Webcast: The Role of ESG in Capital Markets

PANELISTS:

Crystal Simpson is a Managing Director in Evercore’s advisory business and heads the Energy Equity Capital Markets group, which includes Sustainable Energy & Clean Technology, Oil & Gas, Power & Utilities, Mining and Chemicals. She focuses on the origination and execution of public and private equity and equity-like transactions. Ms. Simpson has worked with Energy companies for 21 years. She joined Evercore in 2019 and was previously a managing director at Barclays and co-head of the Natural Resources Equity Capital Markets group. She joined Lehman Brothers in 2001 as part of the Natural Resources coverage group and gained extensive experience across the spectrum of investment banking transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and capital raises. Ms. Simpson has spent 18 years in Equity Capital Markets, originating and executing initial public offerings, follow-ons, equity-linked offerings, private investments in public equities (PIPEs), private convertible preferred offerings and pre-IPO private capital for energy companies.

Aaron Briggs is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s San Francisco office and a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. Mr. Briggs’ practice focuses on advising technology, life sciences and other companies and their boards of directors on a wide range of securities and governance matters, including ESG, corporate governance, SEC disclosure and compliance, shareholder activism, executive compensation, investor communications, disclosure effectiveness and stakeholder engagement matters. Prior to re-joining the firm in 2018, Mr. Briggs served as Executive Counsel – Corporate, Securities & Finance at General Electric. In addition, Mr. Briggs was named Corporate Governance Professional of the Year by Corporate Secretary Magazine.

Yair Galil is of counsel in Gibson Dunn’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Global Finance, Business Restructuring and ESG Practice Groups. Mr. Galil’s experience includes representation of sponsors, issuers, financial institutions and investment funds in complex financing transactions. The business contexts for these transactions have ranged from corporate finance (including sustainability-linked credit facilities), to leveraged acquisitions and dividend recaps, to debt buybacks and other out-of-court capital restructuring transactions, to debtor-in-possession and bankruptcy exit financings. He also frequently performs credit analyses on a borrower’s debt instruments, and advises on vulnerabilities and potential restructuring approaches.

Hillary Holmes is a partner in the Houston office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group, and a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance, Energy, M&A and ESG Practice Groups. Ms. Holmes’ practice focuses on capital markets, securities regulation, corporate governance and ESG counseling. She is Band 1 ranked by Chambers USA in capital markets for the energy industry and a recognized leader in Energy Transactions nationwide. Ms. Holmes represents issuers and underwriters in all forms of capital raising transactions, including sustainable financings, IPOs, registered offerings of debt or equity, private placements, and structured investments. Ms. Holmes also frequently advises companies, boards of directors, special committees and financial advisors in M&A transactions, conflicts of interest and special situations.

Jason Meltzer is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and Class Actions and ESG Practice Groups. Mr. Meltzer has experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on securities and consumer products class action defense. Mr. Meltzer also has extensive experience representing clients in antitrust, mass tort, breach of contract, commercial fraud, insurance and merger-related litigation. Mr. Meltzer routinely counsels Fortune 100 companies on minimizing litigation risks in connection with their ESG disclosures, has authored several publications on the topic, and has defended multiple class actions challenging ESG statements as false or misleading.

Robyn Zolman is Partner-in-Charge of the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s Corporate Transactions Practice Group.  Her practice is concentrated in securities regulation and capital markets transactions.  Ms. Zolman represents clients in connection with public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, tender offers, exchange offers, consent solicitations and corporate restructurings.  She also advises clients regarding securities regulation and disclosure issues and corporate governance matters, including Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements, stock exchange listing standards, director independence, board practices and operations, and insider trading compliance.  She provides disclosure counsel to clients in a number of industries, including energy, telecommunications, homebuilding, consumer products and biotechnology.

MCLE CREDIT INFORMATION:

This program has been approved for credit in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board for a maximum of 1.0 credit hour, of which 1.0 credit hour may be applied toward the areas of professional practice requirement. This course is approved for transitional/non-transitional credit.

Attorneys seeking New York credit must obtain an Affirmation Form prior to watching the archived version of this webcast. Please contact [email protected] to request the MCLE form.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP certifies that this activity has been approved for MCLE credit by the State Bar of California in the amount of 1.25 hour.

California attorneys may claim “self-study” credit for viewing the archived version of this webcast. No certificate of attendance is required for California “self-study” credit.