David Hunker

David Hunker is a managing director and global head of activist defense and shareholder engagement within the Piper Sandler investment banking platform. 

Hunker brings 18 years of experience in investment banking and shareholder activism defense to Piper Sandler. Prior to joining Piper Sandler, Hunker was head of shareholder activism defense at Ernst & Young Capital Advisors where he focused on advising public and pre-IPO companies on activism preparation and response strategies. Previously, he spent fifteen years at J.P. Morgan Securities in New York and London where he founded and led their global shareholder activism defense practice for nearly a decade. Hunker began his career at J.P. Morgan Securities in their mergers & acquisitions group, executing transactions across all major client sectors in the Americas, Europe and emerging markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Russia. 

Hunker graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and received his Master of Business Administration degree from McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.