Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) announced the addition of Nate Dwyer and Jim O'Donnell, as Managing Director and Senior Director respectively within Corporate Transformation Services, based in San Francisco. Dwyer and O’Donnell will assist clients with defensive advisory, operational and strategic advisory, materials preparation and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) / Glass Lewis preparation services.
“The activist shareholder landscape has changed dramatically in recent years and historic takeover defenses are increasingly ineffective,” said Joe Berardino, Managing Director and leader of A&M’s Corporate Transformation Services practice. “Nate and Jim bring an in-depth experience critical to helping clients navigate complex stakeholder dynamics. Their appointment highlights A&M’s commitment to help companies and boards better respond to activist situations from a position of strength while simultaneously protecting shareholder value.”
“We chose A&M’s global platform in order to scale the Shareholder Defense practice we built at Involved Consulting. Alvarez & Marsal’s corporate performance improvement functional talent, along with its market-leading restructuring and private equity practices allows for truly differentiated corporate transformation engagements,” said Dwyer.
Noted for his work with activists and companies on issues pertaining to all aspects of shareholder activism, Dwyer has significant expertise advising clients on strategy, balance sheet optimization, M&A, restructurings, financings, proxy contest preparations and settlement negotiations. He formerly served as the head of Shareholder Activism at Bank of America / Merrill Lynch. Dwyer began his career at Wachovia in their sell-side specialty finance practice.
O’Donnell is a 30-year veteran of the investment industry with broad and deep capital market experience on both the buy-side and the sell-side. Most recently, he served as the Chief Investment Officer of Forward Management, LLC – a seven-billion-dollar asset manager. His experience spans numerous aspects of the asset management arena including hedge funds, separate accounts, mutual funds and offshore vehicles. Mr. O’Donnell has specialized expertise with securities analysis of business models, corporate strategy, valuation, portfolio management, risk management and regulatory compliance. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter holder.
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