Associate – Shareholder Advisory

The Opportunity

The Germanic team of Sodali & Co advises some of the most prominent listed companies across Germany, Austria and Switzerland on high-profile matters relating to corporate governance, investor relations, shareholder engagement, ESG and sustainability. Sodali is a trusted adviser on mid to large-cap issuers, M&A transactions, shareholder activism situations, takeover and raid defence mandates, and responses to hostile activity or unsolicited approaches.

As an Associate, you will play an active role in the research, analysis and development of client deliverables that underpin advisory work for some of the region's leading listed companies. You will develop a strong grounding in corporate governance, shareholder engagement and proxy advisory practice, working closely with experienced advisers on high-profile assignments and corporate transactions across Germany, Austria and Switzerland as you build towards greater client and workstream responsibility.

You will work alongside senior advisers who have helped shape the corporate governance and investor relations landscape in the region for more than 20 years, within a fast-growing global consulting firm and a multinational, passionate, ambitious team that embraces challenges and strives for excellence.

Key Responsibilities 

• Support project and account managers in delivering advisory assignments across corporate governance, shareholder engagement and proxy solicitation, capital markets intelligence as well as sustainability and ESG.
• Conduct research and analysis on special situations including M&A and shareholder activism, including live raid defence, proxy fights, contests for corporate control and crisis management.
• Monitor shareholder registers, ownership structures and trading activity, highlighting notable movements and trends to the wider team.
• Research and evaluate companies’ corporate governance and stewardship record identifying risks, vulnerabilities and strategic considerations.
• Analyse, model and interpret companies’ shareholder base profile, including proxy voting guidelines and past voting behaviour of major institutional investors to project impact and outcome of shareholder votes.
• Track and summarise proxy voting guidelines issued by proxy advisory firms such as ISS and Glass Lewis, flagging changes that are relevant to clients.
• Help prepare institutional investor profiles and roadshow materials through research on investors and other stakeholders.
• Support new business development by researching prospective clients and drafting sections of pitch materials.
• Act as a trustworthy and accessible point of contact for day-to-day queries, keeping senior colleagues informed of client needs and escalating insights that could inform team strategy.
• Collaborate and coordinate workstreams with colleagues across Sodali & Co's governance, sustainability, engagement, M&A, strategic communications and analytics teams.
• Draft first versions of client materials, including briefing notes, presentations and case studies.
• Monitor governance, shareholder and activism trends, particularly within Germanic markets, and share relevant insights and developments with the team.
• Build an understanding of Sodali & Co’s broader service offering, and flag situations where additional expertise from other teams could help a client.
• Utilise platforms including FactSet, Refinitiv Eikon, Bloomberg, ISS-Corporate, Diligent Market Intelligence, Broadridge and the Sodali & Co Platform to support analysis, research and client deliverables, and maintain the Germanic team's databases and proprietary intelligence, ensuring information is current, accurate and up to date.

Skills & Experience

• 1-3 years of experience in a similar business environment, ideally within corporate governance, shareholder advisory and investor relations.
• Degree educated, or equivalent qualification, in business administration, economics, finance, law, political science or a related field.
• Professional working proficiency in both English and German is required.
• Advanced user in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrates proactive curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies by exploring new capabilities, testing practical applications, and identifying opportunities to improve team effectiveness, client and business outcomes. 
• A genuine interest in corporate governance, shareholder engagement and capital markets, developed through study, internships or early career experience.
• A strong analytical mindset, comfortable working with both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Well-organised, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines while paying close attention to detail.
• A confident written and verbal communicator, able to produce clear, well structured materials, and comfortable interacting with colleagues across the firm as well as client teams and other advisors (for example, investment bankers and lawyers).
• A proactive team player who seeks out feedback and is eager to learn.
• A professional, personable manner when engaging with clients, colleagues and other advisors.