Senior Director, Shareholder Activism and Contested M&A

How you will contribute

As a Senior Director you will lead engagements with C-suite executives and boards to address their most pressing capital markets challenges. You will bring credible investor perspective to high-stakes situations: from strengthening investor conviction around an undervalued equity story, to building preparedness and defense strategies when confronted with shareholder activism, to arming companies that are defending contested M&A situations. Working alongside clients’ other advisors you will serve as a strategist focused on protecting and enhancing equity value through investor engagement and market-facing strategy.

You will have the opportunity to continue building the practice, be client facings, develop junior talent, and advance within A&M.

You will leverage your experience as an institutional investor, in equity research, or capital markets advisory to work across two key areas:

I. Shareholder Activism

· Assess shareholder activism risk and develop comprehensive preparedness strategies, identifying vulnerabilities across financial performance, governance, and capital allocation before activists become interested

· Build and execute defense strategies in live activism situations, advising boards and management on investor engagement tactics, shareholder outreach sequencing, and settlement scenario modeling

· Advise on board composition, governance practices, and executive compensation through an investor lens

II. Equity Strategy

· Conduct equity analysis and investor perception studies to diagnose why the market values a company relative to its fundamentals and peers

· Prepare management teams and boards for high-visibility corporate events, including investor days, M&A, and launching multi-year strategic plans

· Advise on and build capital allocation frameworks that optimize value, modeling trade-offs across buybacks, dividends, M&A, and reinvestment

Qualifications

You have deep capital markets expertise and think like a sophisticated investor. You bring credible perspectives on what drives long-term shareholder value and how the market evaluates companies. Your background includes experience in one or more of the following:

· Equity research at a leading investment bank, independent research firm

· Institutional asset management, long-only investing

· Equity capital markets, corporate strategy, or investor relations at a major corporation

You understand investor behavior, valuation dynamics, and capital markets mechanics from direct experience.

· 10+ years of professional experience in institutional investing, equity research, investment banking, corporate strategy, or capital markets advisory with demonstrated credibility in how capital markets participants evaluate and value companies

· Demonstrated expertise in equity analysis, valuation, and investor dynamics

· Track record of credible engagement with C-suite executives and boards on capital markets strategy

· Prior experience in shareholder activism, proxy contests, or contested M&A situations

· Strong financial modeling and analytical skills; proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and financial databases (FactSet, Bloomberg, CapIQ)

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to distill complex analyses into clear, persuasive narratives

· Ability to work effectively in ambiguous, high-pressure situations and manage competing client priorities

· Collaborative mindset with strong interpersonal skills; ability to build trust quickly across diverse stakeholder groups

· Willingness to be hands-on and contribute directly to client work and analysis

· Flexibility to support client needs, including travel and non-standard work schedules

Desirable Qualifications

· CFA designation

· Background in private equity or corporate finance

· Industry or sector-specific expertise in capital-intensive or high-scrutiny sectors