Derek Zaba
Shareholder ActivismCorporate Governance and Executive Compensation
M&A
DEREK ZABA is a partner in the Palo Alto and New York offices and co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism practice. He counsels companies on a variety of matters, including activism defense/proxy contests, activism preparedness, takeover defenses, shareholder engagement and corporate governance. Over the past two decades, he has been involved in dozens of activist campaigns and proxy contests in various advisory and principal capacities. Prior to Sidley, Derek was the head of the activism defense practice at a leading shareholder engagement and corporate governance advisory firm. He also served as a Partner and investment professional at activist and event driven hedge funds. Derek began his career as a corporate associate at a New York-based law firm.
He holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif; an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, concentrating in Finance; and a bachelor’s degree in Systems Science and Mathematics, cum laude, from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis. While at Washington University, he led university teams that won the highest award at the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) international Mathematical Contest in Modelling in consecutive years.
Derek is a member of the State Bars of California and New York.
Experience
- Representative Matters
Derek’s clients are located worldwide with sizes across the market cap spectrum. He has helped dozens of public companies successfully navigate activist situations worldwide and across a wide range of industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, consumer and retail/restaurant, industrials, financial institutions, energy and utilities, basic materials and real estate. He has defended against the vast majority of top tier activist hedge funds, as well as many others including one time and occasional activists.
He has counseled management teams and directors on hundreds of engagements with proxy advisory firms and institutional investors relating to shareholder activism, contested M&A, corporate governance and other matters.
Derek is a sought after speaker for panels on the topics of shareholder activism and related matters, is frequently quoted and regularly teaches classes on the topic of shareholder activism, including at Stanford University Law School.
News & Insights
Credentials
Admissions & Certifications
- California
- New York
Education
- Stanford Law School, J.D., 2004 (Order of the Coif)
- Washington University, MBA, 1998
- Washington University in St. Louis, B.S., 1998 (cum laude)