Callouts & quotes from 349+ activist slides

"We believe the spin-off, which is the result of an in-depth review of strategic alternatives by our Board and management, will allow both companies to enhance value by allocating capital and deploying resources in a more focused way, while preserving and increasing synergies within their businesses. At the same time, it will position the new security company to build scale and make the necessary investments for the future. — Michael W. Lamach, IR Chairman & CEO, Dec. 10, 2012"

""Why don't we take ads? I think the format of ads on mobile phones is not mature yet. Furthermore, there is a fundamental conflict between our safety service, by its very nature, and the advertising model. If you want to target ads accurately, there will be privacy issues." — Yu Lin, NQ founder and chairman. "Q1 is typically seasonally lower in enterprise and advertising. Yet we are seeing continued strength in these businesses, sequentially." — Omar Sharif Khan, Co-CEO."

""I said to another CEO, who I won't name who had called me and inquired about Nelson, that if I were to form the board today, Nelson would be one of the first directors I'd ask to serve because he is an insightful, communicative, enthusiastic, energetic and available director." — William R. Johnson, Former Chairman and CEO, H. J. Heinz Company, current Director of Emerson Electric Co., United Parcel Service, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc., and current Trian Advisory Partner"

"I said to another CEO, who I won’t name who had called me and inquired about Nelson, that if I were to form the board today, Nelson would be one of the first directors I’d ask to serve because he is an insightful, communicative, enthusiastic, energetic and available director. — William R. Johnson, Former Chairman and CEO, H. J. Heinz Company, current Director of Emerson Electric Co., United Parcel Service, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc., and current Trian Advisory Partner"

"I said to another CEO, who I won’t name who had called me and inquired about Nelson, that if I were to form the board today, Nelson would be one of the first directors I’d ask to serve because he is an insightful, communicative, enthusiastic, energetic and available director. — William R. Johnson, Former Chairman and CEO, H. J. Heinz Company, current Director of Emerson Electric Co., United Parcel Service, Inc. and PepsiCo, Inc., and current Trian Advisory Partner"

"“Shortly following my appointment to the board of Tessera in September 2013, Starboard served notice to Tessera desiring to replace a majority of the Board... Starboard has proven to be highly ethical and constructive in their approach to board oversight and governance and, without exception, has done whatever is best for the long-term interests of the company and its shareholders.” — Rick Hill, Chairman of Tessera Technologies and former CEO of Novellus Systems"

"“Shortly following my appointment to the board of Tessera in September 2013, Starboard served notice to Tessera desiring to replace a majority of the Board... Starboard has proven to be highly ethical and constructive in their approach to board oversight and governance and, without exception, has done whatever is best for the long-term interests of the company and its shareholders.” — Rick Hill, Chairman of Tessera Technologies and former CEO of Novellus Systems"

""Our weight accounted for 70% of the total [performers], and any of the names that were mentioned on the platform, everyone knew they were from our company," — a senior talent manager. "It's like this," he told our investigator. "plainly speaking... because Mr. Li's [Chairman David Li's] support for our company is so great, all of our three channels were provided by Mr. Li for free. We did not spend any money [to buy them]." — Anonymous investigator source."

""We consider the recent drop in NQ Mobile's share price to be artificially created by false allegations and we believe our stock to be currently undervalued," commented Dr. Henry Lin, Chairman and Co-CEO of NQ Mobile. "The plan to purchase NQ Mobile shares by the NQ Mobile senior management team demonstrates our strong confidence in the company and reflects our commitment to executing our business plan and delivering shareholder value." — Dr. Henry Lin"

""We welcome Trian’s return as a significant Legg Mason shareholder and the addition of Nelson and Ed to our Board of Directors. Their experience in the asset management industry will be valuable as we pursue our common goal to increase value for Legg Mason clients and shareholders. We look forward to working closely and constructively with Nelson and Ed to achieve this objective." — Joseph A. Sullivan, Legg Mason's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer"

