Overview
Global Head of Shareholder Activism and member of the firm’s Management Committee. Advises on shareholder activism, mergers and acquisitions, securities law and regulatory compliance.
Ele represents activists, investment banks and companies in matters ranging from corporate governance and control to proxy contests and defensive strategies.
He works on numerous activist campaigns and related transactions every year for some of the largest private investment groups and investment banks in the United States and abroad.
In addition, Ele advises on private investments in public equity (PIPEs), initial public offerings and secondary offerings, venture capital financing, and indenture defaults and interpretation, and he counsels clients in the regulatory areas of insider trading, short selling, Sections 13 and 16, Rule 144, insider trading and Regulation M/Rule 105.
Ele is recognized as a 2022 American Lawyer “Dealmaker of the Year” for his work at Exxon Mobil for Engine No. 1, the largest proxy fight in history, which resulted in the addition of three directors to the ExxonMobil board of directors.
He is also ranked as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, New York Super Lawyers – New York Metro Top 100 and Super Lawyers Business Edition.
Ele has served as a moderator and speaker at numerous conferences and events addressing shareholder activism, regulatory and reporting issues, PIPEs, M&A deals, the capital markets and other topics of interest to the alternative investment industry.
He is a regular contributor to the Shareholder Activism Insight report and em>The Activist Investing Annual Review, produced annually by Activist Insight in association with the firm.
Results
- JANA Partners at Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc., Rapid7, Inc., and Freshpet, Inc.
- Anson Funds at Match Group and Twilio
- Strategic Organizing Center at Starbucks
- Elliott Management, L.P., at Southwest
- Trian Fund Management in The Walt Disney Company
- Engine No. 1 in Exxon Mobil
- Politan Capital at Masimo Corporation and Centene Corp.
- TCI in Canadian National
- JANA Partners in Zendesk, New Relic and Mercury Systems
- D. E. Shaw in FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc., Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., FedEx and Verisk Analytics
- Corvex Management at Anaplan
- Starboard Value in RB Global, Inc. (f/k/a/Ritchie Bros.), Papa John’s International and Acacia Research
- Elliott Management in Marathon Petroleum, Akamai Technologies and Hess Corp.
- Farallon Capital at Exelixis, Inc.
- White Hat Capital Partners LP at Comtech TeleCommunications Corp.
- Irenic Capital Management at News Corp.
- Greenlight Capital in General Motors
- Cevian Capital in Autoliv, ABB and LM Ericsson
- Caligan Partners in Knowles Corp. and AMAG Pharmaceuticals
- venBio Select Advisor in Immunomedics
- Saba Capital in First Trust
- Oasis Capital in Stratus Properties
- Altimeter Capital Management in United Continental Holding
- SRS Investment Management in Avis Budget Group
- Anchorage in connection with board representation at Houghton Mifflin
Recognitions
- Financier Worldwide Magazine – 2025 Shareholder Activism Power Player
- The Legal 500 US – US Elite, Corporate and M&A
- Insider – The 13 Lawyers Investors Call for Shareholder Activism
- The American Lawyer – 2022 Dealmaker of the Year
- Biltmore Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals
- Chambers USA – Band 1
- The DealFlow Power 20
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America
- The Legal 500 US – Leading Lawyer
- New York Super Lawyers
- New York Super Lawyers – New York Metro Top 100
- Super Lawyers Business Edition
Community
- American Bar Association
- Board of Advisors, Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law
Credentials
Education
Yale Law School, JD, Senior Editor, The Yale Law Journal, Law School Senator, Yale University Graduate and Professional Senate
Brooklyn College, CUNY, BS, summa cum laude
Admissions
Connecticut
New York
Prior Experience
Davis Polk & Wardwell
