Steven Balet Joins Strategic Governance Advisors as Managing Director
Strategic Governance Advisors (“SGA”), a leading governance advisory group affiliated with financial and crisis communications consultancy Sard Verbinnen & Co. (“SVC”), today announced Steven Balet has joined the Firm as a Managing Director in New York. Mr. Balet will advise Boards of Directors and corporate leaders on a range of governance issues important to institutional investors.
Mr. Balet joins SGA from FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications group. His experience advising public companies and hedge funds on transactions, proxy contests and corporate governance matters spans more than two decades.
Chris Cernich, SGA founding partner and Managing Director said, “We are excited to welcome Steven on board as we capitalize on the tremendous momentum we’ve built during our first year. Steven’s skills and expertise in providing strategic counsel to corporates and dissidents in contentious shareholder matters will be invaluable to our clients.”
Steven Balet said, “I am excited to join SGA’s impressive team of shareholder and governance experts, and liaise with the group’s communications partners at SVC. SGA is well-positioned as a leading advisor on governance issues and contested situations, which is evident in the impressive track record of their clients within the Firm’s first year of practice. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and leveraging my experience to add to the team’s success.”
Steven Balet
Over the course of his 20-year career, Mr. Balet has advised on a number of the largest contested situations globally. His experience includes providing strategic counsel to public companies on contested transactions, including cross border mergers and acquisitions; and to both corporates and dissidents in proxy contests all around the world. He also has extensive experience working with issuers on engaging with third party advisory groups such as ISS, and developing the most effective message to deliver the vote. Prior to his tenure with FTI Consulting, Mr. Balet previously held roles at SCB Advising, Okapi Partners and MacKenzie Partners, including three years as head of MacKenzie’s London Office. He holds a B.A. from SUNY Albany and a J.D. from SUNY Buffalo School of Law.
About SGA
Launched in 2017, SGA has quickly become a leading governance advisor for Boards of Directors and corporate leaders on a range of issues important to institutional investors, including activism and contentious M&A, shareholder engagement and messaging, and executive compensation issues. SGA has advised on numerous activist situations, ranging from private approaches resolved amicably to such high-profile public confrontations as ADP’s successful proxy contest defense against Pershing Square
and EQT’s successful defense of its merger with Rice Energy against Jana Partners and D.E. Shaw.
