Synopsys inked a cooperation agreement with Elliott Investment Management and appointed Jesse Cohn to its board of directors, effective June 1.
Cohn is a managing partner at Elliott and a member of the Management, Risk, Allocation and Investment Committees at Elliott. He has served as an independent director of several public technology companies including Citrix Systems, eBay, and Twitter. He is also a member of the advisory board at the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance.
“As an experienced board member, Jesse brings a uniquely differentiated perspective,” Aart de Geus, executive chair and founder of Synopsys, said. “He enthusiastically shares our belief that strategic focus, augmented by disciplined execution, is foundational to achieve both high impact in our industry and sustainable, long-term value creation. His joining us as a director, further strengthens our company, and I welcome Jesse’s positive engagement and contributions to our Board.”
Prior to joining Elliott in 2004, Cohn was an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions group at Morgan Stanley. He earned his B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, from which he graduated summa cum laude.
“Synopsys is essential to the global chip industry and is well-positioned to benefit from increasing AI investment and engineering complexity,” said Cohn. “Synopsys has transformed from the leader in EDA to the leader in engineering solutions, and its differentiated portfolio provides substantial opportunity to ensure the company’s financial performance reflects the value Synopsys delivers to the industry. I look forward to working with Sassine, Aart and the rest of the team in support of the company’s efforts to drive value for all stockholders.”
Synopsys is a leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to innovate AI-powered products.
“Jesse has deep appreciation for our business and the mission-critical role we play in helping customers engineer AI-powered products from silicon to systems,” Sassine Ghazi, president and CEO of Synopsys, said. “As we drive increased competitive differentiation, value and execution across the business, his appointment aligns with our direction. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jesse and welcome his constructive insights as a member of the Synopsys Board.”
With Cohn joining, the Synopsys board of directors expanded to 11 members. Under the cooperation agreement, Elliott has agreed to customary standstill, voting, and confidentiality commitments, among other provisions.
Further, Cohn also will join the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the board.