Meagan Reda Quoted in Bloomberg Law on the Expected Surge in Activist Campaigns in 2025

Olshan Shareholder Activism partner Meagan Reda was recently quoted in a Bloomberg Law article (subscription required) on the expected surge of activist campaigns in 2025. The article notes that Olshan continued its dominance representing more activists than any other law firm in 2024 and extended its top-ranking streak to six years in a row (read our news item “Olshan Again Ranked as the Top Legal Advisor Globally in Shareholder Activism by Bloomberg.”) The top 10 activist-side firms represented 327 activist investors last year, and of those, Olshan represented 136 investors with stakes valued at $28 billion. Meagan explains that the data doesn’t necessarily capture the full picture, as many campaigns end amicably between investors and companies without formal written agreements. She says that Olshan expects to see higher activism activity in 2025 as mergers and acquisitions increase in a more-friendly M&A environment and investors’ attention turns to “underperforming CEOs that have outsized pay-packages and submissive boards.” Meagan adds that a lot of Olshan’s work is behind the scenes, engaging with companies and boards. Sometimes, issues are resolved amicably without a formal written agreement, but sometimes companies and their boards employ costly “aggressive maneuvers.” In 2024, Olshan helped with a number of those cases. “I would expect to see the same in 2025 in terms of both some fights going the distance and others continuing to settle earlier on in the process,” Meagan commented. “Companies that continue to underperform, ignore the concerns of their shareholders and/or employ aggressive defense tactics should expect increased pressure from shareholders.”