WSJ’s Berman is joining Lazard

Wall Street Journal financial editor Dennis K. Berman has been hired by asset management company Lazard Ltd. as a managing director in financial advisory.

His first day will be Feb. 26.

Based in New York, Berman will join Lazard’s growing shareholder advisory practice, which serves corporate leaders and boards of directors with insights on shareholders, helping clients prepare for and create defenses against activists or unsolicited takeover attempts, and build shareholder support for strategic transactions.

“Dennis brings substantial insight on M&A and strategic matters, corporate governance and shareholder activism, in addition to his deep understanding of the media,” said Jim Rossman, managing director and head of shareholder advisory for Lazard, in a statement. “His relationships with corporate leaders and board directors will also be a strong addition to Shareholder Advisory, as well as our media-industry practice and our global investment banking business.”

Berman, a Pulitzer-Prize winning editor and writer, has served as the financial editor of The Journal and as a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Committee since July 2015.

He has been a frequent contributor to business-news network CNBC. Previously, he served as The Journal’s business editor, global deals editor, and as an award-winning M&A reporter and columnist.

He earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania and was a Hoover Institution Media Fellow at Stanford University.