“Activism in the US dwarfs activism in the rest of the world,” says Keith Gottfried, partner and shareholder activism defense practice leader for law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius. “Nevertheless, it is increasingly becoming a worldwide phenomenon.”
Gottfried offered figures by Activist Insight, which publishes information on shareholder activism, that show the exponential growth of activist campaigns. In Australia the number of companies targeted went from two in 2011 to 33 in 2014, while in Asia it jumped from four to 19.