Effie helps public companies minimize the risk of and develop effective, durable defenses against activism by preemptively reducing potential points of friction with the non-activist shareholders who represent the vast majority of the shareholder register. Her portfolio includes assisting clients in engaging directly with the stewardship teams of governance-oriented investors, and as applicable with the research teams of the major international proxy advisors, on corporate governance, responsible investment, and ESG matters. She also counsels Boards and executive teams on prevailing trends, market practices and the overall investor climate on key emerging governance topics.
In addition to helping clients reduce the risk of future activism, she has recently advised clients who were unable to avoid high-profile proxy contests, such as Disney’s defense against Trian, Huntsman’s defense against Starboard, LivePerson’s defense against Starboard, Genesco’s defense against Legion Partners, Tegna’s defense against Standard General and Cracker Barrel’s defense against Biglari Holdings. She has also advised on contentious or contested transactions including Turquoise Hill’s acquisition by Rio Tinto, Boston Private’s acquisition by Silicon Valley Bank, HP’s defense against Xerox’s hostile bid, Callon’s acquisition of Carizzo and Digital Realty’s acquisition of Interxion.
Prior to joining SGA, Effie assisted numerous public companies in developing and executing ongoing investor relations programs as a Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. Previous to FTI Consulting, she was a senior equity analyst at institutional asset management firms including Surveyor Capital, part of Citadel LLC, where she managed a retail-focused equity portfolio. She graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Babson College.
