Shareholder Activism
Unlocking Shareholder Value
JANUARY 25, 2018
TIME WARNER CENTER
10 ON THE PARK
60 COLUMBUS CIRCLE
NEW YORK, NY
AGENDA
The Skytop Strategies team is dedicated to crafting thought provoking
agendas that are diverse, not only in areas of thought and experience,
but in the broad range of attending speakers.
time | JANUARY 24: PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP – INVITATION ONLY |
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MANAGING AN ACTIVIST ENGAGEMENT FROM THE ISSUER PERSPECTIVE
Time | JANUARY 25: SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM CONFERENCE / Agenda |
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7:45-8:15 AM | Registration and Networking Breakfast |
8:15 | Welcoming Remarks Christopher P. Skroupa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Skytop Strategies |
8:15-8:50 | Opening Discussion Activists on Top: Is the Old Guard the New Guard? Moderator: Matthew Sherman, President, Joele Frank Panelists: Andrew Freedman, Partner and Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism Practice, Olshan Frome Wolosky Jonathan Litt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Land & Buildings Jim Rossman, Managing Director, Head of Corporate Preparedness, Lazard |
8:50-9:30 | Board Panel The Board Perspective: How Boards View Defense Moderator: David Katz, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Panelists: Charles A. Koons, Managing Director – Activism & Contested Situations, Morrow Sodali Tom Manning, Lead Director, Dun & Bradstreet, and Board Director, CommScope and Clear Media Ltd. Stefan M. Selig, Managing Partner, BridgePark Advisors LLC |
9:30-9:40 | Around the World: Institutional Investor Viewpoints by the Numbers Presenter: Jonathan Doorley, Partner, Brunswick Group |
9:40-10:20 | Panel Discussion Attack on Shareholder Rights: Recent Actions by the Courts, Congress and the White House Moderator: Charles Elson, Director, John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance Panelists: Jonathan Doorley, Partner, Brunswick Group Stephen E. Jenkins, Director, Ashby & Geddes Jeroen van Kwawegen, Partner, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann Philip Larrieu, Associate Portfolio Manager, California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) |
10:20-10:35 | Networking Break |
10:35-11:05 | Discussion Engaging with the Board: Essential Lessons for Delivering Transformation Discussants: David Sgro, Managing Director, Crescendo Partners Pamit Surana, Managing Director, Corporate Transformation Services, Alvarez & Marsal |
11:05-11:15 | Topic Introduction The Use of Litigation in Proxy Fights: Recent Trends in Canada and the US Presenter: Paul Davis, Partner and Co-Chair, Capital Markets & M&A, McMillan |
11:15-11:45 | Panel Discussion Activist Litigation as a Tool in Proxy Fights: Breaking Down or Fortifying Board Defense? Moderator: Paul Davis, Partner and Co-Chair, Capital Markets & M&A, McMillan Panelists: Ed Mullane, US Editor, Activistmonitor, Mergermarket Group Douglas A. Rappaport, Partner, Akin Gump Michael Swartz, Head of Shareholder Activism Litigation, Schulte Roth & Zabel |
11:45-12:20 PM | Serving on an Activist’s Slate: The Insiders’ Perspective on Shareholder Activism Moderator: Patricia Olasker, Partner, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Panelists: Charles Elson, Director, John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance Patrice Merrin, Independent Non-Executive Director, Glencore PLC |
12:20-1:00 | Activist and Board Director Session The Reputation of the Corporate Board: What Drives it and Why Does it Matter? Moderator: Lex Suvanto, Managing Director, Financial Communications & Special Situations, Edelman Panelists: Holly Gregory, Partner and Co-Chair, Global Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Practice, Sidley Austin LLP Leah Malone, Director, PwC Trish Oelrich, Board Member, Association of Audit Committee Members, Inc; Board Member, FHLBanks Office of Finance; Principal, Oelrich & Associates, LLC Lauren Taylor Wolfe, Board Member, HD Supply, Managing Director, Blue Harbor Group |
1:00-1:15 | Interview Rise of ESG Engagement: ESG Data as a Challenge for Company Defense Interviewer: Andrea Vittorio, Staff Reporter, Bloomberg Law Interviewee: Courteney Keatinge, Director, Environmental, Social & Governance Research, Glass Lewis |
1:15-2:10 | Networking Luncheon |
2:10-2:20 | Topic Introduction Presenter: Fred Pletcher, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP |
2:20-3:05 | Panel Discussion M&A Activism: Insights Taken from Recent Transactions Moderator: Scott Winter, Managing Director, Innisfree M&A Incorporated Panelists: Thomas W. Christopher, Partner, Latham and Watkins Mike Edwards, Partner, Arrowgrass Capital Lissa Perlman, Senior Vice President, Kekst W. Graeme Roustan, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Roustan Capital Peter Schoenfeld, Chief Executive Officer, PSAM |
3:05-3:45 | Panel Discussion Small Cap Versus Large Cap Companies: Activist Targets, and Why Moderator: Eleazer Klein, Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel Panelists: Steven C. Balet, Head of Corporate Governance and Activist Engagement, Managing Director, FTI Consulting Phillip Goldstein, Founder, Bulldog Investors Keith E. Gottfried, Partner, Morgan Lewis Damien J. Park, Managing Director, Spotlight Advisors, LLC Dan Zacchei, Managing Director, Sloane & Company |
3:45-3:55 | Networking Break |
3:55-4:35 | Discussion Session Why Settle?: Drivers Behind Early Stage Deals Between Boards and Activists Moderator: Josh Black, Editor-In-Chief, Activist Insight Panelists: Jeremy Fielding, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kekst Kai Haakon Liekefett, Partner, Vinson & Elkins Alfredo Porretti, Vice President, Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense, Morgan Stanley Eric Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Crescendo Partners |
4:35-5:10 | CEO Performance: How Activists Are Targeting CEOs Moderator: Greg Taxin, Managing Director, Spotlight Advisors Panelists: Monika Driscoll, Partner, Brunswick Group Patricia Lenkov, Founder and President, Agility Executive Search Steve Pully, Member, Board of Directors, Titan Energy Steve Wolosky, Partner, Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP |
5:10-5:25 | Networking Break |
5:25-5:55 | Panel Discussion Index Funds: Passive Investors Gain Influence in Shareholder Engagement and Activism Moderator: David Benoit, Activism Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Panelists: Michael Garland, Assistant Comptroller, Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment, New York City Office of the Comptroller Bruce H. Goldfarb, President and Chief Executive Officer, Okapi Partners LLC Gianna McCarthy, Director, Corporate Governance, Office of the New York State Comptroller |
5:55-6:35 | Panel Discussion Taking the Fight Public: The Role of Shareholder Engagement Moderator: Fred Pletcher, Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Panelists: Bob Bostrom, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Abercrombie & Fitch Christopher P. Davis, Partner, Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen R. Taylor Ingraham, Director, ASC Advisors LLC Bob Marese, Managing Director, MacKenzie Partners, Inc. |
6:35 | Closing Remarks & Networking Reception Welcome Damien J. Park, Managing Director, Spotlight Advisors, LLC |
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