ESG-Driven Activist Campaigns to Rise, JPMorgan Dealmaker Says

The number of activist campaigns pushing large companies to speed up ESG improvements will increase next year, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s German M&A head Patrik Czornik.

Even small activist shareholders can exert pressure on major corporations because environmental, social and governance themes can easily make headlines and win support from long-only funds, Czornik told reporters at a roundtable discussion Tuesday.

Enkraft Capital GmbH in September called on European utility giant RWE AG to accelerate a transition to clean power, saying it could double its share price by exiting its lignite coal plants more quickly. The activist’s campaign ...