Managing Communications, Investor Expectations, Regulatory Hurdles, and Activist Challenges in Today’s Deal Environment

Dealmaking is back on the agenda, but the rules have changed. Join Dan Scorpio, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, as he leads an expert panel of thought leaders and advisers to unpack what’s driving today’s deals and how companies are navigating rising complexity, regulatory pressure and execution risk.

As M&A activity accelerates amid a dynamic global operating environment,executive teams and boards are operating under unprecedented levels of scrutiny, complexity and reputational risk. Transactions unfold in real-time across markets and jurisdictions, with stakeholder perceptions shaped quickly among media, employees, regulators and investors, leaving little margin for error.

This executive-level webinar explores how leaders can successfully navigate mergers, acquisitions, regulatory reviews and strategic transformations while protecting enterprise value, credibility and stakeholder trust. Moderated by Dan Scorpio, the conversation brings together legal, financial, governance and communications perspectives to unpack what is changing in today’s deal environment and how organizations should prepare.

The discussion will focus on practical strategies for managing communications, investor expectations, regulatory hurdles, and activist challenges before, during, and after high-stakes transactions.

Moderator:

Dan Scorpio
Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting

Dan Scorpio is a Senior Managing Director in FTI Consulting’s M&A practice within the Strategic Communications segment. Based in Chicago, Mr. Scorpio specializes in providing strategic communications and stakeholder engagement counsel for complex transactions and reputational matters. He advises boards of directors and executive teams across industries on effectively navigating mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, IPOs and activism defense. 

Informed by more than a decade of experience leading high-profile M&A and capital markets engagements for Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms and family businesses, Mr. Scorpio advises clients on M&A transactions, public offerings, shareholder activism defense and financial communications issues. He has extensive experience guiding clients through high-stakes corporate events with a focus on protecting reputation, building trust and supporting long-term shareholder value creation. 

Before joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Scorpio was a Managing Director and Head of the M&A and Activism practice at H/Advisors Abernathy. His transaction advisory experience includes high-profile engagements for T-Mobile, Keurig Dr Pepper, IFF, Medtronic, TPG and Pritzker Private Capital, among others, as well as Medline on its 2025 IPO, the largest globally since 2021. He has advised on hundreds of acquisitions, divestitures, take-private and joint venture transactions in his career, and provided counsel during public and private engagements with an array of established and emerging activist investors.

Mr. Scorpio is a frequent speaker at industry forums, including the Garrett Institute, Corporate Counsel Institute, National Investor Relations Institute (“NIRI”), National Association for Corporate Directors (“NACD”) and the Society for Corporate Governance, among others.

Panelists:

Aaron Cutler
Partner, Washington DC, Hogan Lovells

As a former senior House leadership staffer, Aaron Cutler contributes high-level knowledge of policy and regulatory matters to his practice at Hogan Lovells. Now a partner and leader of our Government Relations and Public Affairs (GRPA) practice, he lobbies Congress in insurance and financial services; energy; sports and entertainment; and technology, media, and telecom sectors.

Aaron has a depth of experience regarding congressional oversight and investigations. He is the group’s lead contact on such matters and regularly provides strategic advice to clients so they may navigate complex investigations. He has represented clients before Congress and the Executive Branch on a variety of issues such as Covid-19 related oversight, baby food standards, organ procurement policies, and cryptocurrency policy. Aaron has also helped navigate over a dozen clients successfully through congressional investigations and recently assisted a client win approval of a significant financial transaction.

Before joining Hogan Lovells, Aaron served as senior advisor for Policy and Outreach for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). He was the Leader's direct liaison to the House Committees on Financial Services, Natural Resources, and Energy and Commerce, and helped shepherd more than 100 bills on the floor. Aaron coordinated legislative strategy with Chairmen, members and their staff, and other Leadership and Committee offices, and led outreach efforts to the business and finance community. In 2018, he presented congressional testimony before the Subcommittee of Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit of the House Committee of Financial Services related to FinTech.

Aaron’s Hill career began as a lawyer on the Energy and Commerce Committee staff under Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), where he focused on energy and environment policy. He advanced to deputy policy director and counsel under Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) with a broad policy portfolio.

William Dooley
Managing Director, M&A and Activism, Sodali & Co

With more than nine years of experience providing strategic counsel to corporate issuers and boards in matters of shareholder activism defense, corporate governance and mergers & acquisitions, Bill has spent his entire career at the firm. Bill works closely with clients throughout the year on engagement programs with shareholders and advisory firms as well as activism preparedness. Bill’s clients are located across the globe and represent all market caps. Understanding a company's shareholder profile from a voting control perspective and a company’s vulnerabilities is vital in determining potential outcomes in a contested situation. Recently Bill has provided counsel on transformative M&A transactions including Time Warner/AT&T, Occidental Petroleum/Anadarko and Bristol Myers/Celgene and a number of contested situations including Newell Brands/Starboard, Olympus Corporation/ValueAct, First United Corporation/Driver Management, Synalloy Corporation/Privet Fund and Luby’s Inc./Bandera Partners.

Andrew Goodman
Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions and Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense practices, Paul Hastings LLP

Andrew Goodman is a partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense practices and is based in the firm’s Boston and New York offices. His practice focuses on friendly and hostile public company M&A, corporate governance, shareholder activism defense, and contested situations. He works with clients in a variety of industries, with substantial experience in life sciences and healthcare, technology, and REITs.

Andrew has significant experience in cross-border and domestic public company M&A, including mergers-of-equals and LBOs. He advises public companies and their boards of directors and committees on issues of fiduciary duties and corporate governance, particularly in the contexts of change in control transactions and shareholder activism. In addition, Andrew frequently counsels public company boards of directors and committees on shareholder activism campaigns and director election contests, opposition to M&A transactions, and other contests for corporate control.

Val Mack
Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting

Val Mack is a Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment of FTI Consulting.

Ms. Mack advises companies on how to prepare for and approach shareholder activists and navigate M&A. Additionally, she advises private capital on how to build their brands through profile raising and transaction communications. She advises with a keen eye for creating opportunities and managing risk.

Before joining FTI Consulting, Ms. Mack worked for Elliott Management on communications and public affairs as the hedge fund grew assets under management (“AUM”) from approximately $35 billion to approximately $50 billion and built the firm’s private equity arm. Her role encompassed communications on regulatory issues, investment-specific efforts, media prep for executives, reputation management and quarterly investor communications.

Ms. Mack spent a decade in U.S. politics as a communications advisor and opposition researcher working on elections in more than 30 states and worked on two presidential primary campaigns. She also worked in the U.S. Senate and in the Massachusetts State House.

Ms. Mack holds a B.A. in communication studies, cum laude, from Northeastern University.