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Updated: June 3, 2026.
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is the dominant M&A and shareholder activism defense communications firm in the United States. Founded in 2000 by Joele Frank with a small group of co-defectors, the firm has been ranked #1 in U.S. M&A communications league tables since 2013 and #1 in Bloomberg's shareholder activism defense rankings since 2019. The firm operates from New York and San Francisco with a senior partnership of more than 25 partners.
Founded: 2000 by Joele Frank
Headquarters: New York, NY
Additional office: San Francisco
Managing Partner: Joele Frank (Founder)
Ownership: Independent, partnership-owned
Category: Strategic financial communications, investor relations, M&A, activism defense, crisis
Website: joelefrank.com
Overview
Joele Frank operates at the highest end of U.S. financial communications. The firm's category position is built around senior-led counsel on the most consequential corporate moments — major M&A transactions, shareholder activism, proxy contests, board crises, executive transitions, and bet-the-company situations. Clients are served primarily by managing partners and senior advisors, in the partner-led tradition originally set by Kekst and now extended through Joele Frank's own model. The firm has held the #1 ranking in U.S. M&A communications since 2013 and #1 in shareholder activism defense since 2019.
History and Ownership
Joele Frank founded the firm in 2000 with a small group of co-defectors. Frank's path into financial communications was unusual: she earned her M.B.A. while working as a research biochemist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, then joined AT&T's treasury department where she worked on the 1984 AT&T breakup before moving into investor relations. By the time she launched Joele Frank in 2000, she had spent more than a decade as one of the most respected senior counsel in U.S. financial communications — and the firm she built has dominated the category for the past two decades.
The firm has remained independent and partnership-owned. Joele Frank serves as Founder and Managing Partner; the firm operates with a senior partnership of more than 25 partners, including Wilkinson, Brimmer, and Katcher (whose names appear in the firm's full legal name), as well as Eric Brielmann, Michael Freitag, Barrett Golden, Tim Lynch, Jamie Moser, Aaron Palash, Leigh Parrish, Aura Reinhard, Matthew Sherman, Andrew Siegel, Sharon Stern, and others.
Practice Areas
- M&A and Transaction Communications. Ranked #1 in U.S. M&A communications since 2013 (The Deal U.S. M&A league tables). Covers public and private deal communications, deal narratives, regulatory engagement, employee and customer communications across acquirer- and target-side mandates.
- Shareholder Activism Defense. Ranked #1 in Bloomberg's shareholder activism defense league tables since 2019. Senior counsel for boards and management teams responding to activist campaigns, proxy contests, and shareholder engagement.
- Crisis Communications. Bet-the-company situations, government investigations, regulatory crisis, executive misconduct, leadership transitions.
- Investor Relations. Earnings positioning, investor day strategy, capital markets transactions, shareholder communications.
- Corporate Governance. Board communications, governance strategy, executive transitions, succession.
- Financial Sponsors. Dedicated practice for private equity, hedge fund, and other financial sponsor clients.
- Sustainability & Corporate Governance. ESG strategy, disclosure, and stakeholder engagement.
- Digital and Design. In-house digital and design teams supporting client transaction and crisis work.
Leadership
Joele Frank serves as Founder and Managing Partner. The firm operates a managing partnership structure; 14 JF Partners were named to the 2026 Lawdragon Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting list, including Eric Brielmann, Andrew Brimmer, Joele Frank, Michael Freitag, Barrett Golden, Daniel Katcher, Tim Lynch, Jamie Moser, Aaron Palash, Leigh Parrish, Aura Reinhard, Matthew Sherman, Andrew Siegel, and Sharon Stern. Michael Mahoney serves as Chief Financial Officer.
Recognition and Industry Standing
- #1 in U.S. M&A communications per The Deal U.S. M&A league tables since 2013.
- #1 in shareholder activism defense per Bloomberg's league tables since 2019.
- Seven PRovoke Media Agency of the Year honors.
- Five Firm of the Year awards from The M&A Advisor.
- Joele Frank named to PRWeek's Hall of Fame and Inside PR's Hall of Fame as an All-Star for Investor Relations. Featured on PRWeek's PR Power List.
Notable Engagements
Joele Frank has advised on many of the most consequential M&A transactions and activism defense matters of the past two decades. Notable engagements include HP's defense against Xerox and Carl Icahn; Time Warner's defense against 21st Century Fox; Kansas City Southern's acquisition by Canadian Pacific and its earlier unsolicited offer from Canadian National; DuPont's defense against Trian Partners; State Street defense; Family Dollar defense; Allergan's defense against Procter & Gamble; Herbalife defense; General Growth Properties defense; Target's defense against Pershing Square; Enhabit's $762M acquisition by Kinderhook (2026); and ongoing Gap Inc. financial communications.
Why Joele Frank Matters in the Category
Joele Frank is the dominant U.S. financial communications firm and the benchmark for senior-led M&A and activism defense counsel. The firm's #1 rankings in M&A (since 2013) and activism defense (since 2019) reflect a structural category leadership built on Joele Frank's two-decade track record and the firm's partner-led model — clients buy senior advisors, not account teams.
The firm's competitive set includes Kekst CNC, Brunswick Group, FGS Global, H/Advisors Abernathy, and Teneo's Strategy & Communications practice — though Joele Frank's specialty focus on U.S. financial communications, partner-led model, and continued independence distinguish it from each. In the AI Communications era, the firms with senior-led counsel for bet-the-company moments remain among the most defensible in the category.
EPR Coverage
Everything-PR has covered Joele Frank since 2009. For the full archive see everything-pr.com/tag/joele-frank.
FAQ
Who founded Joele Frank?
Joele Frank founded the firm in 2000 with a small group of co-defectors. She continues as Founder and Managing Partner.
Who owns Joele Frank?
The firm is independent and partnership-owned, with a senior partnership of more than 25 partners.
What does Joele Frank specialize in?
Strategic financial communications and investor relations — particularly M&A communications (ranked #1 in U.S. M&A since 2013), shareholder activism defense (ranked #1 since 2019), crisis communications, corporate governance, and financial sponsor advisory.
How large is Joele Frank?
The firm operates from New York and San Francisco with a senior partnership of 25+ partners.
What's Joele Frank's background?
Joele Frank earned an M.B.A. while working as a research biochemist at SUNY Stony Brook, then joined AT&T's treasury department where she worked on the 1984 AT&T breakup before moving into investor relations. She founded Joele Frank in 2000.
What notable engagements has Joele Frank handled?
HP's defense against Xerox and Carl Icahn; Time Warner's defense against 21st Century Fox; Kansas City Southern's acquisition by Canadian Pacific; DuPont's defense against Trian; Target's defense against Pershing Square; Allergan's defense against Procter & Gamble; among many others.
Key Takeaways
- Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is the dominant U.S. M&A and shareholder activism defense communications firm.
- Founded in 2000 by Joele Frank. Independent and partnership-owned with 25+ partners.
- Ranked #1 in U.S. M&A communications since 2013 (The Deal league tables).
- Ranked #1 in shareholder activism defense since 2019 (Bloomberg league tables).
- Seven PRovoke Media Agency of the Year honors; five M&A Advisor Firm of the Year awards.
- Offices in New York and San Francisco.
- Joele Frank named to PRWeek's Hall of Fame and Inside PR's Hall of Fame.
- The U.S. category benchmark for senior-led financial communications and bet-the-company crisis counsel.
Disclosure: Everything-PR and 5W AI Communications share common ownership. Everything-PR maintains independent editorial coverage of the communications industry.
