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Steve Lipin is a trusted advisor in the field of strategic, financial and corporate governance communications. Steve has spent over 40 years at the intersection of the corporate world, Wall Street and the media, as a leading financial journalist and top communications strategist to C-Suites and boards of directors. Steve started Gladstone Place Partners in 2017 after 16 years at Brunswick Group, where he was U.S. Senior Partner overseeing the development and growth of the U.S. practice. Steve is also a lecturer at Berkeley Law teaching a class on M&A and proxy contests.

At Gladstone Place Partners, Steve has worked on assignments such as The Walt Disney Company’s $70 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, Pfizer’s $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, QXO’s $11 billion hostile takeover of Beacon Roofing Supply, 3G Capital’s $9.4 billion buyout of Skechers, AT&T’s sale of Time Warner to Discovery, Take-Two Interactive’s $12.7 billion acquisition of Zynga, as well as many others. Steve has worked on landmark M&A deals such as InBev’s acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, AB InBev’s acquisitions of Grupo Modelo and SAB Miller, Marriott International’s acquisition of Starwood, American Airlines’ sale to US Airways, and many others.

He also advises many companies on shareholder activism defense and shareholder engagements, including Pfizer, The Walt Disney Company, AT&T, Illumina, Duke Energy, Marriott, Heinz, PepsiCo, Yahoo!, Macy’s, AIG, Freeport-McMoRan and Arconic, among others.

Before his career in communications, Steve spent 17 years in financial journalism, 10 of which were at The Wall Street Journal. Steve was The Journal’s Finance Editor, supervising the paper’s coverage of mergers, commercial banking, private equity and corporate finance, after five years as the M&A beat reporter during which he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He joined The Journal in 1991 to cover banking after stints at Institutional Investor and American Banker.

Born in New York City, Steve graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He is a board member of the Millstein Center at Columbia Law School, the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, the Columbia Journalism Review and Youth INC. Steve has three children and lives in New York City with his wife.

Lauren Odell manages the firm’s operations and leads strategy and execution on client engagements.

At Gladstone, Lauren has advised on a range of financial communications projects including The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, Acceleron Pharma’s sale to Merck for $11.5 billion, Dunkin’ Brands’ $11 billion sale to Inspire Brands, Alaska Airlines’ acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion and Dell Technologies’ return to the public markets.

Lauren’s activism defense experience includes working with The Walt Disney Company on its engagements with Trian Fund Management, Third Point Management and Blackwells Capital, Illumina on its engagement with Icahn Enterprises, and PepsiCo and Griffon Corporation on their engagements, among others.

Lauren advised WeWork throughout its capital-raising, strategic repositioning, leadership transition and its $9 billion SPAC merger with BowX Acquisition Corp. She also advised CLEAR Secure on its initial public offering, Marriott International following a data security incident involving the Starwood guest database, and AB InBev on its management transition.

Lauren’s litigation experience includes Nikola during the fraud trial of its founder and Wayne-Sanderson Farms in its antitrust litigation in Illinois. At a prior firm, she supported BP following the Deepwater Horizon accident and spill. She has broad experience in planning for Investor Days and navigating investor relations issues, specifically designing strategies to effectively communicate with retail investors.

While at Gladstone, Lauren was named as one of PRWeek’s Women of Distinction. Prior to Gladstone, Lauren spent nine years at Brunswick Group. Lauren also worked in the Investment Banking and Investor Relations divisions of JPMorgan in New York and London. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in Geography and is fluent in Spanish. She is the chair of the National Governing Board of the Jeremiah Program. Lauren lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Vanessa Esparza is a founding member of the management team at Gladstone Place Partners. As a Partner, she provides operational and administrative leadership to the firm and supports its growth and strategy. Vanessa’s work primarily focuses on talent management and recruiting, professional and leadership development, and employee engagement.

Prior to Gladstone, Vanessa was an Executive Director at Brunswick Group where she managed client onboarding for the firm’s U.S. M&A and shareholder activism practices. She was also a member of the firm’s business operations group supporting various internal initiatives.

Vanessa holds a master’s degree in Human Capital Management from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado. She is a certified leadership coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), where she provides pro bono coaching through its NYC Community Impact Committee. Vanessa was also recently named to Ragan’s Top Women in HR, Class of 2026.

Vanessa actively contributes to her community and serves as the Board Chair of Exhale to Inhale, a New York-based nonprofit that empowers survivors of domestic violence through trauma-informed yoga. She also serves on the board of The LAGRANT Foundation. Vanessa lives in New York City and spends her weekends in the Hudson Valley. She is fluent in Spanish.

Felipe Ucrós advises companies on strategy and communications matters related to investor relations, M&A, activism planning and defense, litigation and issues management.

