Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that Christopher Ludwig has joined the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice as a Partner in New York and will lead the Firm’s shareholder engagement and activism defense group. In this role, he will advise Simpson Thacher’s clients on a full suite of shareholder engagement and activism defense strategies, including proxy contests, withhold campaigns, short attacks, stock accumulations, strategic defensive measures and corporate governance matters.
Christopher brings nearly two decades of combined legal and investment banking experience, leading high-profile shareholder activism defense, contested and special situation mandates during that span. Throughout his career, he has also advised on over $200 billion of announced M&A transactions, including hostile, cross-border and complex unsolicited defense matters. He joins from Barclays Capital, where he was a Managing Director and Head of Shareholder Advisory for the Americas. Prior to that, Christoper spent a decade at Credit Suisse (USA) LLC where he served as Managing Director, Global Head of Strategic Shareholder Advisory, Mergers and Acquisitions.
“In today’s dynamic market, companies that anticipate challenges and engage constructively with their shareholders are best positioned to achieve their long-term growth objectives and deliver value,” said Eric Swedenburg, Partner and Global Head of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. “Christopher’s tremendous expertise across the full range of shareholder engagement and activism defense, bolstered by his background in law, will be invaluable as we continue to develop proactive strategies for our clients that help them not only protect value but unlock new opportunities for sustainable success.”
“Simpson Thacher has a world-class team of lawyers with a reputation for providing thoughtful counsel and deep expertise across all practice areas to help their clients achieve success,” said Christopher. “I am excited to leverage both my legal background and experience in investment banking to help develop and deploy shareholder engagement and activism defense strategies that protect both our clients’ interests and the interests of their respective shareholders.”
Repeatedly recognized around the world by Chambers, Legal 500, The American Lawyer, Law360 and many others, Simpson Thacher’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice is an industry-leader unrivaled in its reputation for handling complex transactions. The team has advised on many of the most prominent U.S. and international transactions of the past several decades as well as on deals with an aggregate value of more than $1.5 trillion from 2020-2024 alone (Bloomberg). The Firm’s clients include public and private companies, founder-owned and family-owned businesses, investors and boards.
Simpson Thacher helps corporate clients navigate the increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by activists relating to a wide range of economic, strategic and governance objectives. Its multidisciplinary team understands the various governance, corporate, securities, regulatory and litigation issues raised in activist situations and closely collaborates to give our clients maximum guidance.
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