in 2002 before entering the market in Argentina, Latin America in 2004. Until June 2019, Stefano held the position of CEO Southern Europe at Georgeson and is now CEO Latin America and Emerging Markets.
Netherlands
Ivana Cvjetkovic
Head of Market Benelux
Ivana Cvjetkovic initially joined the Georgeson team in London in 2011. After a short time away, she joined the Georgeson team in Rotterdam in 2017. Over the years she has worked on high profile AGMs such as Unilever, DSM, ING Group, Aegon, Heineken and KPN. In addition she had key involvement in the Klepierre bid for Corio, the Liberty Global bid for Ziggo, the JAB acquisition of DE Master Blenders, the América Móvil hostile partial offer for KPN, and the Wereldhave, Imtech and KPN Rights Issue. Ivana’s focus is on Corporate Actions and Corporate Governance in the Benelux market. Prior to re-joining the Georgeson team she worked in the CEO & Board practice of an executive search firm. She holds a Masters in European Private Law from the University of Amsterdam.
Kirsten Van Rooijen
Head of Continental Europe
Kirsten joined Georgeson in 2007 and has worked on numerous high profile AGMs and transactions for Benelux companies including ASM International, ING Group, Shell, Ahold and PL. She has had key involvement in a number of acquisitions, including Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of Crucell, ING Rights Issue, JAB acquisition of DE Masterblenders and Liberty Global acquisition of Ziggo. Since 2009, Kirsten has headed up the Georgeson office in the Netherlands and also has the responsibility of the Computershare Netherlands business.
United Kingdom
Cas Sydorowitz
Global Head of Georgeson
Cas has more than 25 years’ experience in international investor relations and shareholder identification and has been with Georgeson since 1998. As responsible for Georgeson’s Global activism and M&A practice, he has been involved in the highest profile M&A and activist situations. Cas has a longstanding knowledge of Global proxy voting mechanics and key governance matters affecting issuers and shareholders globally. Having worked for several activists and against many more he has in-depth experience in how activists run their campaigns and the different stakeholders they look to influence in sensitive activist campaigns. Prior to joining Georgeson he had five years’ experience in international investor relations and shareholder identification. While honing his skills in the US, Cas has been in the UK since 2002.
Domenic Brancati
Global Chief Operating Officer
Domenic began working for Georgeson in the UK in 2000, and has since played major roles in some of the largest M&A transactions and proxy fights in UK, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Domenic is a trusted advisor to the firm’s clients on all matters relating to stakeholder engagement. He currently has responsibility for all Georgeson across UK/Europe and parts of Asia. Domenic had also spent time in Australia running the local Georgeson business.
Anthony Kluk
Head of Market - UK & Nordics
Anthony joined the Georgeson corporate advisory team in 2016 and has worked on a number of large-cap M&A transactions including Takeda-Shire and Linde-Praxair, as well as several activism and proxy contest situations in Europe. Prior to Georgeson, Anthony spent 10 years at Loeb Aron & Co, a corporate finance boutique, where he was responsible for a broad range of advisory mandates including capital raising, debt-for-equity, new admissions and proxy contests. Anthony studied physics at the University of Leeds and is certified by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).
Mark Harwood
Head of M&A - UK & Europe
Kiran Vasantham
Head of Investor Engagement UK/Europe
Kiran Vasantham is Head of Investor Engagement UK/Europe at Georgeson and is based in our London offices. He provides strategic direction for investor research and engagement activities. Kiran has over 15 years industry knowledge in the investor engagement and shareholder response arena guiding corporate issuers on emerging investor trends including corporate governance, shareholder activism and sustainable investing. Kiran also has an established and trusted global network of Institutional Investors including the UK, Europe, and US. His relationships help our clients identify and navigate the increasingly complex challenges of proxy solicitation, investment stewardship, ESG voting behaviours and activist situations.
Daniele Vitale
Head of Governance UK & Europe
Daniele joined Georgeson in 2010 and specialises in corporate governance and executive remuneration analysis. Daniele has over fifteen years of experience advising institutional investors and corporations on corporate governance, executive remuneration and proxy voting issues. Previously he worked as Senior Researcher at PIRC Ltd, a London-based proxy advisory firm, and at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Deminor in Brussels. Daniele is Italian and is fluent in English, Italian, French and German.
