TMCnet News
Glass Lewis Recommends Shareholders Vote For the Election of Both Harbert Discovery Fund Nominees to Enzo Biochem's BoardHarbert Discovery Fund, LP and Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I, LP (collectively "HDF"), the beneficial owners of more than 11.8% of the outstanding shares of Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE: ENZ) ("Enzo" or the "Company"), today announced that a leading proxy advisory firm, Glass, Lewis & Co. ("Glass Lewis"), has recommended that shareholders vote on the BLUE proxy card in support of HDF's two highly-qualified independent nominees, Fabian Blank and Peter Clemens. In its report, Glass Lewis highlighted the need for change at Enzo and the pervasive weakness of the arguments the Company has made throughout its campaign1:
Glass Lewis also carefully examined Enzo's performance against peers across various periods, concluding that:
Regarding Enzo's lack of strategic and operational progress, Glass Lewis notes that:
Glass Lewis discusses Enzo's corporate governance issues and the reactive nature of the actions the Company has taken, noting:
Kenan Lucas, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of HDF, commented on the report: "We are extremely pleased that Glass Lewis has supported our case for change at Enzo. HDF believes the Company's pattern of prioritizing the entrenched status quo over its fiduciary duty to shareholders is no longer acceptable. Our two independent nominees, Fabian Blank and Peter Clemens, will provide the relevant skillsets and expertise required to help realize Enzo's value potential. We look forward to continuing constructive engagement with the Board and management on the path to improvement at Enzo." Now is the time to vote your shares. HDF, like Glass Lewis, encourages you to vote on the BLUE proxy card FOR the election of Fabian Blank and Peter Clemens today. Please visit our website at www.cureenzo.com to learn more. Important Information about Participants in a Proxy Solicitation: Harbert Discovery Fund, LP ("Harbert Discovery"), Harbert Discovery Fund GP, LLC ("Harbert Discovery GP"), Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I, LP ("Harbert Discovery Co-Investment" and together with Harbert Discovery, the "Discovery Funds"), Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I GP, LLC ("Harbert Discovery Co-Investment GP"), Harbert Fund Advisors, Inc. ("HFA"), Harbert Management Corporation ("HMC"), Jack Bryant ("Mr. Bryant"), Raymond Harbert ("Mr. Harbert") and Kenan Lucas ("Mr. Lucas" and together with Harbert Discovery, Harbert Discovery GP, Harbert Discovery Co-Investment, Harbert Discovery Co-Investment GP, HFA, HMC and Messrs. Bryant and Harbert, the "Harbert Discovery Parties") (collectively, the "Participants") have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)") a definitive proxy statement and accompanying form of proxy to be used in connection with the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Enzo Biochem, Inc. (the "Company") in connection with the annual meeting of shareholders of the Company (the "Annual Meeting"). All shareholders of the Company are advised to read the definitive proxy statement and other documents related to the solicitation of proxies by the Participants in respect of the Annual Meeting, as they contain important information, including additional information related to the Participants, their nominees for election to the board of directors of the Company and the Annual Meeting. The definitive proxy statement and an accompanying proxy card will be furnished to some or all of the Company's shareholders and are, along with other relevant documents, available at no charge on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/ and are available upon request from the Participants' proxy solicitor, Okapi Partners, by calling (888) 758-6707 (banks and brokers call collect (212) 297-0720). Additional information about the Participants can be found on the Definitive Proxy Statement filed by the Participants on December 6, 2019. About Harbert Discovery Fund (HDF) HDF invests in a concentrated portfolio of publicly traded small capitalization companies in the US and Canada. We perform significant due diligence on each portfolio company prior to investing. In addition to researching all publicly available information and meeting with management, our diligence includes substantial primary research with industry experts, consultants, bankers, customers and competitors. We often spend months or years researching ideas before making an investment decision and we only invest in companies that we believe are significantly undervalued, and where there is the potential for change to enhance or accelerate value creation. In an effort to unlock this potential value, we seek to work directly with the boards and management teams of our portfolio companies privately and collaboratively, engaging with them on a range of factors including governance, board composition, corporate strategy, capital allocation, strategic alternatives and operations. We have effected positive, fundamental changes at our current and past investments through this behind-the-scenes, constructive approach. HDF currently has board representation at three of our portfolio companies. In each case, changes to the board were agreed upon privately and it is our strong preference in every investment to avoid the unnecessary distractions and costs of a public proxy campaign. About Harbert Management Corporation (HMC) HMC is an alternative asset management firm with approximately $7.0 billion in regulatory assets under management as of December 31, 2019. HMC currently sponsors nine distinct investment strategies with dedicated investment teams. Additional information about HMC can be found at www.harbert.net.
____________________
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200116005703/en/ |