Biography
Rebecca regularly advises on global compliance program design, implementation, review and oversight, including the interplay between corporate compliance and ESG-related risks and opportunities. Her fit-for-purpose and risk-based approach to corporate compliance is informed by her experience developing and implementing a global compliance program during a six-month secondment at a major diversified multinational in the Middle East.
Rebecca has extensive expertise in advising on highly sensitive and unusual matters for public and private companies, and not-for-profit corporations (including universities, sports governing bodies, trade groups and charitable organizations). These include special committee investigations and other matters relating to ESG issues such as bribery, CEO activism, climate transition, conflicts of interest, corporate culture, cybersecurity, product safety and quality control, racial discrimination, sexual assault, and whistleblower protection.
Rebecca counsels U.S. public companies (including U.S. filers incorporated outside the U.S.) and foreign private issuers, private equity firms, portfolio and private companies, state-owned enterprises, professional services firms, institutional investors, financial market utilities and not-for-profit corporations, operating in a wide range of industries, at all stages of their life cycle, with respect to the full range of complex corporate governance, securities regulation and compliance issues and related disclosure, including board and committee fiduciary duties and protections, ESG and risk oversight, board leadership, composition and structure, board effectiveness, corporate culture, director independence, director elections, corporate governance policies and procedures, board evaluations, related party transactions, conflicts of interest and corporate opportunities, crisis preparedness and management, CEO transitions, executive and director compensation, shareholder engagement and activism, proxy advisory firm policies, takeover defenses, and compliance with applicable corporate laws, regulations and listing rules. She has extensive experience in a broad range of cross-border mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions, particularly multi-jurisdictional transactions requiring harmonization of U.S. and non-U.S. regimes, including those requiring innovative SEC relief.
Rebecca is a frequent speaker and writer on ESG topics, including at events in the U.S., Europe and Asia sponsored by the American Bar Association, the Practising Law Institute, The Conference Board and the U.S. State Department. She serves as Co-Chair of the International Developments in Corporate Governance Subcommittee of the American Bar Association and has lectured at the Yale School of Management and at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
In 2021, Rebecca was elected as a Fellow to the American College of Governance Counsel. In 2008, Rebecca was named a “Rising Star of Corporate Governance” by the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management.
Rebecca is dual-qualified in New York and Australia. She has practiced corporate law since 2001.
Firm News & Announcements, Speaking Engagements, Latest Thinking
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Advises the Underwriters on Williams’ $2.1B Bond Offering Deal Brief — January 08, 2024
- Rebecca Grapsas Named Weil Partner – Enhancing Firm’s Sustainability & ESG Platform Press Release — November 06, 2023
Speaking Engagements
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Sustainability & ESG Quarterly Webinar Series
Speaker(s):
Rebecca Grapsas,
Matthew D. Morton and
Marc Schubert
February 28, 2024 — Weil Public Company Advisory Group partner Rebecca Grapsas, Regulatory Transactions partner Matthew Morton, and Private Funds partner Marc Schubert spoke on the panel “Five Key ESG Developments: How to Prepare in 2024” as part of the Sustainability & ESG Quarterly Webinar Series.
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Society for Corporate Governance Roundtable on California Climate Disclosure Laws
Speaker(s):
Rebecca Grapsas,
Matthew D. Morton and
David R. Singh
February 6, 2024 — Rebecca Grapsas, Matthew Morton and David Singh facilitated an in-house, member-only roundtable for the Society for Corporate Governance discussing the California Climate Accountability Package (Senate Bill 253 and Senate Bill 261).
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The Conference Board’s Corporate Governance Council Meeting
Speaker(s):
Rebecca Grapsas
October 13, 2023 — Weil Public Company Advisory Group partner Rebecca Grapsas spoke on a program titled “‘Traditional’ Cybersecurity Issues with AI Implications” as part of The Conference Board’s Corporate Governance Council meeting in Copenhagen.
Latest Thinking
- Sustainability & ESG Quarterly Roundup Alert — By Rebecca Grapsas, John P. Barry, Lyuba Goltser, Olivia J. Greer, Rebecca Sivitz, Annemargaret Connolly, Matthew D. Morton, Robert Stern, James Bromley, Christopher Marks, Marc Schubert, Amy Waddington and Romain Ferla — PDF — April 2024
- SEC Adopts Less Prescriptive Climate-Related Disclosure Rules but Challenges Remain Alert — By Rebecca Grapsas, P.J. Himelfarb, Alicia Alterbaum, Julie Rong, Amanda Zoda, Annemargaret Connolly, Matthew D. Morton, David R. Singh and Robert Stern — PDF — March 13, 2024
- 5 Essential ESG Questions for Boards Publication — Directors & Boards — By Lyuba Goltser and Rebecca Grapsas — February 14, 2024
- Heads Up for the 2024 Proxy Season: Key Corporate Governance, Disclosure and Engagement Topics Alert — Governance & Securities — By Lyuba Goltser, Kaitlin Descovich, Howard B. Dicker, Rebecca Grapsas, Adé Heyliger, P.J. Himelfarb, Alicia Alterbaum, Steven Bentsianov, Rachel Alpert, Daniel Ruzi, Julie Rong, Eleni Samara and Amanda Zoda — PDF — January 30, 2024
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Sustainability & ESG Quarterly Roundup
Blog Post — Weil Governance & Securities Watch
— By
Rebecca Grapsas
— December 14, 2023
In this quarterly newsletter, we highlight key developments relating to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) topics over the past quarter, with a focus on developments of interest to U.S. public and private companies, and companies operating in the United Kingdom and European Union. We also provide links to significant ESG developments that are expected in the near future. ...