Activism is once again front and center in the news lately with several high-profile situations taking the spotlight, from Trian and Disney (DIS) to Elliott and Salesforce (CRM). Thus it was timely to sit down with one of the experts in the activist landscape Michael R. Levin, founder of The Activist Investor and experienced board director and investor. Michael and David discuss: - Refresher on UPC contested shareholder voting - How have activist contests been affected since the rule change - Settlements vs. voting, what are the trends? - Land & Buildings / Apartment Investment contest ..read more

In the latest episode of Know Who Drives Return we sit down with Aria Glasgow, who leads AON's ESG Advisory practice. In her role Aria helps advise companies understand and prioritize their ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) risks. As ESG continues to become top of mind for corporates, Aria discusses several areas that companies should be concerned about including compensation and incentives, DEI initiatives, the need for better data and reporting, and board oversight. Watch the interview at Boardroom Alpha: www.boardroomalpha.com/aons-aria-glasgow-on-managing-esg-and-human-capital-risk ..read more

Bruce Goldfarb, CEO of Okapi Partners, joins David Drapkin to discuss the newly implement Universal Proxy Card process. Bruce and David discuss the changes and impacts including: How we got here and overview of changes? Will universal proxy leads to more activism? What it means for individual directors Are there any ESG or DEI implications? Who are the winners and losers? Watch the video here: https://www.boardroomalpha.com/universal-proxy-with-bruce-goldfarb-okapi ..read more

Ajay Kochar is the co-founder, President, and CEO of lithium ion battery recycling company Li-Cycle (LICY). An engineering expert in the field, Ajay and his co-founder, Tim Johnston, set out to solve the problem of battery recycling as the proliferation of lithium ion has exploded (in large part thanks to EVs). Read more at: https://www.boardroomalpha.com/podcast-li-cycle-licys-ajay-kochar-on-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-and-evs ..read more

Boardroom Alhpa's David Drapkin talks to Bruce Ogilvie (Chairman) and Jeff Walker (CEO) from Alliance Entertainment. Both have long history in entertainment distribution industry. Their current company, Alliance Entertainment, has struck a deal to go public via Adara Acquisition Corp. (ADRA). Alliance is a distributor, buying physical entertainment goods from content providers (music companies, gaming companies etc.), and selling to retailers, e-commerce, and even a little D2C.  Watch to learn how they aim is to be a one-stop-shop for all things entertainment ..read more

Join David Drapkin as he speaks to Westrock Coffee CEO Scott Ford. Westrock Coffee is going public company via a $1.1B deal with Riverview Acquisition Corporation (RVAC). ** Watch the video or read the report ..read more

With tech valuations hammered by rising internet rates, stepping inflation and of course recession fears, we continue to sift through the wreckage for stocks that offer a combination of value and growth. One area that's proven to be a safe haven in the storm: enterprise software. But, for investors who balk at stocks like IBM and HPE, there are plenty of small cap plays. Playing on the theme of cloud computing and data, there's one battered deSPAC on our list that's been largely overlooked: WM Technology (MAPS), the parent company of Weedmaps. On the heels of a strong Q1 earnings report, Board ..read more

Garrett Smallwood, CEO of Wag! explains why the pet care segment is immune to inflationary fears and poised for post-pandemic growth. Garret joins Joanna Makris on the Know Who Drives Return podcast to go deep on his business and why it might be one of a few SPACs to perform post merger. Watch all the Know Who Drives Return podcast episodes: https://www.boardroomalpha.com/podcast ..read more

AMZN stock is performing, but are warehouse workers paying the price? We talk to Assistant NYC Comptroller Michael Garland on the NYC Pension Funds' move to unseat two Amazon board members responsible for human capital management at the tech giant. Joanna Makris and the Boardroom Alpha team sit down with Assistant NYC Comptroller Michael Garland about the NYC pension funds' ESG objectives, how they evaluate boards, the current situation at AMZN, and more. Read the report here: https://www.boardroomalpha.com/nyc-pension-funds-want-amazon-accountable-for-human-capital Watch the video on YouTub ..read more

Voltus is gearing up for a $1.3B SPAC IPO in the coming months. We chat with CEO Gregg Dixon, who shares how the company is leading the charge to decentralize, decarbonize and digitize our energy resources.   Our latest podcast gets an up close look at a company that’s at the center of the green energy movement and an interesting name on our radar as a pure-play ESG investment. Boardroom Alpha sat down with Gregg Dixon, CEO of Voltus.  View the full report: https://www.boardroomalpha.com/green-energy-movement-will-be-digitized-says-voltus-ceo ..read more