Ted McHugh

Ted is a Managing Director at Edelman Smithfield and leads the U.S. Strategic Situations & Investor Relations practice. He advises the senior management and boards of public companies on strategic communications including investor relations, activism defense, transactions communications, crisis communications, and IPOs.

Ted has led client engagements across a variety of industries, including WEX, Viking Cruises, Principal Global, Alaska Airlines, Cognizant, Coty, Designer Brands, and Hilton Hotels. He has advised on many activism engagements, including Etsy, Hilton Grand Vacations, Alight, Shake Shack, and Independence Realty Trust.

​Before joining Edelman Smithfield, Ted was Director, Investor Relations for Parkway Properties, Inc. (NYSE: PKY; $2.0 billion market cap real estate investment trust). While at Parkway, he led the development of the company’s financial communications strategy and served as main point of contact to the investment community and members of the media. Under Ted’s guidance, Parkway established an industry leading IR program that led to a 25% increase in sell side coverage and a broadening of Parkway’s visibility among institutional investors.

Previously, Ted was Head of Investor Relations Advisory Development, Americas at NASDAQ OMX, where he was responsible for executing a product development strategy for the firm’s $50 million+ IR advisory services business that consults corporations on the capital markets and effective communications to the investment community. His past experiences include leading NASDAQ’s Technology and Consumer advisory practice teams as well as running the firm’s Special Situations Advisory Program, which provides intelligence to clients facing increased interest from activist investors.

Ted has a BA in Economics from Lafayette College and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. He is an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University Graduate School of Business where he originated and instructs a class on financial communications and its impact on the capital markets.