Upcoming & Past Events

At the NIRI Houston Holiday Luncheon, H/Advisors Abernathy will lead the group through a crisis simulation. Attendees will act as the leaders and decision-makers of a company going through a reputational issue, at the intersection of investor relations, media engagement and employee communications. Kendell Fitter and Sydney Isaacs of H/Advisors Abernathy will guide the group through different escalating levels of a scenario with various media and social media components. Attendees will be asked to think critically, engage in discussion and make difficult decisions, ultimately as a practice exercise for real-life corporate reputational crises.

Charity Toy Drive:

We will also have our charity toy drive again in partnership with Avenue, a non-profit organization that has specialized in providing affordable homes and strengthening communities throughout the Houston area since 1991. Avenue is a leader in affordable housing. They strive to build wealth and health equity for low-income Houstonians through developing safe, affordable homes, delivering homebuyer education and resources and promoting neighborhood revitalization. 

Register today, you won't want to miss it. 

Sydney Isaacs​
Managing Director, Head of Houston Office​
H/Advisors Abernathy
Houston

Sydney Isaacs provides strategic communications counsel to companies during times of change, including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, crises and activist shareholder engagements. Sydney’s work supports companies’ valuations and reputations through a combination of financial communications and PR strategies. She has particularly deep experience advising companies across the energy sector, providing support to clients on communications related to their diverse efforts to participate in and respond to the energy transition. ​

Sydney joined H/Advisors Abernathy in 2005 in the firm’s Los Angeles office and subsequently founded the Houston office. She was named one of the 50 most influential leaders in corporate governance in 2022 by the National Association of Corporate Directors. She is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from crisis management to investor activism defense. She is also a member of the firm’s six-person Leadership Team.

Representative Experience

• Centuri Group on its corporate repositioning as its parent company evaluated strategic alternatives under activist shareholder pressure
• ConocoPhillips on its $9.7 billion acquisition of Concho Resources
• Frank’s International on its merger with Expro Group
• Stratus Properties on its successful proxy contest against Oasis Management
• Texas Pacific Land Trust on its proxy contest and related litigation
• Xcel Energy on its crisis planning and response
• A chemicals manufacturer on its management of a ransomware crisis

Memberships and Affiliations

• Board of Directors, YMCA of Greater Houston
• Honoree, Directorship 100
• Advisory Board, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Texas Tricities Chapter
• National Investor Relations Institute, former Houston Chapter Board member, Southwest Conference Chair and co-Chair
• Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, Troop Leader
• Turnaround Management Association, Houston Chapter, former President
• Center for Houston’s Future’s Business / Civic Leadership Forum, Graduate

Kendell Fitter​
Managing Director, Head of Crisis​
H/Advisors Abernathy
New York

Kendell Fitter is Head of the Crisis practice at H/Advisors Abernathy. Kendell’s specialty is guiding her clients through high-stakes crisis situations with minimal reputational damage, maximum business continuity and optimized outcomes for all stakeholders. Her crisis management experience spans a broad range of complex issues including cybersecurity, investigations, employee activism, pandemic response, social issues, workplace misconduct, product recalls, physical disasters, regulatory matters and other special situations. Kendell counsels her clients through all phases of crisis preparedness and response and is a frequent speaker on crisis management throughout the United States.​

Kendell also advises on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, public affairs and high-profile executive changes. Clients frequently turn to her for specialized media and presentation training, as well as to develop and implement reputation management programs. Kendell joined the firm in 2012.

Representative Experience

• Major U.S. corporations on employee activism and business disruption​
• Corporations on data breaches, cyber-attacks and other privacy issues​
• Management teams and Boards during C-Suite changes and surprise announcements, including investigations and allegations of misconduct​
• Companies and institutions after a physical disaster or mass casualty incident​
• Multinational corporations during product liability issues and mass recalls​
• Corporations and non-profits on regulatory inquiries, investigations and sanctions​
• Insurance companies during complex situations on behalf of their policyholders​

Education

• ​Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communications, B.S. in Public Relations

 
Memberships and Affiliations

• Women in America (WIA)