Steven Balet
Steven Balet

Steven Balet, who was managing director at FTI Consulting Group’s strategic communications unit, is now New York managing director of Strategic Governance Advisors, which is affiliated with Sard Verbinnen & Co.

Prior to FTI, Balet headed his own firm and worked at Okapi Partners and MacKenzie Partners on proxy contests, mergers & acquisitions and various corporate governance matters.

Launched in 2017, SGA counsels boards and management on activism, messaging, takeover battles, compensation, shareholder engagement and messaging.

It handled ADP’s successful proxy contest defense against Pershing Square and EQT’s contested merger with Rice Energy.

Chris Cernich is SGA’s founding partner. Earlier, he did a six-year stint as managing director at Institutional Shareholders Services, where he analyzed and made recommendations on M&As, economic proposals and takeover fights involving DuPont, Canadian Pacific, Hess, Biogen Idec, Wynn Entertainment and MGM.