Six-Member Slate Possesses Necessary Software,
Legal Technology, Operations and Capital Allocation Experience to
Oversee a Value-Enhancing Turnaround
Believes Significant Boardroom Change is
Warranted Following Years of Disappointing Shareholder Returns,
Value-Destructive M&A, High Employee Turnover, Inappropriate
Executive Compensation and Anti-Shareholder Actions
Upcoming Annual Meeting Provides Opportunity
for Shareholders to Elect Leaders Who Will Hold Management
Accountable, Close Dye & Durham’s Valuation Gap and Restore
Trust with Company Stakeholders
Engine Capital LP (together with its affiliates, "Engine" or
"we"), which owns approximately 7.1% of the issued and outstanding
common shares of Dye & Durham Limited (TSX: DND) ("Dye &
Durham" or the "Company"), today announced that it has nominated
six highly qualified candidates for election to the Company’s Board
of Directors (the “Board”) at the 2024 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and issued the following
statement:
“We have assembled a world-class slate of directors to fix Dye
& Durham and close its large valuation gap. There is no reason
why the stock should be trading at such a discount to peers, which
trade at nearly 20x EBITDA, other than the Board’s inadequate
oversight and management’s poor execution. Our decision to nominate
six directors is a necessary step in order to implement
long-overdue strategic and governance improvements at the Company.
At the upcoming Annual Meeting, shareholders will have a choice
between the existing directors, who have overseen poor returns and
failed to hold management accountable, or new, highly qualified
directors who will bring relevant expertise, an owner's mindset and
real accountability.
Engine’s director candidates were selected through an extensive
global search for independent individuals with the optimal mix of
experience and skillsets to address Dye & Durham’s current
challenges and deliver on the Company's immense potential. Our
slate possesses complementary expertise in software, legal
technology, operations and capital allocation, and has hands-on
experience leading transformational change in these areas.
In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing a presentation
that details our directors’ transition plan and go-forward
strategy. If elected, our slate will recruit a world-class
management team, focus on true organic growth, generate free cash
flow, reduce leverage to 3x and restore trust with the Company’s
customers, employees and shareholders. We are confident our
directors will be able to narrow Dye & Durham’s valuation gap,
enhance its competitive positioning and deliver significant value
for shareholders.”
Engine’s director candidates are:
- Arnaud Ajdler, Founder of Engine and a representative of
the nominating shareholder
- Hans T. Gieskes, a 21-year RELX executive and the former
Chief Executive Officer of the LexisNexis Group and Cision AB
(formerly STO: CISI)
- Tracey E. Keates, the former Chief Financial Officer of
Jonas Software, an operating group of Constellation Software (TSX:
CSU)
- Ritu Khanna, the Vice President, Global Partnerships at
Shopify (TSX: SHOP; NYSE: SHOP)
- Anthony P. Kinnear, the former President, Legal
Professionals at Thomson Reuters (TSX: TRI; NYSE: TRI)
- Sid Singh, the Chief Executive Officer of Rectangle
Health and a former executive at Equifax (NYSE: EFX) and Global
Payments (NYSE: GPN)
ENGINE’S DIRECTOR CANDIDATE SUMMARIZED
BIOGRAPHIES
Arnaud Ajdler
Representative of the nominating shareholder and a seasoned
public company director and investor
- Founder and Managing Partner of Engine, a ~7% shareholder of
Dye & Durham.
- Former Senior Managing Director and Partner at Crescendo
Partners.
- Served on the boards of numerous public companies, including
Stewart Information Services (NYSE: STC) (member of the
Compensation Committee); Imvescor Restaurant Group (formerly TSX:
IRG) (member of the Audit Committee); and Hill International
(formerly NYSE: HIL) (Chair of the Compensation Committee).
Hans T. Gieskes
Veteran information services executive, chairman and director,
as well as a mergers and acquisitions advisor, with 35 years of
experience leading public and private companies
- Former President and Chief Executive Officer of the LexisNexis
Group, a leading global provider of legal research, information
services and risk-management solutions, and 21-year RELX
executive.
- Former Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Cision AB
(formerly STO: CISI), where he oversaw nine divestments and made
significant improvements to the company’s debt levels, EBITDA and
market capitalization.
- Former Chairman of OneOcean Group Limited, a maritime software
company.
Tracey E. Keates, CPA
Senior advisor with significant experience in the software
industry, including as a finance executive at Jonas Software
- Former Chief Financial Officer of Jonas Software, an operating
group of Constellation Software (TSX: CSU).
- Consultant to management teams regarding strategy, finance,
growth management, and organizational and culture issues.
Ritu Khanna
Senior go-to-market, revenue and product executive with
experience leading technology businesses through significant
revenue and market share changes
- Vice President, Global Partnerships at Shopify (TSX: SHOP;
NYSE: SHOP), an e-commerce company where she previously held other
senior leadership roles.
- Former Head, Payment Products and Engineering at PayPal
Canada.
Anthony P. Kinnear
Expert in legal technology with experience growing and operating
global legal software companies, which would be complementary to
Dye & Durham’s operations
- Chief Executive Officer of Legal Ready, a legal software
company.
- Former Chief Executive Officer of Azentio Software, a banking
and insurance software company.
- Former President, Legal Professionals at Thomson Reuters (TSX:
TRI; NYSE: TRI), a multi-national information conglomerate where he
held several other leadership roles.
- Advisor to AirTree Ventures, a venture capital firm.
Sid Singh
Accomplished SaaS, data and analytics and technology executive
with over two decades of experience in the financial technology
industry
- Chief Executive Officer of Rectangle Health, a health software
company.