Felipe has worked on financial communications and investor relations assignments for companies including IBM, Baxter International, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Duke Energy, among others. Highlights of his transaction experience include advising The Walt Disney Company on its acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, 3G Capital’s $7.1 billion acquisition of Hunter Douglas and $9.4 billion acquisition of Skechers, IBM in its acquisitions of HashiCorp and Confluent, Cargill and Continental Grain on their $4.5 billion acquisition of Sanderson Farms, and Dunkin’ Brands’ sale to Inspire Brands for $11.3 billion. His activism defense experience includes advising clients on engagements with Elliott Management, Starboard Management, Jana Partners, Anson Funds and Irenic Capital, among others.

Felipe leads the firm’s Investor Relations practice and assists companies with equity narrative development, in-depth investor surveys and benchmarks, and managing difficult disclosures. Felipe also regularly advises companies with the planning and development of investor days.

His issues management and litigation experience includes supporting Wayne-Sanderson Farms in antitrust litigation in Illinois, and Marriott International in the disclosure of the cyber breach of the Starwood reservation database. At a prior firm, he supported BP’s litigation communications matters following the Deepwater Horizon accident and spill. He also assists public and private companies with litigation communications, legal settlements and government enforcement actions.

Felipe helped establish Gladstone in 2017 after earning an MBA at Columbia Business School. While at Gladstone, he has been named to PR Week and the National Investor Relations Institute’s (NIRI) 40 under 40 lists. Felipe started his career at Brunswick Group. He graduated summa cum laude from New York University with bachelor’s degrees in History and Communications Studies. Felipe’s mother tongue is Spanish. When he’s not injured, he spends his free time running or cycling. Felipe lives in New York with his wife and son.

Danielle Fornabaio is an experienced strategic communications professional that serves as a trusted counselor for clients in the areas of financial communications and investor relations, reputation and issues management, media relations and corporate governance.

Danielle advises companies on shareholder activism defense and shareholder engagements. She advised The Walt Disney Company throughout its two contests with Trian Fund Management as well as its engagements with Value Act, Third Point Management and Blackwells Capital. She supported Griffon Corporation throughout its contest with Voss Capital and has worked with a number of companies to prepare for potential shareholder activism, navigating behind-the-scenes engagement and settlements.

Danielle has advised several companies around significant transactions, including 3G Capital’s $9.4 billion acquisition of Skechers, Hillenbrand’s take-private by Lone Star Funds, Giant Eagle’s sale of its GetGo business unit to Alimentation Couche-Tard, and Qualcomm’s acquisition of Veoneer. She also supported Sun Country Airlines on its IPO.

Danielle advises a variety of companies, including AB InBev, Baxter International and PepsiCo, on financial and corporate communications ranging from strategic positioning and quarterly earnings communications to corporate governance matters like leadership transitions.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Danielle was a director within FTI Consulting’s Strategic Communications segment where she supported clients across an array of communications needs and led several pro-bono projects for New York-based nonprofits. Before FTI, Danielle was an analyst with geopolitical research and risk analysis firm Political Alpha. She began her career at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from Georgetown University and is proficient in Italian.

Michael Landau advises companies on communications matters related to investor relations, M&A, shareholder activism, corporate reputation and issues management. He has over a decade of agency and in-house public company experience providing strategic communications and investor relations counsel to clients across all industries.

At Gladstone, Michael has worked on financial communications, investor relations, and corporate positioning assignments for companies including Salesforce, Marriott International, and PrizePicks. His transaction experience includes advising Pfizer on its $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, QXO on its $11 billion acquisition of Beacon Roofing Supply and its $17 billion proposed acquisition of TopBuild, Rayonier on its $8.2 billion combination with PotlatchDeltic, HNI on its $485 million acquisition of Kimball International, and Oklo on its $850 million business combination with AltC and public listing. Michael is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and was named to the 2025 class of NIRI’s Rising Leaders under 40.

Prior to Gladstone, Michael was the director of corporate communications at NYSE-listed Minerals Technologies (MTI). In this role, he developed the company’s global communications agenda with responsibility for the Annual and Sustainability Reports, investor-focused activities, employee communications, and digital media. Before MTI, Michael was a director at Joele Frank, where he advised clients on a variety of special situations, including M&A and activism.

Michael graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development. He lives in Jersey City with his wife and two kids.

Julie Laskin supports clients on financial and strategic communications matters related to investor relations, shareholder activism, M&A transactions, CEO transitions, litigation, and issues management. She brings to the firm extensive in-house experience in investor relations as well as financial and corporate governance communications.

