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Preparing for bigger, bolder shareholder activists
Article - McKinsey Quarterly
The CEO guide to boards
Gibson Dunn
2017 mid-year activism update
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Take a fifty-minute deeper dive
Now that you’ve
read the Five …
Cooperating early can lead to
collaboration; rejecting activist proposals
can lead to a hostile dynamic
Some activists tend toward more
collaborative interactions with
management teams—others less so
What are the benefits and risks
of the activist’s proposal?
Article
Preparing for bigger, bolder shareholder activists
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But suppose activists do target your company. What then? The right kind of engagement is essential.
Once they come
Activists would have fewer opportunities if corporate boards were more effective, according to one expert on board effectiveness. How should companies build stronger boards?
Litmus test
Article - McKinsey Quarterly
The CEO guide to boards
Dive deeper
Dive deeper
Balance a collaborative style with challenging conversations
Create
trust
Finding the right mix of experience and know-how begins with appointing an ambitious board chair
Clarify responsibilities
Invest more energy; a dynamic agenda helps ensure the time is well spent
Deepen
commitment
Go beyond the fiduciary to engage more deeply on strategy, M&A, technology, and brands
Broaden
scope
Create
trust
Clarify responsibilities
Deepen
commitment
Broaden
scope
Has there ever been a more difficult time for corporate boards? Not if you judge by recent increases in activist investors.
Activist upsurge
Gibson Dunn
2017 mid-year activism update
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Number of
companies targeted
1st half 2017
50
1st half 2016
38
Number of activist
investors targeting companies
1st half 2017
41
1st half 2016
35
What the boss
remembered
Number of
companies targeted
Number of activist
investors targeting companies
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
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How do you know a corporate board is effective? Look to the number of activist investors it attracts.
Activists at the gate
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