- Former President, US Information Solutions at Equifax (NYSE:
EFX), a credit bureau, where he helped execute $1.2 billion in
strategic acquisitions and an extensive cloud technology
migration.
- Former Group President, Integrated Solutions and Vertical
Markets at Global Payments (NYSE: GPN), a payment processing and
software company.
- Served on the Board of Directors of Paya (formerly Nasdaq:
PAYA) (member of the Audit Committee); VantageScore, a joint
venture between Equifax, Experian and Transunion; and the Consumer
Data Industry Association.
Information in Support of Public
Broadcast Exemption under Canadian Law
The information contained in this press release does not and is
not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the
meaning of applicable corporate and securities laws. Shareholders
of the Company are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy
in favour of Engine’s director nominees or in respect of any other
matter to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting. In connection with
the Annual Meeting, Engine intends to file a dissident information
circular in due course in compliance with applicable corporate and
securities laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Engine has
voluntarily provided in, or incorporated by reference into, this
press release the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of NI
51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and has
filed a document (the “Document”) containing disclosure prescribed
by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section
9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of Engine’s director nominees, in
accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public
broadcast solicitations. The Document is hereby incorporated by
reference into this press release and is available under the
Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The registered
office of the Company is 25 York Street, Suite 1100 Toronto,
Ontario M5J 2V5.
None of Engine, any other “dissidents” within the meaning of the
Ont. Reg. 62 of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) and any
partner, officer, director and control person of such “dissidents”
(collectively, the “Engine Group”) is requesting that Company
shareholders submit a proxy at this time. Once formal solicitation
of proxies in connection with the Annual Meeting has commenced,
proxies may be revoked in accordance with subsection 110(4) of the
Business Corporations Act (Ontario) by a registered holder of
Company shares: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing
a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions
contained in the accompanying form of proxy; (b) by depositing an
instrument in writing that is signed by the shareholder or an
attorney who is authorized by a document that is signed in writing
or by electronic signature; (c) by transmitting by telephonic or
electronic means a revocation that is signed by electronic
signature in accordance with applicable law, as the case may be:
(i) at the registered office of the Company at any time up to and
including the last business day preceding the day the Annual
Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting is
to be held, or (ii) with the chair of the Annual Meeting on the day
of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the
Annual Meeting; or (d) in any other manner permitted by law. In
addition, proxies may be revoked by a non-registered holder of
Company shares at any time by written notice to the intermediary in
accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder
by its intermediary.
The costs incurred in the preparation and mailing of any
circular or proxy solicitation by Engine and any other participants
named herein will be borne directly and indirectly by the Engine
Group. However, to the extent permitted under applicable law, the
Engine Group intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all
expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies
for the election of the Nominees at the Annual Meeting.
This press release and any solicitation made by Engine is, or
will be, as applicable, made by such parties, and not by or on
behalf of the management of the Company. Proxies may be solicited
by proxy circular, mail, telephone, email or other electronic
means, as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in
person by managers, directors, officers and employees of Engine who
will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, Engine
may solicit proxies by way of public broadcast, including press
release, speech or publication and any other manner permitted under
applicable Canadian laws, and may engage the services of one or
more agents and authorize other persons to assist it in soliciting
proxies on their behalf.
Engine Capital LP has entered into an agreement with Morrow
Sodali (Canada) Ltd. (“Sodali”) for solicitation and advisory
services in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the
Annual Meeting, for which Sodali will receive a fee not to exceed
US$175,000, together with reimbursement for reasonable and
out-of-pocket expenses, and will be indemnified against certain
liabilities and expenses, including certain liabilities under
securities laws.
No member of the Engine Group nor any of their associates or
affiliates has or has had any material interest, direct or
indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s
last completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that
has materially affected or will or would materially affect the
Company or any of the Company’s affiliates. No member of the Engine
Group nor any of their associates or affiliates has any material
interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of
securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the
Annual Meeting, other than the election of directors.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking
Information
Statements contained herein that are not historical facts
constitute “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking
information” (together, “forward-looking statements”) within the
meaning of applicable securities laws that reflect Engine’s current
expectations, assumptions, and estimates of future events,
performance and economic conditions. Such forward-looking
statements rely on the safe harbor provisions of applicable
securities laws. Because such statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and there
can be no assurance that the Company’s securities will trade at the
prices that may be implied herein, and there can be no assurance
that any opinion or assumption herein is, or will be proven,
correct. Words and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“create,” “drive,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “growth,”
“intend,” “hope,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “confident,” “restore,”
“reduce,” “potential,” “proposal,” “unlock,” “upside,” “will,”
“would,” and similar words and phrases are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may
include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: the
anticipated financial and operating performance of Dye &
Durham; anticipated changes to Dye & Durham’s debt levels and
financial ratios; the outcome of the Annual Meeting; the release of
a transition plan and go-forward strategy; anticipated EBITDA; and
achieving organic growth, free cash flow generation and leverage
reduction. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance or actual results, and readers should not place
undue reliance on any forward-looking statement as actual results
may differ materially and adversely from forward-looking
statements. All forward-looking statements contained herein are
made only as of the date hereof, and Engine disclaims any intention
or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently
occur, or of which Engine hereafter becomes aware, except as
required by applicable law.
About Engine Capital
Engine Capital LP is a value-oriented special situations fund
that invests both actively and passively in companies undergoing
change.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241104912451/en/
For Investors: Engine Capital LP 212-321-0048
info@enginecap.com For Media: Longacre Square Partners
Charlotte Kiaie / Bela Kirpalani, 646-386-0091
engine-DND@longacresquare.com
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