JPMorgan Appoints Global Co-Heads of Activist Defense Unit (1)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has appointed Darren Novak and Alfredo Porretti to help run its shareholder engagement and mergers and acquisitions capital markets team globally, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg.

Novak and Porretti will become global heads of the unit, which advises companies under attack from activist investors, alongside existing leader David Freedman. All three will report to Anu Aiyengar, head of global M&A at the bank.

A representative for JPMorgan confirmed the contents of the memo.

London-based Novak, who leads the unit in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, joined the US bank in 2021 ...