"[I]t is unusual for an executive chairman to be compensated at a significantly higher level than the company’s CEO and the proxy does not provide a compelling reason for this arrangement... The proxy does not adequately explain why investors should bear the costs for him to remain the most highly compensated NEO even when his apparent role and responsibilities within the company are reduced. — Institutional Shareholder Services – 2021 Disney Report"

""Chris has had a solid track record of success in achieving operational excellence and financial performance. Given Chris's significant leadership skills and relevant industry experience, we believe he is the ideal choice to drive improvements in the business and further develop our brand while delivering a consistently superior customer experience for all existing and prospective customers." — John J. Anton, Chairman of WireCo, May 15, 2013"

""These independent directors agreed to join our board, because they believe in our outstanding plan, and they recognize that our plan is the right plan for all of our shareholders. We have had this strategic transformation, as my remarks noted, underway, really going back...since I became Chairman...In fact, Elliott got on the train after it really left the station...This is a culmination of a multi year strategy..." — John Hess, March 2013"

"“So I'll end my remarks on where I started with wanting this slide to be emblazoned in your mind. Again, as I look at the 4 steps that I think get this company another $20 to $30 a share, I think that these are all eminently doable... And more importantly than anything I can say up here, I'm obviously not only have I drank the Kool-Aid, but it actually tastes great, and I'm a believer.” — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, May 2018"

""I would say for the long term, I'd rather be invested in a company that has that type of a portfolio balance." — Gary Heminger, Former Chairman & CEO of Marathon Petroleum, May 8, 2019; "[W]e are excited about the industry-leading small cell business in the U.S. that complements our tower business and provides substantial potential upside to our 5G growth strategy." — Jay A. Brown, Former President & CEO of Crown Castle, October 22, 2020"

""I would say for the long term, I'd rather be invested in a company that has that type of a portfolio balance." — Gary Heminger, Former Chairman & CEO of Marathon Petroleum, May 8, 2019; "[W]e are excited about the industry-leading small cell business in the U.S. that complements our tower business and provides substantial potential upside to our 5G growth strategy." — Jay A. Brown, Former President & CEO of Crown Castle, October 22, 2020"

"straight 9 to 12 months. Because you know what, in that short space of time, by making that commitment, you are going to create a foundation for life. Absolutely. Not just for yourself, but a legacy, a legacy for your family, for your children, and their children’s children. — Herbalife independent distributor audiovisual presentation (11-28-11). Online Business Systems is an Herbalife affiliate overseen by Shawn Dahl (Chairman’s Club)."

"straight 9 to 12 months. Because you know what, in that short space of time, by making that commitment, you are going to create a foundation for life. Absolutely. Not just for yourself, but a legacy, a legacy for your family, for your children, and their children’s children. — Herbalife independent distributor audiovisual presentation (11-28-11). Online Business Systems is an Herbalife affiliate overseen by Shawn Dahl (Chairman’s Club)."

""They all want to be omnichannel, which means that they want to gravitate towards brick and mortar over time...ALEX AND ANI, Amazon Books, Aritzia, b8ta, Ballard Design, Blue Nile, Drybar, Dyson, E.I.F Cosmetics, Frye, Kendra Scott, Monica & Andy, Morphe, Nespresso, NYX, Peloton, Sage, Shinola, SoulCycle, Superdry, UNTUCKit and Warby Parker." — Arthur Coppola, Chairman & CEO of Macerich, Macerich Q3 2017 Earnings Call, October 31, 2017"

"“...we got to the latter part of January and spent a good part of February trying to figure out what the heck was going on and what we had to do.” — Dave Cote, Executive Chairman; “In short, we screwed up... We significantly underestimated the magnitude of the material and freight inflation...” — Robert Johnson, CEO; “Some of you may be wondering why I don't get more involved. The answer is, I have...” — Dave Cote, Executive Chairman"

"BlackRock is a textbook example of bad corporate governance due to an oversized Board (16 directors vs. the S&P500 average of 10.8), low women representation (31% vs. the S&P500 average of 33%), long tenure of directors as a symptom of lack of independence (10 yrs vs. the S&P500 average of 7.8 yrs), low presence of independent directors (81% vs. the S&P500 average of 85%), and above all, a Chairman who is also the CEO (Mr. Fink)."

