Ex-georgeson star is latest addition to Phoenix team
The turnover is the Canadian proxy solicitation space continued this week with the announcement that Susy Monteiro has joined Phoenix Advisory Partners. Formerly vice president of proxy services at Georgeson, Monteiro officially starts at Phoenix on November 8 as senior vice president
‘Coming on board at Phoenix I am very excited about the freshness and the group of people that have been brought to the team. They have a well-rounded knowledge of the proxy plumbing in and how everything works in Canada and I am looking forward to adding to that expertise. I am looking forward to being with a group of professionals who are excited, fresh and looking to change the landscape in terms of working with issuers and legal advisors year round,’ explains Monteiro.
Glenn Keeling, a partner at Phoenix and leader of Canadian proxy operations, explains that Monteiro’s appointment is a strategic addition to previous recent appointments of Dexter John, Grace Salonga and Marcus Campbell. ‘I was excited at the outset when Grace, Marcus and Dexter came to join our firm and I am equally excited that Susy has come on board. I think these four appointments inside Phoenix have created a lot of excitement in the marketplace,’ he says.
With M&A activity predicted to increase and a shifting understanding of the role of a proxy firm Keeling and Monteiro believe they are well placed for 2011.
‘There is a significant cry for a complete overhaul of the proxy voting system and the notion of acting as a year round advisor to corporate issuers is really taking shape here in the Canadian space. We are very strong proponents of this idea. I have been preaching issuer preparedness for many years now and it is still lacking in the Canadian market but that is going to change,’ explains Glenn Keeling.
‘We aim to not just be a proxy solicitor. We aim to be a fundamental part of the working group and the consulting services that any company needs when moving forward with a plan of arrangement or a hostile fight. Not only do they need a lawyer and other professional advisors but they need the proxy advisor to make sure that everything runs smoothly and the desired result is attained. There is no such thing as a small dunk anymore,’ concludes Monteiro.
