MIAMI: Corporate communicators should prepare for an increase in shareholder activism this year as more activists target large companies, said executives during a panel discussion at the ICR XChange conference in Miami.

Speakers at the “Corporate Governance & Shareholder Activism” panel on Wednesday predicted a spike in shareholder activism this year as M&A markets improve and activists with more money set their eyes on bigger targets.

Companies are also seeing a shift toward more “operational activism” in which ...