CorpGov Launches First Media Platform Dedicated to Corporate Governance from the Viewpoint of Boards and Senior Management, Veteran Journalist John Jannarone Named Editor-in-Chief
NEW YORK–(September 13, 2018)– CorpGov, the only media platform dedicated to corporate governance issues from the viewpoint of boards and senior management, today announced its official launch at CorpGov.com.
CorpGov will tackle governance matters ranging from activism to compensation to M&A, with all coverage guided by objective journalism. While the views of activist shareholders are important, we will strive to incorporate material that offers a window into the boardroom itself. We will not produce paid research on behalf of companies but will use publicly-available information, interviews with companies, and input from various stakeholders to inform a balanced perspective.
CorpGov articles will also be published on finance.yahoo.com through our content partnership with Yahoo Finance.
Additionally, we will feature interviews with CEOs and founders from The Native Society, focusing on corporate governance.
Our launch coverage includes an interview with attorney Kai Liekefett, leader of the Shareholder Activism practice at Sidley Austin. Mr. Liekefett argues that the power wielded by activists reached a peak in 2014 when Starboard Value won all 12 board seats at Darden Restaurants in proxy fight, spooking other firms into conceding seats to other agitators. Recently, however, companies have been less likely to give up seats as big shareholders took issue with easy capitulation.
We also interviewed Joseph Zirkman, former General Counsel of Fiesta Restaurant Group, which prevailed in a proxy fight with activist fund JCP Investment Management in June 2017. Mr. Zirkman explains that companies can experience a “double whammy” when activists make suggestions to management about initiatives they’re already pursuing and then take credit for them once the steps are announced publicly. Very often, companies are limited in what they can tell investors or the public, creating misperceptions that further complicate the job of senior management and the board.
To oversee editorial, CorpGov named veteran financial journalist and analyst John Jannarone as Editor-in-Chief.
John, who is also Editor-in-Chief of CorpGov sister publication IPO Edge, previously spent a decade as a writer and on-air analyst at The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. His work included investigative reporting on Darden Restaurants and Diamond Foods that contributed directly to management shakeups and the exits of CEOs of both companies. John began his career at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker and graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in Economics.
CorpGov’s content is divided into the following sections:
Analysis – Our marquee material consisting of analysis and breaking news that’s not available anywhere else
Editorial – Opinion or commentary pieces submitted to CorpGov along with Q&A-style interviews with key executives, attorneys, and investment bankers
NatGov – A collaboration between CorpGov and The Native Society profiling influential business founders and CEOs, with an emphasis on corporate governance
Contact
Twitter: @CorpGovernor
