Alvarez & Marsal hires Jay Frankl, launches shareholder activism practice
Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has hired Jay Frankl as a managing director and head of the newly established shareholder activism and contested M&A practice within the disputes and investigations (DI) group. He is based in Washington, DC.
Frankl brings more than 25 years of experience in activism defense advisory, value creation, transformation, and stock exchange regulatory compliance.
He advises management and boards on deterring activist investors and defending against hostile takeovers, as well as developing strategies to comply with Nasdaq and NYSE listing requirements. Frankl also serves as an expert witness on corporate governance matters.
“Our firm has a strong track record of helping companies drive meaningful change. The establishment of our Shareholder Activism and Contested M&A service is a natural extension of that heritage,” said Jerry Dent, managing director and global practice leader of A&M’s DI group. “Jay’s in-depth advisory experience combined with his reputation for uncovering asset value, in support of driving change, is a unique differentiator that distinguishes A&M’s Shareholder Activism and Contested M&A line of service.”
The new practice will provide clients with activism vulnerability assessments, shareholder perception studies, and board diligence on dissident nominees. The practice will also offer value and performance improvement plans, transformation planning and execution, and advisory for carveouts, spinoffs, and M&A planning and execution.
Frankl joins A&M from FTI Consulting, where he spent the last 21 years and was a senior managing director and co-leader of the activism and M&A solutions practice. Before that, he spent five years as counsel at Nasdaq.
Frankl has a JD from the Catholic University of America and a BS from Springfield College.
“A&M’s reputation for real world results and as ‘fixer of companies’ make it an ideal platform for building a best-in-class Shareholder Activism and Contested M&A practice,” Frankl said. “Companies need more than just legal and financial expertise to withstand activist threats—they need the hands-on, action-oriented approach that is part of A&M’s DNA.”
A&M last month welcomed Anthony Italiano and Ross Stallings as managing directors.
