Derek Zaba is an American attorney and advisor known for his expertise in shareholder activism and takeover defence. He is a partner and co-chair of the shareholder activism and corporate defense practice at Sidley Austin LLP.[1][2][3]

Derek Zaba
Born
Derek O. Zaba
Alma materStanford University
Washington University in St. Louis
OccupationAttorney
Known forSidley Austin LLP (Partner and Co-Chair)

Early life and education

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Derek Zaba was raised in Downers Grove, IL. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in applied math from Washington University in St. Louis[4][5] Later in 1998, he received his MBA degree from the Olin School of Business.[6] In 2004, Zaba graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School with a J.D. degree.[7]

Career

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Zaba started his career as a business analyst at Capital One Financial Corporation in 1998. He worked as a legal intern for Linklaters LLP and Cravath and Swaine & Moore LLP, before joining Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as an associate in 2004.[8] In 2006, Zaba joined Scoggin Capital as a senior associate and analyst making event-driven investments in the global equity markets.[9] He joined Voce Capital Management, an investment firm, in 2012, where he made activist investments in U.S. equities and became a Partner.[10] In 2015, he joined PJT CamberView Partners, a shareholder engagement advisory firm, and served in various capacities, including as the head of the shareholder activism and takeover defence team.[8] After CamberView Partners was acquired by PJT Partners, he joined Sidley Austin LLP as a partner and co-chair of shareholder activism and corporate defence practice.[11][12]

His area of expertise includes corporate takeover defence and shareholder activism practice.[13][14][2] In 2021, Derek was recognized by Chambers USA as the leading lawyer in mergers and acquisitions takeover defence.[15][16] During Zaba’s tenure, Sidley Austin LLP rose to the top of the activism and corporate defense league tables of Bloomberg, FactSet and Refinitiv. The firm was also ranked in Band 1 for “Takeover Defense” by Chambers USA and in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500. Sidley Austin LLP has been recognized by The Deal as “Activist Defense Law Firm of the Year” multiple times.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Herbst-Bayliss, Svea (2019-03-18). "PJT Camberview hires BlackRock executive". reuters.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  2. ^ a b Deveau, Scott; Melin, Anders (2017-08-30). "Derek Zaba, co-head of the contested situations at CamberView Partners Promoting long-term responsibility". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  3. ^ Murphy, Margi; Field, Matthew (2020-03-05). "Why Wall Street's 'barbarians in the boardroom' are taking on Silicon Valley". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  4. ^ Partner and Co-Chair of Sidley's Shareholder Activism Practice, 2022-09-18, retrieved 2023-12-06
  5. ^ "Sidley Duo Named to The American Lawyer's 2022 "West Trailblazers"". www.sidley.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  6. ^ "Shareholder Activism and Contested Corporate Elections: Lessons from the Trenches". www.law.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  7. ^ "Derek Zaba, JD '04". 27th Annual Stanford Directors' College 2022. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  8. ^ a b Bayliss, Svea (2019-03-11). "PJT Camberview's contested situations head leaves for Sidley Austin". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  9. ^ "Derek Zaba: Partner and Co-Chair of Sidley's Shareholder Activism Practice". audible.co.uk. 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  10. ^ "Derek O. Zaba". All California Attorneys. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  11. ^ McCauley, Kelli (2022-05-07). "Shareholder Activism: Are You Prepared?Being Proactive is Key". mccauleyandco.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  12. ^ Elman, David (2022-09-30). "Activist Investing Today: Zaba Sees M&A Activism Amid Uncertainty". The Deal. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  13. ^ Jannarone, John (2020-03-26). "Sidley Austin: Should Boards Adopt a Poison Pill in the Coronavirus Crisis?". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  14. ^ "Sidley's Zaba: Activists Expected to Hunt for Targets in Formerly Sheltered Industries - CorpGov". corpgov.com. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  15. ^ "Chambers USA ranking :Derek Zaba". chambers.com. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  16. ^ a b Elman, David (2021-07-08). "Activist Spotlight: Top Activist Advisers in Early 2021". The Deal. Retrieved 2023-12-06.