WASHINGTON, DC — FTI Consulting has hired corporate governance specialist Rodolfo Araujo as a senior managing director and a member of its Activism and M&A Solutions practice.

Araujo joins from Institutional Shareholder Services, where he was vice president of the Special Situations Research Group. He will report to Brian Kennedy, head of the Americas for FTI’s Strategic Communications segment.

In his new role, Araujo will advise boards and management teams on issues such as managing scrutiny around their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices; engaging with activist shareholders; navigating proxy contests and shareholder proposals; and pursuing transactions in hostile, contested or highly regulated environments.

Mark McCall, global segment leader of Strategic Communications, said: “Against the backdrop of heightened ESG-related scrutiny by investors and other stakeholders, Rodolfo brings a wealth of highly relevant and invaluable experience to our clients as they navigate board elections, reputational and brand risk, M&A transactions, and challenges to their governance practices.

“The drivers behind shareholder activism are changing rapidly. Rodolfo sat at the center of some of the most complex mergers and fiercest proxy fights in recent memory, which placed him in the room with boards of directors, C-suite executives and dissident shareholders.”

At ISS, Araujo provided analysis and voting recommendations on proxy fights for board seats including Procter & Gamble and General Motors, as well as contested M&A transactions and hostile takeover attempts.

Araujo was previously a research analyst at global asset manager Sands Capital. He was also an investment analyst at Inca Investments, an equity hedge fund with a focus on Latin America. Before becoming a financial analyst, he founded and served as chief executive officer of Brazilian marketing service agency Ativa.