Additional Proxy Soliciting Materials - Non-management (definitive) (dfan14a)
June 08 2022 - 4:36PM
Edgar (US Regulatory)
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Zendesk, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
JANA Partners LLC
JANA Special Situations Management, LP
Barry Rosenstein
Quincy Allen
Felicia Alvaro
Jeff Fox
Scott Ostfeld
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other than the Registrant)
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JANA PARTNERS TO SUE ZENDESK TO SET ANNUAL
MEETING DATE;
COMMENTS ON CNBC REPORT THAT COMPANY HAS BUNGLED
SALE PROCESS
Zendesk’s Stock Price Hits 52-Week
Low Underscoring Shareholders Have Lost Confidence
in Board and Management
Urges All Zendesk Shareholders to Hold the
Board Accountable by Voting for JANA’s Four Highly Qualified, Independent Director Nominees
NEW YORK – June 8, 2022 –
JANA Partners LLC (“JANA”) today announced that it intends to sue Zendesk Inc. (NYSE: ZEN) (“Zendesk” or the “Company”)
for the Company’s failure to set a date for its 2022 annual meeting under Delaware General Corporation Law Section 211, which grants
shareholders a right of action if a company fails to hold an annual meeting within 13 months of the prior year’s meeting. JANA also
commented on today’s CNBC report that a sale process conducted by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”)
is unlikely to result in a transaction.
Barry Rosenstein, Managing Partner of JANA, said,
“Zendesk’s Board has inflicted significant damage on its shareholders and its incumbent directors must stop hiding from accountability.
To protect against further value destruction, shareholders must be given the opportunity to vote on directors who will act in their best
interests and restore desperately needed value and credibility.
“It is inexcusable that the Board has yet
to set a date for its 2022 annual meeting. Given Zendesk’s 2021 annual meeting was held on May 18, 2021, we intend to take legal
action to compel the Company to hold its 2022 annual meeting as promptly as possible if a meeting date is not set before the June 18 deadline.
The Board must stop holding Zendesk hostage from its owners.”
In response to today’s CNBC report, Mr. Rosenstein added, “If
CNBC’s reporting is accurate, Zendesk shareholders should be furious. This report of a bungled sale process—following the
Board’s rejection of real interest in the Company in February to instead pursue the ill-conceived acquisition of Momentive, which
was subsequently shunned by more than 90% of Zendesk’s shareholders—would be the latest catastrophic example of the Board’s
inability to properly oversee management and the Company. Zendesk’s stock price today hit a new 52-week low, illustrating that shareholders
have lost confidence in the Company and further underscoring how desperately change is needed.”
On February 16, 2022, JANA Partners put forward
four highly qualified, independent directors who are committed to improving governance and accountability at Zendesk while working to
rehabilitate the Company’s damaged relationship with investors. Absent the significant boardroom change JANA has proposed to restore
Zendesk’s credibility, JANA believes the Company must be sold.
For more information, please visit https://www.janapartners.com/zendesk.
About JANA Partners LLC
JANA Partners LLC was founded in 2001 by Barry Rosenstein.
JANA typically applies a fundamental value discipline to identify undervalued public companies and utilizes shareholder engagement to
unlock that value.
Important Information
JANA Partners LLC, JANA Special Situations Management,
LP, Barry Rosenstein (“collectively JANA”), Quincy Allen, Felicia Alvaro, Jeff Fox and Scott Ostfeld (collectively and together
with JANA, the “Participants”) intend to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a definitive
proxy statement and accompanying form of WHITE proxy to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of
Zendesk, Inc. (“Zendesk” or the “Company”) in connection with the Company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders
(the “2022 Annual Meeting”). All stockholders of the Company are advised to read the definitive proxy statement and other
documents related to the solicitation of proxies, each in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting, by the Participants when they become
available, as they will contain important information, including additional information related to the Participants. The definitive proxy
statement and an accompanying WHITE proxy card will be furnished to some or all of the Company’s stockholders and will be, along
with other relevant documents, available at no charge on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/.
Information about the Participants and a description
of their direct or indirect interests by security holdings is contained in the preliminary proxy statement filed by the Participants with
the SEC on March 17, 2022. This document is available free of charge from the source indicated above.
Disclaimer
This material does not constitute an offer to sell
or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in any state to any person. In addition, the discussions and
opinions in this press release and the material contained herein are for general information only, and are not intended to provide investment
advice. All statements contained in this press release that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future
events are “forward-looking statements,” which are not guarantees of future performance or results, and the words “will,”
“anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “potential,” “could,” “opportunity,”
“estimate,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. The projected results and
statements contained in this press release and the material contained herein that are not historical facts are based on current expectations,
speak only as of the date of this press release and involve risks that may cause the actual results to be materially different. Certain
information included in this material is based on data obtained from sources considered to be reliable. No representation is made with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of such data, and any analyses provided to assist the recipient of this material in evaluating
the matters described herein may be based on subjective assessments and assumptions and may use one among alternative methodologies that
produce different results. Accordingly, any analyses should also not be viewed as factual and also should not be relied upon as an accurate
prediction of future results. All figures are unaudited estimates and subject to revision without notice. JANA disclaims any obligation
to update the information herein and reserves the right to change any of its opinions expressed herein at any time as it deems appropriate.
Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Contacts:
Media
Nathaniel Garnick/Amanda Shpiner
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257 4170
JANA@gasthalter.com
Investors
IR@janapartners.com
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