Sodali hires da Silva Vint for M&A and Activism

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

NEW YORK, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Sodali, which offers advice on mergers, proxy solicitations and the handling of activist investor campaigns, hired veteran defense banker Peter da Silva Vint in its M&A and activism practice, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Da Silva Vint will join the firm in New York as a managing director to advise public companies and corporate boards on strategic shareholder engagement, corporate governance and how to defend against investors who are increasingly pushing for changes at global companies, said the sources who said they cannot discuss personnel matters publicly.

A Sodali representative declined to comment and da Silva Vint could not be reached for comment.

He joins from Jasper Street Partners, a leading shareholder advisory firm, and has worked at Barclays BARC.L and Moelis MC.N in activism defense, and earlier in his career worked on investment giant BlackRock's BLK.N stewardship team.

Sodali, which is majority owned by private equity firm TPG, in January brought on Aneliya Crawford as chief partnerships officer and global head of shareholder advisory.