Nicholas Laugier
Business Development Director
Nick has worked in the proxy solicitation industry since 2009 and joined the corporate advisory team at Georgeson in 2015 as a senior account manager. During his career Nick has supported issuer clients across multiple jurisdictions including the UK, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Turkey, Japan, South Korea and the US. Nick has worked on some of the most high profile M&A and contentious shareholder activist situations during his 13 years in the industry. Nick has spent time working in Italy and France and holds and MA in Modern Languages from The University of Cambridge.
Daniel Veazey
Corporate Governance Manager
Daniel joined Georgeson in 2023 as Corporate Governance Manager and specialises in stewardship, corporate governance, executive remuneration and ESG analysis. Daniel leads a team of governance analysts with responsibilities focused on engaging with companies and investors on upcoming shareholder meetings, shareholder activism and M&A scenarios. Daniel previously worked within the asset management industry with over 25 years’ experience with Schroders Investment Management as their Head of Corporate Governance and Wellington Management as Stewardship Practice Leader.
United States
William Jackson
President and CEO, Georgeson LLC
781-575-3563 wjackson@georgeson.com William (Bill) Jackson is the U.S. President and CEO of Georgeson LLC, a global provider of strategic proxy solicitation and corporate governance consulting services. Under Bill’s leadership, Georgeson has remained a preeminent financial services firm dedicated to consistently delivering customized services that are designed to meet each clients’ unique policies and goals. In 2016, Georgeson engaged over 18 million shareholders, managed nearly 500 annual meetings and proudly served 131 clients in the S&P 500. Bill was previously executive vice president responsible for running operations for Alamo Direct, a mutual fund proxy and compliance mailing services company, which was acquired by Computershare in 2004. Prior to that, Bill spent the first 25 years of his career in the mutual fund transfer agent services business in various management capacities, starting to focus on proxy services in 1990. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in administrative science from Colby College and an MBA from Northeastern University.
William P. Fiske
Head of M&A and Contested Situations – U.S.
212-440-9128 bfiske@georgeson.com Bill Fiske leads Georgeson’s M&A and Contested Situations group in the United States. In that capacity, Bill and his team advise boards of directors and company executives on a range of issues involved in corporate transactions and complex shareholder issues. Georgeson’s advice and expertise prepare clients in all facets of corporate governance, shareholder activism, shareholder identification, and institutional investor and proxy advisor voting policies; providing guidance to steer through the maze of tactics and procedures involved in these situations. Bill is a 30+ year veteran in the proxy industry with 25 years of service with Georgeson. He has worked with hundreds of public issuers developing and implementing targeted investor communication strategies regarding stockholder meetings, corporate actions including both negotiated and unsolicited M&A, proxy contests and shareholder activism. Bill’s clientele includes companies from all industries and all size market caps. His practice involves a broad spectrum of matters involving stockholder voting, including: • Corporate Governance – Advising executives and boards of directors or special committees with respect to corporate governance issues, anti-takeover defenses, and response plans to recent stockholder votes. Bill is widely considered an expert on institutional investor voting guidelines. • Mergers and Acquisitions – Representing both public and private strategic/private equity clients on M&A transactions, Bill advises on the tactics and procedures involved in achieving favorable outcomes. Understanding trading activity and how changes in stockholder ownership can affect outcomes is a focus. • Shareholder Activism – Representing both issuers as well as activists, advising with respect to shareholder proposals, proxy contests, defensive measures, vulnerability assessments, as well as keeping current with regulatory and legislative initiatives relating to governance and director elections. Bill is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance and the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI). He has also been a featured speaker at many industry events including national and regional Society and NIRI chapter events, The Corporate Boardroom Summit, The General Counsel Forum, as well as many other law firm and advisor conferences.
