NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) on Tuesday tapped veteran bankers Alfredo Porretti and Darren Novak to co-head its global shareholder engagement and M&A capital markets group at a time corporations are increasingly looking for help to defend against activist investors pushing for changes.

Porretti and Novak, who joined JPMorgan ( JPM ) in 2021 to lead the bank's shareholder activism defense efforts in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa will oversee the group alongside David Freedman. The bank announced the moves in a memo seen by Reuters.

In 2020, JPMorgan ( JPM ) restructured its efforts to assist clients when activists knock on the door and appointed Freedman, who joined the bank when it acquired Bear Stearns during the financial crisis, to lead the group globally.

Before taking over the activism defense mandate, Freedman had led the bank's capital markets unit.

In the last months, JPMorgan ( JPM ) defended Walt Disney ( DIS ), defeating Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management when the hedge fund pushed for a second time for board seats earlier this year.

The bank also worked with asset management firm BlackRock ( BLK ) when Boaz Weinstein's Saba Capital Management pushed for changes at some of its closed-end funds.

It also worked with Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) as it faced off against Daniel Loeb's Third Point and helped toymaker Hasbro ( HAS ) defeat a board challenge from newcomer Alta Fox.

Over the last years, the group has surged in league table rankings that count banks' mandates. In 2023 JPMorgan ( JPM ) ranked in the No.2 spot behind Goldman Sachs ( GS ), up from the No. 8 spot where it ranked in 2020, according to LSEG data.

The second half of the year is expected to be busy, lawyers and investment managers said, noting that activists are launching campaigns where they often hope to push for some sort of spin off or sale of the entire company or to replace top executives.