Family office-backed Morrow Sodali buys Gryphon Advisors

Morrow Sodali has acquired Gryphon Advisors, a Toronto-based proxy solicitation, contested situations, corporate governance advisory and shareholder services company. No financial terms were disclosed. Morrow Sodali, a New York-based corporate advisory business, is backed by Pallavicini Family Office.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK & TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Morrow Sodali announced today that it has acquired Gryphon Advisors, Inc. (“Gryphon”), Canada’s best-in-class full-service proxy solicitation, contested situations, corporate governance advisory and strategic shareholder services firm. Founded in 2019, Gryphon has quickly risen to become one of the most sought-after activism advisory firms in Canada, ranking among the country’s leaders in various industry polls for engagements over the past two years.

Morrow Sodali also announced a strategic partnership with Global Governance Advisors (“GGA”), a human capital consulting firm providing executive compensation and governance advisory services to senior management and boards of directors.

For corporate Canada, the acquisition and partnership supercharges Gryphon and GGA with the substantial resources and support of a global leader that provides year round advisory services, including corporate governance and ESG advisory, shareholder and stakeholder engagement, hostile defense and corporate preparedness, SPACs and shareholder identification. Gryphon’s existing team has joined Morrow Sodali and will begin operating under the Morrow Sodali brand as of January 1, 2022.

For US and global clients, the combination of Gryphon and GGA together with Morrow Sodali’s industry-leading proprietary global data platform – the analytical backbone behind the firm’s 200 strong consulting team – further bolsters the firm’s quality of data. The acquisition and partnership add deep insights and institutional knowledge to Morrow Sodali’s already global capabilities to provide trusted service to clients year round on corporate governance, ESG and compensation matters. Gryphon and GGA’s corporate governance and ESG services also complement Morrow Sodali’s subsidiary, Nestor Advisors (“Nestor”), a pure play corporate governance, organizational design and ESG advisory consultancy.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our global business by combining Morrow Sodali’s global experience with the Gryphon team’s Canadian expertise,” Alvise Recchi, CEO of Morrow Sodali, said. “The acquisition of Gryphon, together with the partnership with GGA, will provide issuers with the ultimate shareholder engagement advisory service, delivering support from our global team of experts in advising companies’ on their most pressing shareholder engagement issues, including proxy fights, M&A transactions and ESG challenges.”

Dexter John, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gryphon Advisors, Inc. added, “The world is shrinking as both global and domestic companies are facing challenges from investors active in multiple countries. It’s the same with shareholder engagement, M&A, corporate governance and ESG initiatives. Morrow Sodali’s global capabilities uniquely position us to meet the future needs of corporate Canada. Gryphon is excited to join an organization that delivers best in class shareholder engagement services. Morrow Sodali’s regular inclusion at the top of independent industry league tables, is a reflection of the quality of its people worldwide and their breadth of expertise.”

Paul Gryglewicz, Senior Partner and Head of Canada at GGA, commented, “With ESG topics increasingly taking center stage and escalating activities in global M&A and shareholder activism, we believe our unique approach in providing tailored strategic counsel on compensation and governance matters is what sets us apart from our peers globally. The acquisition of Gryphon, and Morrow Sodali’s partnership with GGA, now uniquely positions us to offer enhanced global services and expertise to our North American clients, that closely integrates with the board’s resolution to strong shareholder engagement.”

ABOUT MORROW SODALI
Morrow Sodali is a global corporate advisory firm that provides clients with comprehensive advice and services relating to corporate governance, ESG, sustainability, proxy solicitation, capital markets intelligence, shareholder and bondholder engagement, M&A, activism and contested situations.
From headquarters in New York and London and offices in global capital markets, Morrow Sodali serves more than 700 clients in 80+ countries, including many of the world’s largest multinational corporations. Clients include listed and private companies, mutual fund groups, stock exchanges and membership associations.