Cynthia Nisley
President, Georgeson Securities Corporation and Georgeson Unclaimed Property Services
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Cynthia Nisley
President, Georgeson Securities Corporation and Georgeson Unclaimed Property Services
201-386-3533 cnisley@georgeson.com Cynthia Nisley is President for Georgeson Securities Corporation (GSC), a Computershare company, and the introducing broker dealer supporting Computershare's dividend reinvestment plan, direct stock purchase plan, and employee stock purchase plan trading as well as the Georgeson PostMerger CleanUp™ and Shareholder CleanUp asset reunification businesses. Cynthia also owns profit and loss responsibility for two Georgeson product lines: small shareholder programs and unclaimed asset programs. She also serves as a Director on the Board of Computershare Trust Company, N.A. Previous responsibilities have included management of Computershare's Investment Services Team and Corporate Actions Team. She was also General Manager of Computershare Trust Company of New York before its merger into Computershare's national trust company. Prior to her tenure in New York, she served as Director of Relationship Management for Transfer Agent clients and as Senior Operations Manager in Computershare's Chicago office. Prior to joining Computershare in July 2000, Cynthia worked as a systems consultant to the securities industry for nine years. Before that, she worked for Harris Trust and Savings Bank, supporting their securities lending system and for Arthur Andersen in their Management Information Consulting Division. Ms. Nisley holds a B.S. in Business Administration/Management Systems Analysis from California State University Northridge.
Khaled Aboulaiha
Senior Managing Director, Georgeson LLC
212-440-9132 mailto:kaboulaiha@georgeson.com Khaled Aboulaiha is a Managing Director with Georgeson, serving in this role as a lead client advisor since August 2016. Khaled joined the firm in 2006. During his tenure with Georgeson, he has held various positions in the firm’s proxy services and client management departments providing him a wide breadth of industry and operational knowledge. He began his career with Georgeson as a shareholder call center manager, where he was responsible for training a team of call center representatives on proxy-related issues (annual meetings, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate actions) and leading call program initiatives for the centers. Khaled later joined the proxy operations team as a Director, where he became a team specialist in managing complex proxy solicitations, corporate actions and tender offers. Khaled is a member of the Society of Governance Professionals. Khaled attended Drew University in Madison, NJ. He is fluent in Spanish and Arabic, and can speak conversational French.
Rajeev Kumar
Senior Managing Director, Georgeson LLC
212-440-9812 rkumar@georgeson.com Rajeev Kumar specializes in advising clients on issues of executive compensation, proxy contests, M&A transactions, and complicated shareholder proposals, among other proxy matters as a senior managing director of corporate governance. Using his in-depth knowledge of corporate governance issues and proxy advisory firms and institutional investor policies, he expertly advises Georgeson clients on their engagement with proxy advisory firms and shareholder outreach efforts. Prior to joining Georgeson in 2008, Rajeev worked at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) where he led a team of research analysts producing proxy research reports for institutional clients, advising them on shareholder issues as the director of the U.S. research group. Under Rajeev’s guidance, his team conducted analyses of management and shareholder proposals on director elections, executive compensation and corporate transactions including M&A, proxy contests, re-incorporations, private placements, capital structure, and other event-driven issues. As a key member of the Policy Committee, Rajeev helped formulate and interpret application of ISS policy guidelines on proxy issues. A frequent commentator on governance issues, Rajeev has been quoted in various corporate governance publications, and spoken at various industry events. Before getting into the field of corporate governance, Rajeev’s previous experience has been in finance where he held various positions in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate development and financial business planning and analysis at firms ranging from startup to Fortune 100. Rajeev is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), has an MBA in finance from Tulane University and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in India. Recent thought leadership: Viewing Independent Chair Proposal Support Through the Lens of COVID-19 Director Election Analysis: Trends and Observations in Recent Results Examining Engagement and Disclosure After Failed or Red Zone Say-on-Pay Results
Christopher G. Dowd
Senior Managing Director, Georgeson LLC
Christopher Dowd is a senior managing director in Georgeson’s corporate proxy practice. Chris specializes in advising companies on complex corporate governance and equity compensation issues. He has over 30 years of experience consulting with Fortune 500 and small- to mid-cap corporations and is recognized for his in-depth knowledge of ISS voting policies and institutional guidelines. Recent M&A, proxy contests and complex transactions in which Chris participated include: • Eli Lilly Tender for ARMO • Eli Lilly Tender for Loxo Oncology • Fiserv Acquisition of First Data • Independent Bank Corp.’s acquisition of Blue Hills Bancorp • Independent Bank Corp.’s acquisition of MNB Bank • NetMed, Inc.’s Self-Tender • NewBridge Bancorp’s acquisition of CapStone Bank • Sprint Bond Consents for T-Mobile merger • Sprint’s acquisition of Clearwire • Sprint’s merger with SoftBank • SunTrust acquisition by BB&T • United Bankshares’ acquisition of Virginia Commerce Prior to Georgeson, Chris was a director of Kissel-Blake Inc., where he managed the corporate governance consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and proxy solicitation divisions. He is a member of multiple industry organizations, including: The National Association of Corporate Directors; the Shareholder Services Association, where he previously served as Treasurer/Director; the American Compensation Association and the Society for Corporate Governance. Chris is an active participant in industry seminars, conferences, and law firm events, speaking on corporate governance and executive compensation topics. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from St. John’s University in New York and was awarded his CCP certification in executive compensation from the American Compensation Association.
