Exclusive: Brunswick hires S&P Global investor perception team
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Brunswick is expanding its investor intelligence capabilities, hiring an eight-person team from S&P Global that specializes in analyzing how institutional investors perceive companies, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Communications advisory firms are investing in deeper stakeholder intelligence to help shape corporate strategy, not just communicate it.
The big picture: The team, led by longtime S&P Global investor intelligence executive Robin Auten, will join Brunswick's global financial practice, co-led by Jonathan Doorley and Simon Sporborg.
- The S&P Global team conducts about 60 investor perception studies annually and brings historical research that helps companies compare findings with their peers.
- Brunswick has conducted investor perception studies for decades, but the hires significantly expand its research capacity.
How it works: Investor perception studies use confidential interviews with investors and analysts to learn about a company's strategy, leadership, performance and valuation.
- Because their responses are anonymous, investors can be more candid about concerns they might not raise directly with company leadership.
- The findings give executives and boards a clearer picture of investor sentiment, where they see problems and how the company stacks up against its peers.
What's next: Brunswick plans to integrate that intelligence into its existing advisory work, including M&A, shareholder activism and periods of market volatility.
- For example, investor research could help companies identify vulnerabilities before an activist campaign, understand what investors want following an acquisition and assess whether strategic changes are improving perceptions.
What they're saying: "Combining direct investor intelligence and proprietary benchmarking data with our existing advisory expertise will strengthen the counsel we provide to boards and management teams, particularly at moments of significant change or scrutiny," Doorley said.
The bottom line: Brunswick is betting that a deeper understanding of investor sentiment will help it deliver more strategic advice when companies face high-stakes decisions.