At Gladstone, Julie has advised clients on a variety of mandates. Her transaction experience includes Castillo Hermanos’ acquisition of Harvest Hill Beverage Company, HNI Corporation’s acquisition of Kimball International, The Chernin Group’s strategic investment in Funko, and Oklo’s business combination with AltC. Additionally, Julie has advised companies on activism preparedness and defense, including Illumina in its engagement with Icahn Enterprises. She has supported companies in the planning and execution of Investor Days, conducting peer benchmarking audits, equity story development, and in-depth leadership and stakeholder interviews. Julie has also worked on high-profile leadership transitions, including The Brookings Institution’s announcement of a new president. In addition to client work, Julie leads the firm’s marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Julie worked for ten years at Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), where she held several positions across corporate finance, investor relations, and communications.

Julie received a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University, where she studied Finance. She lives in New York City with her husband.

Jennifer Yank advises companies on strategic communications related to investor relations, M&A and issues management. Jennifer has more than a decade of corporate communications experience following an earlier career as a broadcast journalist.

At Gladstone, Jennifer leads client teams across a broad range of mandates, including capital markets events, financial communications and activism defense campaigns. She supported Janus Henderson’s take-private with General Catalyst and Trian, Alaska Airlines in its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, HNI Corporation in its acquisition of Steelcase, Pfizer in its $10 billion acquisition of Metsera and its 2024 engagement with Starboard Value, and Illumina on its engagement with Icahn Enterprises, among other investor and media relations matters.

Previously, Jennifer was a director at the boutique communications agency One Nine Three Group and a director at Brunswick Group, where she specialized in external communications for multinationals in the TMT, consumer and financial services sectors. In Brunswick’s Dallas and New York offices, she supported clients on issues management, corporate narrative development and high-profile transactions, including AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner in 2018.

Jennifer began her career in television news, most recently as a producer at CNBC. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

James Goldfarb supports clients on communications matters involving shareholder activism, M&A, investor relations, litigation, and issues management.

At Gladstone, James has worked with clients such as Apollo Global Management, Duke Energy, Marriott International, PepsiCo, and Rayonier across a variety of mandates. He has also supported transactions, investor relations and shareholder activism defense situations for a variety of other clients. In addition to client work, James is the editor of Gladstone’s weekly corporate governance and activism newsletter.

Prior to joining Gladstone, James was a vice president at Sloane & Company in the firm’s financial and crisis communications practice, advising a range of public and private companies, as well as hedge funds and other investors, on media and investor communications strategies.

During his tenure at Sloane, he worked on special situation engagements including M&A, restructurings, litigation matters, crisis management, shareholder activism and ongoing reputation positioning.

James graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Ashley Grund supports clients on various corporate communications mandates including financial communications, M&A, activism defense preparation and issues management.

At Gladstone, Ashley has worked with companies, including Salesforce and AB InBev, on financial communications, media and investor relations. She has worked on transactions such as 3G Capital’s $7.1 billion acquisition of Hunter Douglas, Alaska Airlines in its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, and Hillenbrand’s take-private by Lone Star Funds. She has supported Investor Days for clients, including Alaska Airlines, and activism defense projects including The Walt Disney Company throughout its engagements with Trian Fund Management, Third Point Management, ValueAct and Blackwells. Ashley also has experience working with clients on crisis preparedness engagements, recently leading a cybersecurity tabletop simulation.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Ashley was an account supervisor at Peppercomm. Ashley began her career in communications at KWT Global and previously worked at The World Bank, spent time on Capitol Hill and worked for CNN in Hong Kong.

Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University where she studied International Affairs and Journalism and Mass Communication. She was named as an honoree in PRNEWS’ Top Women in PR & Communications 2026 class in the Rising Star category. She is a certified yoga teacher and conversational in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

Chris Perry supports clients on a variety of financial and strategic communications matters, including projects related to corporate governance, M&A, litigation, and issues management across a range of industries.

His transaction experience includes support on QXO’s $11 billion acquisition of Beacon Roofing Supply, 3G Capital’s $9.4 billion acquisition of Skechers, Cargill and Continental Grain on their $4.5 billion acquisition of Sanderson Farms, Allwyn’s $1.5 billion majority stake in PrizePicks, and Weber’s $3.7 billion take-private by BDT Capital Partners, among others.

He has also worked on investor relations and shareholder activism defense for a variety of clients.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Chris was an associate on the Research and Insights team at Finsbury Glover Hering and the Glover Park Group, where he worked on projects utilizing various quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to inform strategic thinking and client communications.

Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a concentration in Law and Economics from Marquette University. Chris is a former youth basketball coach and enjoys exploring New York City one neighborhood at a time.

Sebastiano di Robilant advises clients across industries on financial and strategic communications, including mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, litigation, and issues management.