"“Nelson Peltz and I worked closely together on the Legg Mason board. As a board member, Nelson was focused on improving operating results and strategy. There is no doubt that Nelson was an important contributor to Legg Mason’s turnaround.” — John T. Cahill, Chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods Group, Lead Independent Director of American Airlines Group, Inc., Director of Colgate-Palmolive Company, and former Director of Legg Mason, Inc."

"“...we benefited this past quarter from a continued spike in our component MDI. We said in our third quarter call that we believe we benefited by approximately $40 million of extra margin due to this temporary spike...We believe that the fourth quarter benefited by approximately $85 million due to these constraints. We believe that these one-off conditions will abate...” — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, February 2018"

"“...we benefited this past quarter from a continued spike in our component MDI. We said in our third quarter call that we believe we benefited by approximately $40 million of extra margin due to this temporary spike...We believe that the fourth quarter benefited by approximately $85 million due to these constraints. We believe that these one-off conditions will abate...” — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, February 2018"

"Nelson Peltz and I worked closely together on the Legg Mason board. As a board member, Nelson was focused on improving operating results and strategy. There is no doubt that Nelson was an important contributor to Legg Mason’s turnaround. — John T. Cahill, Chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods Group, Lead Independent Director of American Airlines Group, Inc., Director of Colgate-Palmolive Company, and former Director of Legg Mason, Inc."

"Nelson Peltz and I worked closely together on the Legg Mason board. As a board member, Nelson was focused on improving operating results and strategy. There is no doubt that Nelson was an important contributor to Legg Mason’s turnaround. — John T. Cahill, Chairman and CEO, Kraft Foods Group, Lead Independent Director of American Airlines Group, Inc., Director of Colgate-Palmolive Company, and former Director of Legg Mason, Inc."

""So again, I know that some are very anxious that we hold those shares. Others, very anxious that we sell those shares or swap those shares and so forth. We've got a very close handle on that, and it is our objective to be able to monetize those shares this year and. And to bring in another, at least, $1 billion into the company and into the cash flow of the company." — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, May 2018"

""So again, I know that some are very anxious that we hold those shares. Others, very anxious that we sell those shares or swap those shares and so forth. We've got a very close handle on that, and it is our objective to be able to monetize those shares this year and. And to bring in another, at least, $1 billion into the company and into the cash flow of the company." — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, May 2018"

"“Victoria is a dynamic leader who has played a critical role in managing transactions that have advanced growth and shareholder value,” said Nate Davis, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the K12 Inc. Board of Directors. “Her depth of experience in finance, IT, and in streamlining operations coupled with her love for education enhances the skills, mix, and diversity of thought in our Board.” — Nate Davis, K12 Inc."

"So again, I know that some are very anxious that we hold those shares. Others, very anxious that we sell those shares or swap those shares and so forth. We've got a very close handle on that, and it is our objective to be able to monetize those shares this year and. And to bring in another, at least, $1 billion into the company and into the cash flow of the company. — Peter Huntsman, Chairman, President & CEO, May 2018"

"Starboard believes that Mr. Lacey’s experience in the senior management of public companies, including service as chairman, president, chief executive officer and corporate vice president, his experience on the boards of directors of public companies, his financial expertise and his direct knowledge of the component manufacturing and camera module business, will enable him to provide invaluable oversight to the Board."

"“The bottom line is that there is no compelling valuation opportunity in separating our retail business, and that any potential separation will cause loss of integration synergies, additional cash needed to maintain appropriate balance sheet strength, increase volatility in the remaining business, and, we believe, result in long term value disruption.” — Gary Heminger, Former Chairman & CEO of Marathon Petroleum"

"“I do belong to the camp where I think there is clear space for a product that is oral and has the tolerability that we believe our TYK2 agent has and has a efficacy that is comparable to biologics to carve a really important space in the market. And we do look at that opportunity as a really meaningful opportunity for us.” — Giovanni Caforio, Chairman & CEO, Guggenheim Partner Oncology Day, February 2019"