David Farkas
Head of Shareholder Intelligence, Georgeson LLC
+1 732 837 8745 dfarkas@georgeson.com David Farkas is the Head of Georgeson Shareholder Intelligence, a practice delivering timely and accurate shareholder ownership insights for investor relations professionals, the C-suite, and boards of directors. David has extensive experience advising clients on investor matters, helping companies bolster their investor outreach plans, while strengthening defenses against shareholder activism and hostile M&A scenarios. With over 20 years of experience, David has worked with hundreds of companies in varying industries, providing tailored expertise as a trusted advisor. Prior to joining Georgeson, David was a Managing Director in the Activism and M&A Solutions group at FTI Consulting. He was the practice lead for FTI Consulting’s Shareholder Insights & Intelligence offering that focused on stock surveillance, activism vulnerabilities, and investor targeting. David was also previously a Director in the Global Markets Intelligence group at Ipreo (subsequently acquired by IHS Markit, then S&P Global). In this role, he advised C-suite and investor relations professionals on corporate strategies and shareholder insights, and oversaw Ipreo’s Shareholder Activist Intelligence efforts, delivering daily insights into potentially hostile shareholder activist accumulations. David is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI). Press and publications: Shareholder activism: Utilities most vulnerable as regional bank risks wane – Corporate Secretary Magazine: Governance Intelligence, September 14, 2023 How to handle activist investors – Fortune, October 7, 2022 Watch for More Hostile Takeover Attempts in 2021 – NACD BoardTalk, January 20, 2021
Edward Greene
Managing Director, Georgeson LLC
212 805 7303 egreene@georgeson.com Edward Greene is a proxy and corporate governance expert with over a decade of experience guiding issuers through complex proxy solicitation campaigns and supporting clients with the shareholder data, trends and analytics that allow them to deploy smarter and more informed proxy strategies. Edward has been involved in hundreds of proxy solicitation campaigns and has led clients to successful outcomes in various matters relating to executive compensation, corporate governance and shareholder activism. He provides year-round corporate governance advisory services to help numerous Russell 3000 and Fortune 500 companies make smarter governance decisions. He is a member of Georgeson’s Activism and M&A teams and regularly contributes to Georgeson content development. He has also been a featured speaker for IR Magazine and the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) webinars. Prior to joining Georgeson, Edward oversaw the Kingsdale U.S. research team as vice president of research. He also served as vice president of governance at AST Phoenix Advisors and vice president at Laurel Hill Advisory Group. Edward is an active member of the Society for Corporate Governance and the NIRI.
Christopher M. Hayden
Chief Operating Officer - US, Georgeson LLC
212-440-9850 chayden@georgeson.com Christopher M. Hayden advises public operating and investment management companies on corporate governance issues, shareholder proposals and proxy contests as Chief Operating Officer - U.S. in Georgeson’s corporate proxy practice. Additionally, Chris coordinates FCC- and IRS-mandated shareholder ownership surveys for clients. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Chris specializes in complex cross-border transactions and is well-versed in closed-end funds and proxy contests. During his tenure at Georgeson, Chris has consulted with many corporations on offensive and defensive tactics in complex and extraordinary transactions, including, but not limited to, tender offers. His corporate annual meeting clients include a number of S&P 100 members. Chris is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance. He also serves as a Senior Managing Director for Georgeson Securities Corporation where he oversees the firm’s Dealer Manager activities. Chris received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colgate University and holds Series 7, 24 and 63 licenses.