Since joining Gladstone, Sebastiano has supported clients on a number of transactions, including Pfizer on its acquisition of Metsera for $10 billion, Janus Henderson on its take-private with General Catalyst and Trian for $8.6 billion, HNI Corporation on its acquisition of Steelcase for $2.2 billion, and IBM on its acquisition of Confluent for $11 billion. Sebastiano has also worked on high-profile leadership transitions as well as strategic investor relations mandates, conducting peer benchmarking audits, in-depth leadership and stakeholder interviews and equity story development.

Before joining Gladstone, Sebastiano was a director at FGS Global in New York, where he counseled clients on high-profile transactions, crises, and reputation challenges. He also spent time in Washington, D.C., helping start Sard Verbinnen & Co.’s public affairs office.

Earlier in his career, Sebastiano worked on national and local political campaigns, gaining hands-on experience in grassroots organizing, political fundraising, and campaign finance.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Università di Bologna and is fluent in Italian.

Brendan Bernstein works on a variety of financial communications projects, focusing on investor relations, activism defense, M&A and corporate governance.

At Gladstone, Brendan has supported clients including AB InBev, Apollo Global Management, Duke Energy, IBM, and more. Some of his transaction experience includes IBM’s $11 billion acquisition of Confluent and $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp, Hillenbrand’s $3.8 billion sale to Lone Star Funds and HNI Corp.’s $2.2 billion acquisition of Steelcase. Brendan also supported The Walt Disney Company during its engagement with Trian Fund Management.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Brendan was a consultant at FTI Consulting in New York. At FTI, Brendan supported client engagements oriented around investor relations, ESG advisory, corporate reputation and M&A with clients spanning various sectors.

Brendan assists with the development of Gladstone’s weekly newsletter covering updates in the world of shareholder activism and corporate governance.

Brendan is originally from Washington, D.C. and received his bachelor’s degree from Elon University.

Morgan Darmo works with clients on a variety of financial and strategic communications projects, focusing on corporate governance, M&A and issues management.

At Gladstone, Morgan has supported various clients including PepsiCo, Salesforce, Marriott International and Citgo, and has worked on transactions including Castillo Hermanos’ acquisition of Harvest Hill Beverage Company and Republic Airways’ merger agreement with Mesa Air Group. She also contributes to the development of Gladstone’s weekly newsletter covering updates in the corporate governance and shareholder activism landscape.

Prior to Gladstone, Morgan served as an Account Executive at H/Advisors Abernathy in Washington, D.C., focusing on public affairs and issues management across financial services, health care, technology and energy.

Morgan graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Finance.

Janelle Puckering advises clients on financial and strategic communications, including issues management, corporate governance and shareholder activism defense across a range of industries.

At Gladstone, Janelle has supported companies including Salesforce, IBM, Baxter International, PrizePicks and more. She works on Gladstone’s weekly newsletter, which covers developments in the world of corporate governance and shareholder activism.

Janelle holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and English from the University of Florida. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and serves on the Plank Center’s Emerging Leader Committee.

Max Friedman works with clients on financial and strategic communications, focusing on projects related to M&A, shareholder activism and issues management.

At Gladstone, Max has supported companies including Apollo Global Management, Marriott International, and PrizePicks on a variety of strategic communications mandates. His transaction communications experience includes Pfizer’s $10 billion acquisition of Metsera, HNI Corporation’s $2.2 billion acquisition of Steelcase Inc. and PrizePicks’ sale of a $1.5 billion majority stake to Allwyn International.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Max interned in the office of Senator Cory Booker where he researched and drafted memos and letters for Healthcare, Education, Foreign Policy and Technology Policy portfolios. He holds a B.A. in Politics with a minor in Italian Studies from New York University.

Nuwar Osman works with clients on a variety of financial and strategic communications projects related to mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, crisis management, and corporate governance.

At Gladstone, Nuwar has supported clients including Hillenbrand and IBM on a range of strategic communications. She has also worked on transactions including 3G Capital’s $9.4 billion acquisition of Skechers, HNI Corporation’s $2.2 billion acquisition of Steelcase, and Hillenbrand’s take-private by Lone Star Funds.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Nuwar supported a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia and worked in capital markets and investor relations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and is fluent in Arabic.

Rosa Sun works with clients on financial and strategic communications, positioning and crisis management.

Rosa has supported broad communications mandates for clients including Griffon Corporation and Citgo, as well as advising Rayonier on its combination with PotlatchDeltic. She has also supported in-depth investor relations assignments.

Prior to joining Gladstone, Rosa was part of the communications team at Schonfeld Strategic Advisors. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Media Studies and a minor in Business.

Carleigh Koger is an Executive Assistant at Gladstone Place Partners, supporting the CEO and COO. Prior to joining Gladstone, she held a position as Executive Assistant to the COO at David Zwirner, a contemporary art gallery with locations worldwide.

Carleigh graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and is a member of Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society.