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Elliott Management said Tuesday it will call a special meeting at Southwest Airlines "as soon as next week," shortly after the company put forward a sweeping board shakeup that it hoped might stave off a proxy fight. The push comes days before the airline's investor meeting, where it is expected to unveil improvements and operating changes. Southwest's shareholder meeting is typically scheduled for May, but by calling for a special meeting Elliott is looking to elect new directors much sooner than that. Earlier this month, executive chairman and former CEO Gary Kelly said he would step down after the carrier's shareholder meeting next year. "The need for change is urgent, and our request for a special meeting may come as soon as next week," Pike and Xu said.

Persons: Elliott, Bob Jordan, Gary Kelly, John Pike, Bobby Xu, Pike, Xu, Andrew Watterson, Robert Jordan Organizations: Elliott Management, Southwest Airlines, Airlines, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association

☆ Southwest Airlines activist Elliott threatens proxy fight for new leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activist investor Elliott Management said Monday it would mount a proxy fight to push for change at Southwest Airlines through a special shareholder vote unless management is willing to negotiate, citing a poison pill and board expansion that the investor views as "entrenchment maneuvers." Elliott in its letter to Southwest's board said it remained open to collaboration, but that the board had taken steps to box Elliott out. A proxy fight would be expensive and challenging for Elliott and Southwest Airlines. Activist investors can mount proxy fights if they are seeking to force change in a company's leadership or operations. Companies usually settle with Elliott, one of the most successful activist investors, rather than risk taking on the activist in a proxy battle.

Persons: Elliott Management, Elliott, Bob Jordan, Gary Kelly, underperformance, John Pike, Bobby Xu, expeditiously, Rakesh Gangwal, Pike, Xu Organizations: Southwest Airlines, Elliott, Southwest, Companies, Salesforce Locations: Southwest

☆ Southwest Airlines shareholders puzzled by Elliott's activism can look to past campaigns for insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Rather than sparking typical cheer on Wall Street, Elliott's campaign, spelled out in a 50-page presentation, led to confusion and concern among investors and customers. Several activism experts pointed to two of Elliott's past targets for insight into the hedge fund's strategy for Southwest: Suncor Energy in 2022 and Marathon Petroleum in 2019. Elliott partner John Pike, who is now leading the Southwest campaign, was involved in the firm's actions at both energy companies. Pike and portfolio manager Bobby Xu are leading Elliott's Southwest campaign. But in 2018, a few months after reaching an agreement with Elliott, Marathon announced it was only getting bigger.

Persons: David Paul Morris, Elliott, Bob Jordan, Gary Kelly, Elliott hasn't, Southwest's, John Pike, Haviv Ilan, Marc Benioff, Jordan, Pike, Bobby Xu, Vinson, Elkins, Mark Little, Elliott's Pike, Suncor's, Little, Rich Kruger, Candace Elliott, Marathon, Weeks, Gary Heminger, Mike Hennigan, Hennigan, hasn't, It's, isn't, Kelly, it's, Xu, — CNBC's Leslie Josephs Organizations: Southwest Airlines, Oakland International Airport, Bloomberg, Getty, Elliott Management, Southwest, Melius Research, Suncor Energy, Marathon Petroleum, Marathon, Etsy . Texas, of America, Suncor's Petro, Canada, Canadian, Petro - Canada, Petro, Exxon Mobil, Reuters, Speedway, Elliott, Company, Heminger, Artisan Partners, Suncor, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, CNBC Locations: Oakland , California, Dallas, Suncor, New York, West Palm Beach , Florida, Etsy, Canada, Sherwood Park , Alberta, Marathon, Southwest

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