Muhammed Pristell
Director, Georgeson Unclaimed Property Compliance and Reporting Administration
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Muhammed Pristell
Director, Georgeson Unclaimed Property Compliance and Reporting Administration
Muhammed is responsible for overseeing the escheatment reporting practice and client management for Georgeson. Muhammed brings over 20 years of client relationship management, process improvements, and risk management experience with a specialization in transfer agency and unclaimed property. Muhammed has a Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management and with a concentration in Unclaimed Property from NYU. Muhammed is a member of the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO) and Society of Governance Professionals.
David Martínez
Senior Vice President, Asset Reunification, Georgeson LLC
201-386-3528 dmartinez@georgeson.com David has over 20 years of experience in relationship management, operations management, and business process improvement at Georgeson. During his tenure, David has managed each department within our unclaimed property business and is currently responsible for managing Georgeson’s asset reunification client relationship team and customer service group, and he manages our proprietary software solutions. David has a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and is a member of the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO).
Kilian Moote
US Head of ESG Advisory
Kilian Moote is a Managing Director within Georgeson’s ESG advisory practice, where he advises clients on developing and implementing effective strategies that align with investors’ expectations. Kilian has 15 years of experience working with executives and investors on sustainability, including leading the development of the ESG rating tool KnowTheChain. Prior to joining Georgeson, Kilian developed and managed strategies on corporate responsibility and public policy for the private foundation Humanity United. He has deep expertise on responsible supply chain management, having previously taught an MBA course at the University of San Francisco. As a leading expert on social and human capital issues he's frequently called on to provide guidance. He is currently advising The Investment Integration Project and involved in an effort to enhance SASB's human capital management standard. Kilian earned an MBA with Distinction from the Imperial College Business School in London and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Francisco.
Matthew Attubato
Managing Director, Georgeson LLC
781-575-2628 Mattubato@georgeson.com Matthew Attubato is a Managing Director at Georgeson. Matthew joined the firm in 2022 however has been with the Computershare family since 1997. During his tenure with Computershare, he has held various positions in the firm’s call center, correspondence, research teams and Corporate Actions team. Matthew has a diverse background in all areas of mergers, voluntary events, rights offerings, elections, Reverse Morris Trusts and more. He has handled the most complex and largest M&A events that the company has handled for over 20 years. Nearly all of the Fortune 500 companies that had an M&A event through Computershare were handled by him. He further managed the Corporate Actions M&A team for the largest ADR depositories as well. Matthew is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance.
Sean P. O'Hara
Senior Managing Director, Corporate Proxy, Georgeson LLC
212-440-9879 sohara@georgeson.com Sean O’Hara is a managing director at Georgeson with over 29 years of experience in the proxy solicitation industry. He advises clients and their financial and legal advisors on proxy contests, shareholder meetings, tender/exchange offers and other complex financial transactions. As a member of Georgeson’s M&A advisory group, Sean also advises clients regarding shareholder composition and its effect on vote outcomes and on the development of investor outreach and communication strategies. Sean recently represented the following companies: • Aetna Inc. with its merger with CVS Corp. • STERIS Plc with its redomiciliation from the UK to Ireland • CYS Investments, Inc. with its merger with Two Harbors Investment Corp. • Calgon Carbon Corporation with its acquisition by Kuraray Co. Ltd (going private transaction) • Harland Clarke Holdings with its tender offer for MaxPoint Interactive, Inc. • Accuride Corporation with its contested merger with Crestview Advisors L.L.C. • RTI International Metals, Inc. with its acquisition by Alcoa Inc. Sean is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and the Society for Corporate Governance. Sean received a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Stony Brook University.
Brian Permenter
Senior Vice President, Georgeson LLC
212-805-7188 bpermenter@georgeson.com Brian Permenter has developed and coordinated unique strategies to increase the response of retail investor campaigns, and has managed and implemented more than 400 small shareholder programs, corporate events and asset reunification projects for Georgeson clients for 18 years. Brian currently heads the business development of our small shareholder (“oddlot”) programs, asset reunification services (inclusive of our PostMerger CleanUp™ program), shareholder cleanup and unclaimed asset programs, and broker-dealer services related to open-market stock purchase plans. He is also responsible for the coordination of capital raising efforts via waiver plans and Computershare’s Corporate Action services. Brian joined Georgeson in 1998 as an account executive managing small shareholder programs on behalf of clients. Brian is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute. Brian graduated from the University of Delaware with a double major in finance and marketing and has successfully completed his Series 7, Series 24 and 63 exams.
