JPMorgan Bolsters Activist Defense with Bank of America Hire

JPMorgan Chase is expanding its global shareholder engagement practice by hiring Amy Lissauer from Bank of America. Lissauer, who was the global head of Activism & Raid Defense at her previous employer, will join JPMorgan as the global head of Shareholder Engagement and M&A Capital Markets (SEAMAC).

Lissauer will be based in New York and report to Filippo Gori and John Simmons, co-heads of Global Banking. She will also lead the SEAMAC senior leadership team.

The move is part of JPMorgan's efforts to strengthen its activist defense services for corporate clients under attack from prominent hedge funds. Activist investors have stepped up their campaigns against global companies in the first half of 2026, with calls for businesses to sell themselves emerging as the most common demand, according to Barclays data.

Lissauer has extensive experience advising companies on activism defense, including Southwest Airlines and Norfolk Southern. Her hire is the latest in a string of bankers leaving Bank of America, which announced earlier this week that technology banker Ed Liu had resigned to join a competitor.