Sharon Stern
Partner
Sharon is a strategic communications advisor to C-Suite executives and Board of Directors facing complex, high-stakes corporate matters and special situations. She brings more than 25 years of experience helping companies navigate critical moments and elevate communications through strategic multi-stakeholder engagement, compelling narratives and innovative strategies. She has advised companies across industries and of all sizes, from Fortune 100 corporations to emerging growth companies, with recent engagements in the industrials, aerospace and defense, healthcare, and consumer products sectors.
Recent Highlights
Select Experience
Corporate Communications, Investor Relations and Reputation Management
Sharon helps her clients convey important information clearly, consistently and credibly to the Street and other stakeholders, often utilizing digital strategies across earned, owned and paid media. She helps companies refine and elevate corporate messaging to advance business objectives, often in connection with investor-focused events such as quarterly earnings announcements, investor days, strategic transactions or executive leadership milestones. She works one-on-one with executive leaders to help sharpen their communications and presentation delivery. Select clients include Chipotle, Eaton, Innodata, Johnson Controls, L3Harris and OpenText.
Transactions - M&A and Separations
She has advised hundreds of companies of all sizes on complex transactions, from pre-launch planning through announcement, and integration. Recent assignments include L3Harris on the IPO of its Missile Solutions business and associated investment from the Department of War; Eaton on its planned separation and subsequent sale of its Mobility Group; Modine in its pending separation; Rio Tinto on numerous transactions; Herc Holdings in its acquisition of H&E Equipment; Triumph Group in its go-private sale to Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners; Perspecta in its sale to Veritas; Fiserv in numerous transactions; Centene in numerous acquisitions (WellCare, Fidelis Care and HealthNet); Zimmer Biomet in numerous acquisitions; Liva Nova in the sale of its CRM Business; Tenneco in its sale to Apollo; Neenah and SWM in their merger to become Mativ; HanesBrands in its sale of Champion to Authentic Brands Group.
Shareholder Activism Defense
Sharon has counseled Boards of Directors and executive teams in their public and private interactions with some of the most prominent activist investors, including Carl Icahn, DE Shaw, Elliott Management, Engine Capital, Irenic, Jana Partners, Neuberger Berman and Pentwater. She has also advised companies on their engagements with some of the newer entrants including Garden Investments and Vision One. She brings an activist-defense mindset to her investor relations counsel emphasizing preparedness, reputation management and proactive stakeholder engagement to help companies mitigate vulnerability to activism and respond effectively if a campaign emerges.
Leadership Transitions and Other Crisis Communications
Sharon advises companies in connection with sensitive and highly nuanced matters that can impact reputation, including management changes, workplace malfeasance, SEC or Department of Justice inquiries, product recalls, FDA 483 and Warning Letters, and FCPA violations. While every situation is unique, Sharon brings seasoned judgment, a close partnership with legal counsel and a focus on preserving credibility with key stakeholders.
In Conversation
Personal Side
While serving as an External Affairs officer of the World Bank, I had the honor of sitting in the room and listening to the deliberations during one of the sessions to grant East Timor (now Timor-Leste) its independence from Indonesia and determine its future currency. It brought together my love of international economics and journalism. It was towards the end of my term at the World Bank when I was introduced to crisis communications – the World Bank was being challenged for funding a project in modern-day Tibet by several international and national groups, as well as by an up-and-coming politician, Nancy Pelosi.
Credentials
Sharon holds a B.A., cum laude, in International Affairs from The George Washington University. She is a recipient of The M&A Advisor “Emerging Leaders” Award. In addition to presenting regularly to Boards of Directors, she has spoken at programs hosted by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and guest lectured at universities. She joined Joele Frank in its founding year and previously served as an External Affairs Officer for the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Region.