John Shave, IRC

SVP of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.

As an accomplished entrepreneur, business development, and corporate communications executive, John’s career spans more than 20 years of achieving exceptional results in investor relations, public relations and marketing communications.

At Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE), a growth-capital provider to technology-driven businesses in healthcare, financial services and digital media, John is responsible for planning, executing and managing all investor relations and corporate communications initiatives. John has played a critical role in Safeguard’s turnaround following the burst of the Internet bubble. During his tenure at Safeguard, as a result of strategic targeting initiatives and greater transparency, Safeguard’s stock price hit a 10-year high; average daily dollar trading volume increased 6x; the number of covering analysts increased from one to seven; and SFE has significantly outperformed its peer group and major indices, such as the Russell 2000 and Dow Jones, since Safeguard’s current management team came in.
Prior to joining Safeguard, John was Vice President of Investor Relations at The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, a $3 billion global provider of automotive retailing solutions for car dealers and automakers. During his tenure, he led communications campaigns for 11 M&A transactions valued at more than $2.8 billion, in aggregate. As the company’s business model transformed, John developed and implemented investor targeting programs and communications strategies that increased sell-side coverage, boosted trading volume, increased institutional ownership and shifted shareholder orientation from Value to GARP and Growth Investors, ultimately driving valuation.

Previously, John was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of U.S. operations for National Public Relations, Inc., Canada’s largest full-service investor and public relations consultancy. He had full P&L, business development and client services responsibilities. Before National Public Relations, John was an investor relations and corporate communications account executive for Thomson Financial / Georgeson & Company, and Robert Marston Corporate Communications, both based in New York City, where his clients included Apache Energy, Merrill Lynch and MasterCard International.

In June 2016, John was named to the inaugural class of Investor Relations Charter (IRC™) holders, a brand new credential awarded by the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) for demonstrating proficiency and professionalism in Investor Relations. John has been a keynote speaker at numerous investor relations conferences in the U.S. and Canada. At the IR Magazine Think Tank 2012, John was a panelist on “What’s your ideal shareholder base and how do you get there.” Previously, he was the moderator and panelist at the 2011 and 2012 National Investor Relations Institute Annual Conferences. In addition, he has spoken on topics including IPOs and led the lecture series “The Evolving Role of IR Practitioners in Corporate America” at Susquehanna and Seton Hall Universities. John has also been quoted as an industry expert in many national, regional publications and industry publications throughout the course of his career. In 2006, John was named to the “Dayton Business Journal 40 Under 40” list of young business leaders. He earned a B.A. from Susquehanna University where he was named the Department of Communications Most Outstanding Student for 1992-1993 and is a graduate from the Stanford University Executive Institute.