Bloomberg Invest “Activism Outlook” Panel: Activists Trade Frontal Assault for Dialogue, Focus on ESG

June 06, 2019

Cadwalader partner Ellen Holloman participated on the “Activism Outlook” panel at the Bloomberg Invest Summit in New York, alongside Joseph Amato, President and Chief Investment Officer of Equities at Neuberger Berman; Bob Marese, Managing Director at MacKenzie Partners; David Rosewater, Global Head of Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense at Morgan Stanley; and moderator Scott Deveau, a Bloomberg reporter on shareholder activism.

The discussion broadly assessed the current state – and emerging trends – of shareholder activism around the world, including the different approaches used by active managers to effectively drive long-term shareholder value.

“A proxy contest is really just one tool in the toolkit,” Holloman said.

The panelists also shared their views on the growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues on activist shareholder agendas.

“The issue with most light on it, is workplace environment and civility. The best way to deal with it would be to focus on your workplace culture. These matters are coming up more and more,” Holloman said.

For access to a complete recording of the 30-minute panel, click here.