Presentation Reviews WisdomTreeโs Strategy and Performance, Experience and Expertise of its Highly Qualified Board Nominees, Extensive Track Record of Board Refreshment, and Counters Misleading Attacks by ETFS Capital
WisdomTree Urges Stockholders to Vote โFORโ ALL SIX of its Director Nominees on the WHITE Proxy Card TODAY
WisdomTree, Inc. (NYSE: WT) (โWisdomTreeโ or the โCompanyโ), a global financial innovator, today published a comprehensive presentation for stockholders in connection with WisdomTreeโs 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (โ2023 Annual Meetingโ), which is scheduled to be held on June 16, 2023. The presentation is available here on WisdomTreeโs investor relations website.
The presentation details the steps the WisdomTree Board and management team have taken to transform the Companyโs business and position it for innovation, growth and margin expansion opportunities โ and the clear evidence that WisdomTreeโs strategy is working:
- WisdomTree has created the largest pure-play ETF platform with a high-quality, diversified and differentiated product suite. WisdomTreeโs stock has been a top performer over the past three years and the best performing stock year-to-date relative to all other publicly listed U.S. traditional asset managers.
- The business has never been stronger, with record AUM of over $90 billion, a 25% annualized organic growth rate through April 2023 and ten consecutive quarters of net inflows globally.
- By actively investing in digital assets, tokenization and blockchain-enabled finance, WisdomTree is well-positioned for the future and to gain market share and take advantage of this industry shift as an early mover. The Companyโs tokenization strategy is positioned to deliver favorable financial results.
- WisdomTreeโs long-term strategy will continue to provide scale, stability and margin expansion. WisdomTree established an Operations and Strategy Committee of the Board in 2022 to conduct an extensive review of the Companyโs strategy and operations, which led to the Board unanimously concluding that it supports the Companyโs strategy, management and plan for stockholder value creation.
The presentation also reviews in depth the qualifications of the Companyโs experienced and diverse Board and the Boardโs ongoing refreshment process, including the additions of new directors and nominees who add vital skills to the Board:
- The Company has appointed five new independent directors since 2021, all of whom are diverse and who now constitute a majority of the Board.
- Newly appointed director Daniela Mielke and new director nominee Shamla Naidoo provide the digital and technology expertise that our Board needs.
- WisdomTree has enhanced its corporate governance and compensation practices to further align with its peers and increase accountability to stockholders.
- The Board is overseeing the Companyโs continued growth and transformation, and ALL SIX of WisdomTreeโs Board nominees are critical to the Companyโs continued success.
Finally, the presentation sets the record straight regarding ETFS Capitalโs unnecessary campaign, its unqualified nominees, and its numerous unjustified and misleading claims about WisdomTree:
- WisdomTree risks losing integral experience if ETFS Capitalโs nominees are elected to the Board: Bruce Aust has no public company C-suite experience and no asset management experience, Tonia Pankopf has a track record of value destruction and is an โactivist nominee for hire,โ and Graham Tuckwell, chairman of ETFS Capital, has disqualifying conflicts of interest and a troubling history of violating fiduciary duties and putting his personal interests ahead of stockholders.
- ETFS Capital does not offer WisdomTree stockholders a โstrategyโ but rather a one-time rudimentary so-called โplanโ to destroy long-term value creation for WisdomTree stockholders.
WisdomTree urges stockholders to reject ETFS Capitalโs risky agenda and vote the WHITE proxy card or voting instruction form TODAY โFORโ ALL SIX of WisdomTreeโs director nominees.
Additional Information
WisdomTree has filed its stockholder presentation on Schedule 14A with the Securities and Exchange Commission (โSECโ) in connection with WisdomTreeโs 2023 Annual Meeting. The Company is sending its presentation to all stockholders entitled to vote as of the record date, April 27, 2023, along with the Companyโs WHITE proxy card or voting instruction form.
