By Svea Herbst-Bayliss
NEW YORK(Reuters) -Computershare is launching an investor engagement business and hired a JPMorgan Chase executive at a time corporate management teams are looking for more advice on how to handle shareholder relations, including demands for improvements, the global financial services company said.
Computershare's new investor engagement business will include providing information on who is buying or selling a client company's equity and debt, as well as investor relations and services
from Georgeson Advisory, which offers strategic counsel to boards and governance teams, the company said. It will be run by Kirsten van Rooijen and will incorporate services from Computershare's recent acquisitions of CMi2i and ingage.
Its service will include helping companies to detect whether an activist is moving into their stock, aligning corporate strategy with investor expectations, and offering advice in times of crisis such as a board fight.
Aaron Bertinetti, who previously worked at JPMorgan and proxy advisory firm Glass, Lewis, joined the company to lead the new business in North America.
At JPMorgan Chase he was Managing Director, Investor Relations, and Head of ESG, and at Glass, Lewis he led the global research and corporate advisory practice and headed the M&A and activism team.
Demand for these services is rising among corporations, analysts have said, as more shareholders want management teams to perform better and are pushing for changes that could include replacing directors or even selling the company.
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
