Speaker details

Biography

Francesca L. Odell is a partner based in Cleary Gottlieb’s New York office. She advises both U.S. and international clients on a complex range of corporate governance and reporting matters, as well as corporate transactions, particularly in capital markets. Francesca leads Cleary’s corporate advisory practice and regularly counsels boards of directors and management on a variety of topics, including disclosure and compliance; stock exchange listing requirements; board composition and director independence; shareholder engagement and activism; shareholder proposals and proxy season trends; management and director succession planning; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters. Francesca has deep experience with capital markets and other financial and M&A transactions in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, most notably in Brazil. She has a reputation for delivering practical, business-savvy solutions to complex and high-profile issues. Francesca has been recognized as a leading Capital Markets and Corporate/M&A lawyer by Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America, The Legal 500 Latin America, and Latin Lawyer 250, and as a leading lawyer for Latin American Investment by Chambers USA. She is a fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel and a member of the advisory boards of the NYU Law Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance and the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets & Corporate Ownership of Columbia Law School. Francesca received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, and she holds her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin. She joined Cleary in 1996 and became a partner in 2005.