HISTORY
The Altman Group was founded in 1995 by Kenneth Altman primarily to provide clients with strategic management of solicitation plans in contested and public securities bankruptcy reorganizations.
With a background of over 30 years in the proxy industry, Mr. Altman also recognized an opportunity in the market place for a firm that could provide highly sophisticated governance and proxy solicitation expertise while simultaneously being able to offer a level of personal service that he believed was missing among the industry leaders at the time.
So, in 2002, after considerable consolidation within the proxy solicitation industry, The Altman Group seized this window of opportunity and moved into the corporate proxy marketplace on a grand scale with the hiring of seasoned proxy professionals and the building of a 60 seat; state–of–the–art call center. In the first twelve months, the firm added over 100 new corporate clients to the client list.
In 2003, the firm expanded its service offering, hiring experienced professionals in the shareholder identification arena. While shareholder identification is often used to measure investor relations effectiveness and give issuers better information on its owners, it has increasingly been used to enable companies to be better prepared for any possible shareholder activism and potential proxy fights.
While the shareholder identification team serviced the firm’s domestic client base, it also made a major push to expand the firm’s reach globally. Since then, we have built a base of over 150 clients outside the U.S., primarily in Asia and Europe.
Also in 2003, the firm expanded its service to the mutual fund sector as a way to leverage the new call center, and provide the same service-oriented philosophy that had been so successful for us in corporate America. To ensure the highest level of expertise, The Altman Group recruited a team of seasoned mutual fund proxy executives from other major firms to launch the new division. Within months of entering the mutual fund proxy marketplace The Altman Group quickly became a major player as numerous major fund families turned to us for their proxy management and solicitation needs. By the end of 2003, the firm’s client list had grown to over 300 clients.
In 2004, we were pleased to receive the TOPS Award, the industry’s only independent survey-based recognition of the highest ranking proxy firm based on client feedback. 2004 was the first year the firm had been eligible for the bi-annual award. Of greater significance, we believe, is the fact that we have been able to hold this distinction uninterrupted since then, winning the award in 2006 and 2008 as well.
Also, in 2004, senior management realized the significant business opportunities in the corporate and mutual fund proxy arenas and built a second 150 seat call center. The call center required a significant investment in both hardware and software to ensure we were building the most advanced facility in the proxy industry.
In a continuing effort to strengthen our team, The Altman Group hired two corporate governance experts between 2004 and 2005, who had spent a combined 17 years at independent proxy advisor ISS, now RiskMetrics Group.
In 2005, we launched our Shareholder Asset Reunification Program (ShARP) service, designed to locate and reunite investors with their asset, rather than allow the state to escheat the assets. Since its launch, The Altman Group’s ShARP service has reunited shareholders with millions of dollars.
Over the past year, we have serviced over 600 clients. We are proud of the growth we have achieved, but even prouder of the successes we have achieved for our clients. Since the inception of our firm, we have executed on a plan to build a firm of the highest caliber professionals in the proxy world. This plan has resulted in The Altman Group’s ascent to the top of the list of elite proxy firms.