Nathan Riggs

Nathan has nearly 15 years of experience advising public and private organizations across industries on strategic and financial communications matters, helping to distil highly complex information into simple, powerful narratives to drive value or mitigate crises. In addition to supporting clients with ongoing strategic communications and investor relations efforts, he has significant experience in M&A, shareholder activism, and crisis communications.

He plays a central role in Kekst’s work assisting publicly traded companies on developing investor and financial communication messaging and preparing executives for public and private engagement with investors and the media. He has advised on more than 100 transactions, as well as numerous public and private activist situations, helping companies prepare for potential activism and defend against shareholder activists.

Prior to being named Partner, he served for two years as Chief of Staff to the Co-CEO in New York, working with him on some of the firm’s highest profile mandates, as well supporting the combination of Kekst and CNC in 2018.

Nathan received a bachelor’s degree in English and Politics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He was named one of the 12 “Rising Stars” in PR by the New York Observer in 2016.

Experience

Transactions

Nathan has advised on over 100 transactions, including:

• Cigna in the $3.3 billion sale of its Medicare business; Abiomed in its $17 billion sale to Johnson & Johnson; Horizon in its $28 billion sale to Amgen; GXO in its acquisitions of Clipper Logistics, PFS and Wincanton; Avantor in multiple acquisitions in excess of $10 billion; Grant Thornton in its partnership with New Mountain Capital; XPO in multiple divestitures, as well as its spin-off of GXO and RXO; Celgene in its $74 billion sale to Bristol-Myers Squibb; Wabtec in its $11 billion merger with GE Transportation; Cardinal Health on its $6.1 billion acquisition of Medtronic’s patient recovery business; Baxalta, first in defense against a hostile takeover proposal and ultimately in its $32 billion merger with Shire EMC Corp on its $67 billion sale to Michael Dell, MSD Partners and Silver Lake; Freescale in its $40 billion merger with NXP.

Investor Relations and Corporate Governance

• Nathan supports a number of clients on complex investor relations and financial disclosure matters, including quarterly earnings, investor days, pre-announcements.
• Short seller defense, including working with Adani Group on its successful defense against Hindenburg Research.
• He has advised on numerous public and private activist situations, helping companies prepare for potential activism and defend against shareholder activists, including Elliot, Hill Path, Pershing Square, Third Point, ValueAct.

Litigation Support and Crisis Management    

• Counseled a range of companies across industries on strategic communications, and supported execution of communications activities, around complex regulatory matters involving the DOJ, FTC, SEC, DEA, FDA, and FINRA.
• Worked with boards and leadership teams of a number of major, publicly-traded companies to announce CEO and other senior-level management transitions.
• Extensive work with parties throughout the healthcare supply chain on issues relating to the opioid crisis.
• Advised members of senior management in advance of congressional hearings.
• Assisted clients across industries in the development of crisis communications plans and related training programs.