""We believe a separation of our retail business from the remainder of Valero by way of a tax-efficient distribution will create operational flexibility within the businesses and unlock value for our shareholders... As independent companies, both retail and the remaining business will be better-positioned to focus on their industry-specific strategies." — Bill Klesse, Valero Chairman and CEO, July 31, 2012"

"“Mr. Tan has not sold a single share of Qutoutiao during the IPO or after the IPO, and has taken the CEO role to drive the business forward. All the shares owned by Mr. Tan are founder’s shares, and Mr. Tan has not earned any share rewards for his role as the CEO or Chairman of the Company. Mr. Tan has not pledged any of his shares to obtain cash advances either.” — Qutoutiao (quoted by Wolfpack Research)"

""The FTC settlement is an acknowledgment that our business model is sound and underscores our confidence in our ability to move forward successfully, otherwise we would not have agreed to these terms." — Michael O. Johnson, chairman & CEO, Herbalife. "The terms of the settlement in no way change our business model as a direct selling company but simply build upon current procedures." — Michael O. Johnson"

""[U]nification will reduce complexity and costs, provide greater strategic flexibility, enhance Brambles' position as a leading company on the ASX and eliminate the differential between the share prices of Brambles Industries Limited on the ASX and Brambles Industries plc...." — Don Argus while Chairman of Brambles (Jac Nasser was a Director of Brambles at that time), November 29, 2005"

""The report issued by Muddy Waters contains many inaccuracies, omissions, fabrications, and unsubstantiated claims..." — Orient Paper. "We are committed to a high level of corporate governance and stand by the integrity of our company..." — Allen Chan, Chairman and CEO of Sino-Forest. "We categorically reject their allegations as inaccurate, unreliable and misleading." — Noble Group."

""The officers of the Corporation shall be elected by the Board of Directors and shall include a Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. The Board of Directors of the Corporation, in its discretion, may also elect a Chairman of the Board of Directors (who must be a director)..." — BlackRock, Bylaws, Article IV – Officers – 4.1 designation"

"The officers of the Corporation shall be elected by the Board of Directors and shall include a Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. The Board of Directors of the Corporation, in its discretion, may also elect a Chairman of the Board of Directors (who must be a director)... — BlackRock, Bylaws, Article IV – Officers – 4.1 designation"

"The overlap of administrators, the key contact persons’ use of anta.cn email addresses for communications with the local government, and the shareholding of known associates, insiders, and relatives of the Ding family led us to conclude that Jinan Ruili and Jinan Anchuang are controlled by Chairman Ding and the founding Anta families and are de facto subsidiaries."

"“I would not put him very high on that list. But he's Taiwanese. He's a Taiwanese entrepreneur... he doesn't really care much about corporate governance per se.” — MPWR's Early Executive; “Michael (CEO) doesn't like people asking questions he doesn't like. And Alan was doing his job as audit chairman and sort of rocked the boat too much.” — MPWR's Early Executive"

""So I think lessons learned for me. I would say I have a more full appreciation for the value and not trying to do an integration of that size on a shoestring, but to have it well planned out and to bring in a third-party to manage the process because that allowed us not to take our eye off the ball on our core business." — Keith Myers, Chairman & CEO, LHC Group"

""We will operate a low-cost operating model in all that we do. In essence, we will continue to apply a low-margin operating mindset to a high-margin business. We will take pride in our frugality, our ability to make quick decisions based on internal resources, our willingness to all wear different hats at different times." — Mike Pearson, 2010 Chairman’s Letter"

"“Who wants to bring their family into a struggle to make it? Who wants to bring their family into an eventual deception?” — Stephan Gratziani, Current Chairman’s Club member. “[S]uccessful people in retailing in our business, it’s a very small percentage. . . . The majority of our people have a difficulty in selling products, in general.” — Stephan Gratziani."

"“Who wants to bring their family into a struggle to make it? Who wants to bring their family into an eventual deception?” — Stephan Gratziani, Current Chairman’s Club member. “[S]uccessful people in retailing in our business, it’s a very small percentage. . . . The majority of our people have a difficulty in selling products, in general.” — Stephan Gratziani."

