Lyndsey Estin

Lyndsey has over fifteen years of experience advising companies on high stakes business and communication challenges.

Lyndsey works closely with the highest levels of leadership, Boards, communication and IR teams, as well as external advisors, on matters where reputational vulnerabilities may impact media, customer, investor, employee, and public perception. Lyndsey assists clients with a range of complex issues including: cybersecurity, crisis and issues management; M&A, IPOs, shareholder activism; and litigation.

Lyndsey co-leads Kekst CNC's global Cybersecurity practice, working closely with clients to identify, evaluate and manage reputational risks associated with privacy and data security. A widely recognized expert, Lyndsey brings a nuanced understanding of this complex and constantly evolving landscape. Her work includes proactive cyber incident readiness and planning; real time support and strategy following disclosure of an incident; and recovery and reputational rebuilding. She has experience managing communications in connection with a wide range of attacks, including those involving state-sponsored actors and highly sensitive information, including PII, PHI and IP.

In addition to her work on special situations, Lyndsey provides ongoing support to clients, offering strategic counsel around important company milestones, financial announcements, and media relations.

Prior to Kekst CNC, Lyndsey worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, assisting on complex litigation matters involving government regulatory investigations. She has been a guest lecturer at Brown University and NYU’s Stern School of Business, and is involved with the Center for Discovery, a non-profit organization servicing children and adults with severe disabilities, medical frailties and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Lyndsey holds a BA in English, cum laude and with distinction in all subjects, from Cornell University.

Experience

Cybersecurity

• Advises on data breach preparation and response for high-profile companies across industries, including technology, healthcare, travel, security, retail, and financial services.
• Supported a global web-based company addressing a cyberattack that resulted in access of credit card information and other PII. The incident impacted both B2B and B2C areas of the business, with affected individuals in more than 200 countries across the globe.
• Provided extensive support to a leading technology company addressing a sophisticated malware attack prompting a prolonged shutdown of critical systems, including customer networks and email and phone service. Affected businesses involved PHI and government contracts, requiring sensitive disclosures consistent with regulations and contractual obligations.
• Provided extensive support and counsel to a leading global network security company (and its corporate parent) after it was targeted in sophisticated cyber-attack (an Advanced Persistent Threat) and critical information was extracted about its technology and customers.
• Advises numerous clients across industries on proactive cybersecurity readiness, including customized incident planning and response materials, media training, and tabletop exercises and interactive simulations for C-suite executives, boards of directors, and key members of incident response teams.

Transactions

• Provided strategic counsel to companies on spinoffs and IPOs, including Tilray, the first cannabis producer and distributor to debut on a U.S. stock exchange, ING during the spin-off of its U.S. business, YUM! Brands on the spin-off of its China business, Beam in its separation from Fortune Brands, and the IPO of WCI Communities.
• Represented E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company around its merger of equals with The Dow Chemical Company, as well as the process towards the intended three way spinoff of the combined company’s Agriculture, Materials Science, and Specialty Products divisions.
• Represented Baxalta in its $32 billion merger with Shire and subsequent integration process.
• Counseled Coca-Cola Enterprises in a $27 billion three-way merger of European Coca-Cola system bottlers.
• Represented clients in the sports & entertainment industry around high-profile sales processes, including advising the Los Angeles Dodgers in its bankruptcy and subsequent $2.5 billion sale to Guggenheim Baseball Management, representing the highest price to date for a professional sports team in the U.S.
• Represented American Airlines and United Airlines in industry consolidation mergers.

Shareholder Activism and Corporate Governance

• Represented companies facing high-profile shareholder activists, including the defense campaign of DuPont in one of the largest proxy contests to date, as well as shareholder campaigns and contests involving companies in the healthcare, automotive and banking industries.

Crisis and Issues Management

• Works with clients across industries to manage a variety of special situations, including: data breaches, high profile litigation, product recalls, consumer boycotts, safety matters, operational shutdowns, union issues, workplace misconduct, employee reductions and layoffs, NGO challenges, and social media-related incidents, among others.
• Advises clients across industries on crisis readiness planning, including vulnerabilities assessments, preparation and response planning, and tabletop and simulation exercises.