Allison Sobel
Managing Director
Allison has more than a decade of experience advising companies through high-stakes events, including mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, crises, bankruptcies and leadership transitions. Her background includes roles at leading communications firms, where she developed expertise in financial communications, investor relations, and corporate positioning across industries from retail to technology. To her high-stakes special situations work, she brings a perspective that is firmly grounded in the fundamentals of IR to help clients achieve their goals.
Recent Highlights
Select Experience
M&A / Transactions
Allison has deep M&A experience representing both the acquiror and target. She has supported clients across market caps and situations, from friendly transactions to attempted hostile defense and takeovers. Recent work experience includes GMS in its pending sale to The Home Depot, DNOW in its pending acquisition of MRC Global, James Hardie in its acquisition of AZEK, AVID Bioservices in its sale to GHO and Ampersand, Bitfarms in its acquisition of Stronghold, and Juniper in its sale to HPE. She also supported Choice Hotels in its attempted acquisition of Wyndham Hotels. In M&A work, Allison combines her ability to manage large, complex projects with multiple workstreams with her strategic insight and client counsel to deliver favorable outcomes to clients.
Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Liability Management
She has extensive experience guiding companies through complex Chapter 11 restructurings, providing strategic communications counsel to protect reputation and maintain stakeholder confidence. She has supported clients across industries, including Wynne Transportation, Libby Glass, Catalina, EP Energy, Mattress Firm, David’s Bridal, Carestream, Global Brands, High Ridge Brands, Stearns, Ditech, PG&E, and FTD, among others. In each case, Allison partnered with management teams and advisors to deliver clear, consistent messaging to employees, customers, investors, and the media, focusing on the matters each audience cares about most.
Shareholder Activism Defense
Allison has counseled numerous companies in their interactions with a wide range of activist investors, including Ocho Investments, Land & Buildings, Engine Capital, Ancora, Sachem Head and Trian.
Investor Relations
She brings deep expertise in ongoing investor relations, leveraging her master’s degree in Investor Relations and more than a decade of hands-on experience. Earlier in her career, she supported a range of microcap clients in navigating day-to-day investor relations functions, including earnings preparation, capital raises, investor targeting, and roadshows. Today, she advises public companies on building and maintaining effective relationships with Wall Street, helping management teams articulate their strategies and performance in a way that resonates with diverse stakeholders. Allison is passionate about simplifying complex stories and ensuring her clients’ messages are communicated with clarity, credibility, and impact.
In Conversation
What is your favorite thing about special situations?
What I enjoy most about Joele Frank is the intellectual challenge, variety and importance of the work we do for our clients. On any given day I may have the opportunity to work across multiple situations – ranging from behind-the-scenes activism defense to a widely-publicized M&A transaction. Or, sometimes I’ll be fully plugged into a single matter for days or weeks at a time, which allows me to fully submerge myself in the complexities and nuances of a client’s business. In the ten years I’ve spent at Joele Frank, I continue to face new and interesting client matters – we never work on the same situation twice! This newness fuels my desire to learn and apply creative problem-solving help out clients solve problems, which is incredibly rewarding.
What are some highlights from your career?
In my first job out of college, I had the opportunity to support several clients in their IPOs – visiting the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE in person as a 22-year-old was incredibly exciting. The energy and gravity I remember feeling during those bell ringing events is something I carry with me to this day and continues to drive my love for investor relations and capital markets.
What is your favorite thing about special situations?
What I enjoy most about Joele Frank is the intellectual challenge, variety and importance of the work we do for our clients. On any given day I may have the opportunity to work across multiple situations – ranging from behind-the-scenes activism defense to a widely-publicized M&A transaction. Or, sometimes I’ll be fully plugged into a single matter for days or weeks at a time, which allows me to fully submerge myself in the complexities and nuances of a client’s business. In the ten years I’ve spent at Joele Frank, I continue to face new and interesting client matters – we never work on the same situation twice! This newness fuels my desire to learn and apply creative problem-solving help out clients solve problems, which is incredibly rewarding.
What are some highlights from your career?
In my first job out of college, I had the opportunity to support several clients in their IPOs – visiting the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE in person as a 22-year-old was incredibly exciting. The energy and gravity I remember feeling during those bell ringing events is something I carry with me to this day and continues to drive my love for investor relations and capital markets.
Personal Side
I’ve been actively involved with the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) for several years. NIRI is a phenomenal resource for those in the IR profession. It’s been incredibly rewarding to connect with peers, share best practices, and stay on top of industry trends outside of my job. From 2019 to 2023, I served on the Board of NIRI New York, where I helped shape programming and initiatives to support the local IR community. One of the highlights of my involvement was leading the chapter’s NextGen initiative, which is focused on meeting the unique needs of early-career IR professionals through networking, mentoring, and professional development. In recognition of this work, I received the 2016–2017 NIRI Individual Chapter Leadership Award, and our team was honored with the NIRI Chapter Team Award the same year.
In the News
Credentials
Allison received a BA in Psychology from UConn and a Master’s Degree in Investor Relations from the Fordham Gabelli School of Business.