""Who wants to bring their family into a struggle to make it? Who wants to bring their family into an eventual deception?" — Stephan Gratziani, Current Chairman’s Club member. "[S]uccessful people in retailing in our business, it’s a very small percentage. . . . The majority of our people have a difficulty in selling products, in general." — Stephan Gratziani."

"Danimer provided little disclosure of its litigation with Pereira. The limited disclosure is provided in financial statement footnotes (11 & 16 Commitments and Contingencies). There is no mention of the former Chairman and CEO and the filings only mention “the Company terminated a former executive and terminated the Company’s contract with an advisory firm.”"

"“Who wants to bring their family into a struggle to make it? Who wants to bring their family into an eventual deception?” — Stephan Gratziani, Current Chairman’s Club member; “[S]uccessful people in retailing in our business, it’s a very small percentage. . . . The majority of our people have a difficulty in selling products, in general.” — Stephan Gratziani"

""The contract is currently suspended. It’s been signed by COMIBOL and the company but without (parliamentary) approval it does not enter into effect. Until there’s a framework regulation, I personally don’t think this will get approved by parliament." — Hector Cordova, Former COMIBOL chairman (2011-2012) and former Vice Minister of Mines (2010-2011)"

"Well, if you look at where we’re trading today based on 2025 consensus earnings, we’re trading at something like an 8.8, 8.9 multiple, that’s more than one turn above our refining competitors. So, we believe there is some recognition of that midstream business in the shares today. — Mark Lashier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips 66"

"Heska Chairman Scott Humphrey's biography says he is a retired executive. It fails to disclose he is a Senior Advisor for a Canadian M&A called advisory firm called Clariti Advisors and a U.S. advisory firm called Sun Acquisitions, creating the potential for future conflicts of interest, as well as a director of two other private companies."

"[...] the Board regularly reviews its leadership structure and considers this to be a key component of fulfilling its fiduciary duties to our shareholders. Importantly, the Board has chosen to maintain flexibility in its leadership structure and has not mandated the separation of the Chairman and CEO roles — BlackRock Proxy Filing 2024"

"[...] the Board regularly reviews its leadership structure and considers this to be a key component of fulfilling its fiduciary duties to our shareholders. Importantly, the Board has chosen to maintain flexibility in its leadership structure and has not mandated the separation of the Chairman and CEO roles — BlackRock Proxy Filing 2024"

"Henry Fernandez, our lead independent director, is a director and Chairman of the Board of MSCI. In April 2021, we entered into a cooperation agreement with MSCI, pursuant to which we will assist MSCI in MSCI's construction of life sciences index products in exchange for a share of MSCI's revenues from those products. — Royalty Pharma"

""The key word in describing my relationship with Nelson is that it has been constructive. Nelson and I worked best together by being transparent and candid with each other, leveraging his experiences and that of his team as we worked through various challenges." — Joseph A. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO, Legg Mason, Inc."

""The key word in describing my relationship with Nelson is that it has been constructive. Nelson and I worked best together by being transparent and candid with each other, leveraging his experiences and that of his team as we worked through various challenges." — Joseph A. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO, Legg Mason, Inc."

""The key word in describing my relationship with Nelson is that it has been constructive. Nelson and I worked best together by being transparent and candid with each other, leveraging his experiences and that of his team as we worked through various challenges." — Joseph A. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO, Legg Mason, Inc."

"Last month, Danimer Scientific's own Dr. Isao Noda traveled to Dubai and attended the Global Bottled Water Congress along with existing partners Maurizio Patarnello, CEO and Chairman of Nestlé Waters, and Simon Lowden, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Global Foods at PepsiCo (pictured). — Facebook"

"This [recent cost cutting] move is part of a larger effort to simplify our management structure, speed decision making and reduce costs. We are reallocating our workload and assets in order to invest in areas of higher growth, including online and new launches. — Ann Moore, Chairman and CEO of Publishing"