Amanda Buthe
Managing Director, ESG Advisory
+17815752000 amanda.buthe@georgeson.com Amanda has 10 years of experience building ESG strategies, conducting risk assessments, developing sustainable supply chain programs and leading stakeholder engagement. Her career has been focused on helping companies to address issues involving human rights, the environment, and building responsible supply chains. Amanda has been an ESG consultant for Fortune 500 clients in industries including FMCG, Apparel, Entertainment, Logistics and Utilities. She has also worked as a strategy consultant for a public policy firm focused on sustainability and economic development projects for the government of New Zealand, and has private sector supply chain experience in the food and beverage industry. Amanda holds an MBA and a MSc in Economic Development from the University of Oxford and a BSc in Economics from Santa Clara University.
Talon Torressen
US Head of Operations
212-440-9817 ttorressen@georgeson.com Talon Torressen is US Head of Operations, managing the client support for proxy solicitation, information agent, and advisory services. Prior to leading the US Georgeson operations, he was the Director of Research at Georgeson. Talon is a corporate governance expert with over seventeen years of industry experience, which he leverages to provide insights that strengthen Georgeson clients’ understanding of the investor perspective. Additionally, Talon has comprehensive legal, compliance, and risk expertise. Prior to joining Georgeson, Talon was Director of Investment Proxy Research at Fidelity Investments. As part of Fidelity’s management team, he was responsible for corporate governance analysis and proxy voting 6,000+ companies annually representing equity assets in excess of $1 trillion. During his tenure, he held many responsibilities including corporate governance analysis, collaboration with investment professionals, and engaging with directors and executives of portfolio companies. In the latter part of his tenure, he created and led Fidelity’s international corporate governance team. This team was focused on developing corporate governance expertise around the globe. With his experience at Fidelity, Talon is uniquely positioned to understand and communicate the needs and demands of institutional investors. Talon is a member of the New Hampshire Bar and the Massachusetts Bar. Talon received his BBA from Wilkes University, his J.D. from the New England Law Boston and his MBA from the University of New Hampshire.
Pamela Wentz
National Practice Leader, Unclaimed Property Consulting, Georgeson LLC
201 744 5405 pwentz@georgeson.com As the National Practice Leader of the unclaimed property consulting and reporting practice, Pam is responsible for business development and the management and delivery of consulting and reporting services. Pam brings over two decades of diverse and extensive experience to clients of Georgeson’s unclaimed asset services. Pam has technical expertise and experience in a broad range of industries. Prior to joining Georgeson, she served as a director in an unclaimed property consulting practice where she was responsible for providing project oversight, monitoring quality reviews and assisting with staff development and training. In addition, Pam served in leadership roles as a subject matter specialist in various aspects of unclaimed property consulting and compliance; including audit assistance, state voluntary disclosure assistance, risk assessments, and policies and procedures. Pam also previously worked in the unclaimed property consulting practices at Thomson Reuters and Deloitte and served as the audit director for the North Dakota Unclaimed Property Division. Pam has been a featured speaker on the topic of unclaimed property at numerous conferences and has authored articles for trade association magazines and publications. While with the state, she was an active member of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) and received the NAUPA Presidential Distinguished Service Award for her work on the NAUPA Auditor Agenda Committee. She is also a member and frequent speaker for the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO) and currently serves as co-chair of the UPPO Leadership Development Committee. Pam is a certified fraud examiner (CFE) and member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. She graduated from Mount Marty College with a B.A. in Accounting and received an MBA from the University of Mary.
Martin Wong
Director, ESG Advisory (Research Lead)
Martin Wong has joined Georgeson as Director, ESG Advisory (Research Lead), in which he will support clients with developing and implementing ESG strategies that align with internal and external expectations. Martin has 7+ years of ESG, sustainability, and climate experience. His work ranges from asset to executive and Board level engagements around disclosure and strategy. Prior to joining Georgeson, Martin worked as a consultant in multinational firms, with clients from the Fortune 500 and organizations in industries ranging from healthcare, insurance, private equity, manufacturing, consumer goods, and mining. Martin has led and helped these companies with stakeholder engagement, insights gathering, and annual disclosure development, with a specific focus on GRI and SASB reporting frameworks. Martin holds an MSc in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University.