NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Longacre Square Partners (“Longacre Square” or the “Firm”), a full-service consultancy that advises clients on corporate relations, crisis management, and contested and special situations, today announced that it has expanded one of its core offerings through the launch of a dedicated Corporate Governance and Shareholder Engagement practice. To lead the newly formed practice, the Firm has appointed Jessica McDougall as Partner and Chair and Heath Winter as Partner and Vice Chair. The establishment of the practice comes in response to client demand and reflects an unwavering commitment to prioritizing clients’ needs.
Ms. McDougall and Mr. Winter will work alongside Longacre Square’s more than 30 specialized consultants to augment the Firm’s demonstrated expertise in areas that include contested situations, governance initiatives, and mergers and acquisitions. The practice will also be able to provide advice and services to clients on an independent basis when sought.
The Corporate Governance and Shareholder Engagement practice is positioned to collaborate closely with Longacre Square’s recently established Advisory Board, in order to provide clients with a unique breadth of strategic counsel and insights gained through decades of experience. The Advisory Board includes:
- David Fox, a former senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who served as leader of the firm’s New York office and M&A/shareholder defense practice;
- Amy Freedman, head of engagement at Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners and former CEO of shareholder services and advisory firm Kingsdale Advisors; and,
- Steve Wolosky, the Chair, who is a pioneer in the field of shareholder activism and founder of Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP’s Shareholder Activism Practice.
Since inception, Longacre Square has been consistently ranked as the top strategy and communications advisor to companies and investors in contested situations, according to Bloomberg. In the first half of 2023 alone, Longacre Square represented clients in 67 situations and helped secure clients more than 50 favorable recommendations from independent proxy advisory firms.
Biographies of Ms. McDougall and Mr. Winter
Jessica McDougall is Partner and Chair of Longacre Square’s Corporate Governance and Shareholder Engagement practice. Jessica previously was a Director on BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship team. During her seven-year tenure at BlackRock, Jessica covered companies within the Industrials and Materials sectors in the U.S. and Canada. She was responsible for engaging with management teams and boards of directors on shareholder activism, governance, board composition, M&A, and ESG topics. Prior to BlackRock, Jessica served in a similar role at TIAA.
Heath Winter joins as a Partner and Vice Chair of Longacre Square’s Corporate Governance and Shareholder Engagement practice. Heath previously was a senior member of the Special Situations Research team at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), the world’s most influential proxy advisory firm. While at ISS, Heath was responsible for engaging with management teams, directors, investors, and other market participants, developing analysis and publishing shareholder voting recommendations for proxy contests, contested M&A, governance trends, and other complex shareholder proposals. Prior to ISS, Heath worked on the buy-side at several event-driven, value-oriented investment management firms.
For more information: www.longacresquare.com