Investors and stockholders can find out more about the proxy vote at the 2023 Annual Meeting by visiting the WisdomTree investor relations website and navigating to the page entitled โ2023 Annual Meetingโ: https://ir.wisdomtree.com/2023-annual-meeting-proxy-vote.
Should any stockholders have questions about how to vote your shares, or need additional assistance, please contact the firm assisting WisdomTree, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, at (877) 750-5836 (toll-free) or (212) 750-5833 (banks and brokers call collect).
Advisors
BofA Securities is serving as financial advisor, and Goodwin Procter LLP is serving as legal counsel to WisdomTree. Innisfree M&A is serving as proxy solicitor and H/Advisors Abernathy is serving as strategic communications advisor.
About WisdomTree
WisdomTree is a global financial innovator, offering a well-diversified suite of exchange-traded products (ETPs), models and solutions. We empower investors to shape their future and support financial professionals to better serve their clients and grow their businesses. WisdomTree is leveraging the latest financial infrastructure to create products that provide access, transparency and an enhanced user experience. Building on our heritage of innovation, we are also developing next-generation digital products and structures, including digital funds and tokenized assets, as well as our blockchain-native digital wallet, WisdomTree Primeโข.
WisdomTree currently has approximately $90.6 billion in assets under management globally.
WisdomTreeยฎ is the marketing name for WisdomTree, Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this letter that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are identified by use of the words โanticipates,โ โbelieves,โ โestimates,โ โexpects,โ โintends,โ โplans,โ โpredicts,โ โprojects,โ โshould,โ โviews,โ and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated, including, but not limited to, the impact and contributions of the slate of director nominees WisdomTree has nominated, the effectiveness of WisdomTreeโs board refreshment process in identifying candidates with the set of skills to oversee WisdomTreeโs strategy, the ability of the candidates proposed by Mr. Tuckwell to enhance WisdomTreeโs board or enhance its strategy, and WisdomTreeโs ability to achieve its financial and business plans, goals and objectives and drive stockholder value, including with respect to its ability to successfully implement its strategy relating to WisdomTree Primeโข, and other risk factors discussed from time to time in WisdomTreeโs filings with the SEC, including those factors discussed under the caption โRisk Factorsโ in its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023, and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. WisdomTree assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law, to reflect events or circumstances occurring after todayโs date.
Important Additional Information and Where to Find It
WisdomTree filed a proxy statement on Schedule 14A, an accompanying WHITE proxy card and other relevant documents with the SEC in connection with such solicitation of proxies from WisdomTree stockholders for WisdomTreeโs 2023 Annual Meeting. WISDOMTREE STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ WISDOMTREEโS DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO), ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD, AND ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders may obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement, an accompanying WHITE proxy card, any amendments or supplements to the definitive proxy statement and other documents that WisdomTree files with the SEC at no charge at the SECโs website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge on WisdomTreeโs Investor Relations website at https://ir.wisdomtree.com/sec-filings or by contacting Jeremy Campbell, Head of Investor Relations, at jeremy.campbell@wisdomtree.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
Disclaimer
WisdomTree has neither sought nor obtained the consent from any third party to use any statements or information contained in this press release that have been obtained or derived from statements made or published by such third parties. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as indicating the support of such third parties for the views expressed herein.
Category: Business Update
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230522005524/en/
Contacts
Investor Relations
WisdomTree, Inc.
Jeremy Campbell
+1.646.522.2602
Jeremy.campbell@wisdomtree.com
or
Innisfree M&A Incorporated
Jonathan Salzberger / Scott Winter
+1.212.750.5833
jsalzberger@innisfreema.com / swinter@innisfreema.com
Media Relations
WisdomTree, Inc.
Jessica Zaloom
+1.917.267.3735
jzaloom@wisdomtree.com / wisdomtree@fullyvested.com
or
H/Advisors Abernathy
Jeremy Jacobs / Dana Gorman
+1.202.774.5600 / +1.212.371.5999
jeremy.jacobs@h-advisors.global / dana.gorman@h-advisors.global
