CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards

AUSTRALIA 89 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards 2019 MARIA LEFTAKIS CEO of Morrow Sodali ABOUT MARIA LEFTAKIS Maria is a founder of Morrow Sodali and has 25 years’ experience in shareholder engagement in Australia and overseas, specialising in the strategic advice and execution of mergers and acquisitions, AGMS, contests, proxy fights and other extraordinary transactions. Under her leadership, Morrow Sodali has set itself apart in the Australian market with an unrivalled integrated service offering and the deepest track record of success for many of the country’s largest organisations. As CEO for Australia, Maria is responsible for all aspects of business for the APAC region and for leading client engagements. She is recognised as the industry leader and is focused on achieving successful outcomes for clients by delivering strategic advice and informed execution that is designed to produce results. Maria has advised on many of Australia’s largest and most complex deals, including Amcor’s merger with Bemis, MYOB merger with KKR, Westfield’s merger with Unibail- Rodamco, Iron Mountain Inc’s merger scheme with Recall Holdings Ltd, TOWER’s merger scheme with Dai-ichi Life, BHP’s bid for Rio Tinto, and Wesfarmers’ merger and demergers with Coles. Maria has an Executive MBA from the AGSM, a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and is a member of the AICD. FIRM PROFILE Morrow Sodali is a leading provider of strategic advice and shareholder services to corporate clients around the world. The firm provides strategic advice and services relating to corporate governance, shareholder and bondholder communication and engagement, capital markets intelligence, proxy solicitation, shareholder activism and mergers and acquisitions. From headquarters in New York and London, and offices in major capital markets, Morrow Sodali serves more than 700 corporate clients in 40 countries, including many of the world’s largest multinational corporations. In addition to listed and private companies, its clients include mutual funds, ETFs, stock exchanges and membership associations. OUR MISSION Morrow Sodali’s mission is to bring together all the expertise, information, technology and resources companies need to engage effectively with shareholders and maximise support for their business initiatives. Our goal is to establish a strategic partnership with each of our clients by offering timely and insightful advice, high quality service and customised solutions to their governance and ownership challenges. OUR SERVICES Morrow Sodali has assembled a comprehensive set of integrated services that cover every aspect of corporate governance, shareholder communication and engagement. Our combination of local expertise and global perspective helps companies in different markets anticipate and respond appropriately to issues that are of concern to investors in their capacity as fiduciaries and long-term owners. Our services complement and work in tandem with our clients’ financial communications, investor relations and board evaluation programs. We add value by enabling clients to identify and engage with key institutional decision-makers who are responsible for voting shares and monitoring the governance of portfolio companies. For every publicly traded company, the Annual Corporate Cycle gives rise to a cycle sequence of obligations that centre on financial reporting and the annual shareholder meeting. Allowing for differences in local regulatory requirements, these obligations now include environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, board accountability, sustainability and other long-term issues of concern to a broad base of stakeholders as well as shareholders and the investing public. Morrow Sodali Level 25, 135 King St Sydney +61 2 8022 7900 infosydney@morrowsodali.com www.morrowsodali.com