SquareWell Partners Officially Launches Today to Assist Companies in Navigating the Evolving Demands of Investors

SquareWell’s unique approach, supported by its proprietary technology, was developed out of the founding partners’ recognition of the need to optimize company-investor engagement practices and support proactive management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks for maximum impact.

Over the last 15 years, the prominence of ESG issues has risen dramatically in the capital markets and knowing what investors prioritize and how best to communicate with them remains a challenge for companies. Furthermore, activism is no longer just an investment strategy but has become a mainstream behavior.

SquareWell acknowledges this changing dynamic and facilitates progress by providing companies with year-round strategic advice regarding their investors. With SquareWell’s support, companies are better able to anticipate and identify risks and opportunities associated with long-term strategic issues, ranging from capital allocation to supply chain oversight.

By analyzing existing data and leveraging the partners’ collective experience, SquareWell will offer strategic and independent advice on how companies can:

• Assess how organizational practices and policies align with or diverge from investor expectations
• Identify issues that impact investor sentiment and increase support for boards and management
• Use board and management time more effectively by prioritizing which investors to engage on which issues
• Craft impactful narratives to communicate policies and practices to the market

SquareWell already serves European and North American companies, as well as those in Asia Pacific, including Japan. The London headquarters has been chosen as an ideal base from which the company can provide a truly global offering. Between them, the partners have extensive local market experience across the key jurisdictions in which SquareWell will support its clients.

Bess Joffe, Partner, laid out SquareWell’s central stance: “Having served on both sides, one where I led the stewardship activities for one of the world’s largest asset managers and the other leading the governance engagement program for one of the largest investment banks following the financial crisis, I know that shareholders and companies have more in common than they do differences. SquareWell capitalizes on the existing dialogue and lays the foundation of next-generation tools to help all market participants. Our scalable approach, achieved through technological innovation, is different from anything else out there and will have a positive and disruptive effect on the current qualitative advice given to companies.”

For Editors:

About

SquareWell is an advisory boutique that monitors investor behavior and preferences to support our clients’ decision-making processes. Our investor-focused advice, grounded in precedent and facts, facilitates a strategic and tactical approach to environmental, Social and governance (ESG) issues by management and the board in support of their business goals.

We help our clients to proactively manage their shareholder relationships which, in turn, can result in much more efficient use of management and board time, reduce risk of being caught off guard by an activist, and help gain shareholder support for novel and nuanced ESG strategies.

https://squarewell-partners.com/

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Contact information

SquareWell Partners
Ali Saribas
Partner
+44(0)7545-784-324
ali.saribas@squarewell-partners.com