Andrew Freedman Quoted in Law360 on the Shareholder Activism Pandemic Response

Olshan Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Shareholder Activism Group Andrew Freedman, was recently quoted in Law360 (subscription required) regarding the outlook of Shareholder Activism for the year of 2021. After enduring a slowdown in activism due to the pandemic many activists believe that things will turn around this year. Activists are paying closer attention to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of companies. Mr. Freedman touched on this, “Now is the ‘E’ in ESG’s time to shine,” he continued “Activist investors are seeking out opportunities to not only unlock tremendous value at public companies but to do so in a manner that creates more sustainable, better functioning companies." He also commented on what kind of activist methods are being used by activist investors. He said, “Other investors have entered into the space part time…They’re not ‘career activists,’ so to speak, but they have an underperforming portfolio position, and they're willing to dip into the activist toolkit to try to unlock value," he said. He also added that, “We saw that as a trend emerging several years ago, but it's really now coming into its own." Mr. Freedman’s final remarks explained how activism has been able to continue seamlessly into the new year by saying, “What has helped propel shareholder activism into the new era is the willingness of all these other participants to engage in some of the tools of the activist investor.”