Dawn Dover

Dawn advises C-suite executives and boards on high-stakes business issues and ongoing communications activities. She has extensive experience in the areas of strategic counsel and financial communications, Alternative Investments, and the retail industry.

Dawn helps executive teams and boards of directors position their organizations to realize opportunities and overcome challenges from economic, market, environmental and societal changes and transformative events. She also supports clients in their ongoing corporate positioning and investor relations activities, including complex financial disclosures and corporate events, including earnings surprises, management transitions, litigation matters, and changes to proxy disclosures, among others.

Her client portfolio includes leading multinational organizations in the financial services, retail and consumer products industries, as well as high profile alternative investments firms. Many of her client relationships extend 15 years or more.

Prior to joining Kekst CNC, Dawn was Vice President of Investor Access, a New York-based investor relations firm. She was previously a Marketing Communications Executive in Marsh & McLennan Companies’ insurance broking and risk management division.

She holds a BA in English Literature, magna cum laude, from Drew University, and an MBA in Finance, with Distinction, from New York University’s Stern School of Business, with an emphasis in Business Communications. Dawn is a trustee, member of the executive committee and co-chair of the communications and development committee of Vera Institute of Justice and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Action Center.

Experience

Transactions

Leads the firm’s representation of CVS Health, including in its proposed blockbuster acquisition of Aetna, the largest announced transaction of 2017 and the largest-ever in the health-care industry; Annie’s Homegrown and its sponsor in its successful IPO, and its subsequent $820 million acquisition by General Mills; a leading prestige luxury beauty company in its brand acquisition program.

Litigation Support

• Provided wide-ranging support to LifeLock as it addressed and ultimately settled FTC charges for alleged failure to secure consumer data and violation of court orders against deceptive advertising.
• Advised in the management of resulting business, legal and financial impacts and follow-on regulatory reviews.
• Assisted in announcement of new CEO and strategy and ultimate acquisition of company by Symantec.
• Advised major financial services companies and institutions facing congressional hearings; regulatory reviews, and Justice Department and state attorney general investigations;
• Issues have included regulatory reviews and investigations, litigation on issues related to interest rate manipulation, Wall Street research, allegations of fraudulent transactions, Know Your Customer, among others.
• Supported clients facing high-profile litigation, including matters brought before the Supreme Court.
• Advises clients in wide range of industries to address high-profile matters including allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination, cybersecurity, product liability and health issues, among others.

Shareholder Activism and Corporate Governance

• Supported companies that have faced overtures by activist shareholders, including Pulte Group, Abercrombie & Fitch, LifeLock and numerous others that did not become public.
• Assists companies with activism preparedness.
• Helps clients on proxy-related matters and changes in corporate governance landscape.

Other

• Supported a global, Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods company as it addressed concerns related to ingredient safety for a material with an extensive safety dossier. 
• Provided communications support to large independent oil company in preparing for and announcing the closing of a major facility that was leading source of community employment and tax revenues. Assisted in creation of plans to ease the impact of closure on employees and community.
• Led Kekst team in addressing concerns of outbreak of Hepatitis A at a major restaurant chain.